Ethan Galbraith can't help but smile as he remembers the thrilling final moments of Swansea's epic comeback triumph against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. The encounter wrapped up with Galbraith briefly donning a fan's glasses amid the on-field celebration.
As the match entered added time, Galbraith rattled the woodwork with a long-range strike from 25 yards, and Cameron Burgess promptly slammed home the deflection before sprinting toward the East Stand to celebrate, with the crowd mobbing the players.
Extraordinary Turnaround
The result sealed an incredible recovery given the team had trailed 2-0 during the second half. During the delirium, there was some collateral damage. Galbraith explained, "There was a fan sort of calling out and we were thinking: 'What's he on about here?' Then we saw the glasses. It was a funny incident putting them on. We are on the pitch as footballers but we're humans, too, so to have a laugh with the fans is always good."
Pep Guardiola Test
The victory booked a upcoming fixture at home against Pep Guardiola's side on Wednesday, a team Galbraith came close against at the comparable phase of the FA Cup with the London side in February. The athletic midfielder had a prime vantage point when his former team took the lead in stunning style, with Jamie Donley's volley from about 45 yards going in via the bar and the City goalkeeper. Many argued that it was deemed an own goal.
"You would have hoped they would've credited him for attempting the shot from that far out," stated Galbraith, who began the game centrally before moving to right flank after the team changed tactics. That meant competing with the England international, with whom he traded tops, and the winger was among the opposition who praised the way the underdogs approached the match.
City's Quality
"Fitness-wise they are very good but even the fundamentals and simple things, they can just perform consistently," he explains. "It appears that they always find their target and they know how to dictate and slow down a game. You can feel you're holding your own and then abruptly they will just deliver a through ball through a line without you even spotting it. You have to be alert every second of the game. It takes a strong mentality and attention just to stay in the game."
Swansea Move
Swansea pushed to sign Galbraith in January and beat off competition to sign him in the summer in a £1.5m deal. He made a name as a crowd pleaser across a couple of years at Leyton Orient and has quickly done the same in his new home. At the London club he reunited with the coach, who earlier gave Galbraith his first extended run in professional games on loan at a League One side from United. Then came a spell at fourth-tier the Manchester club, before he departed Old Trafford.
Learning Curve
"I was probably a slightly green going into men's football. I think a lot of players would say youth team games is entirely separate. Sometimes it seems the ball is moved without real physicality. There's not many tackles or duels. Once you start playing men's games you have to adjust fast."
Country Call-ups
He has demonstrated that development for both domestically and internationally, performing well for the Green and White Army, who are fighting to qualify for the international competition next summer via the knockout phase and for whom he has been selected in the past five games, including both legs encounters against a football powerhouse. The ex-coach, Galbraith's previous international manager, paid him the supreme accolade, saying he was Northern Ireland's "little Iniesta or Xavi" given how he manipulates the ball and his ability to spot a game-changing assist.
Early Days
It has been an incredible journey for the youngster from the Queens Park estate in his hometown, just outside Belfast, who grew up watching his parent, Stuart, also a midfielder, play for Ballyclare Comrades.
Manchester United Experience
The player's single match for United came in Central Asia in 2019, a European competition trip to the Kazakh capital, where they competed on an synthetic surface and the stadium roof was shut owing to the weather of freezing cold. "It was a long trip and it was freezing," he comments, chuckling. "The days leading up, the academy prospects trained together, so that aided our adjustment. Just to accompany the senior squad and get a couple of minutes at the end was unbelievable."
Leaving United
How hard was it to depart Manchester United, the club he joined from Linfield aged a teenager? "This turned out relatively straightforward, because I reached the point where I understood I couldn't establish myself at the top level. I'm extremely thankful for the experience gained but it became apparent where I thought I needed to go my own route, join a smaller club and play professional soccer. Now I'm slowly progressing again."
Life in Swansea
It is mid-afternoon at the club's training ground but Galbraith has somewhere to be at the early evening: a driving theory test, another progress toward getting on the road. Before his recent move to the local area, the 24-year-old was a frequent passenger in Swansea's dubbed player transport, a team vehicle driven by academy staff, the transport team, which shuttles players to and from practice and games.
"My companions include Gonçalo Franco, another squad member, an Ivorian player – Melker Widell used to be in it but has begun using his own car. It's pleasant to spend time with the teammates but I'm aiming to be the next one to drive independently and driving. The Portuguese player is known for his humor; he's always up to all sorts."
Fan Interactions
When he represented Leyton Orient, Galbraith would blend in with followers on the Tube after beginning his trip at the area he lived in. "I tried|I attempted|My aim
