🔗 Share this article

Ethan Galbraith breaks into a smile as he reminisces about the dramatic dying seconds of his team's remarkable turnaround win against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. The encounter wrapped up with Galbraith briefly donning a fan's glasses following the post-goal scrum.

With the clock ticking into the 97th minute, Galbraith cracked the upright with a speculative strike from distance, and Cameron Burgess quickly hammered in the rebound before charging toward the East Stand to celebrate, with fans swarming the players.

Extraordinary Turnaround

The result sealed an incredible recovery given Swansea had trailed 2-0 during the final 45 minutes. Amid the celebrations, there was some unintended consequences. He shared, "There was a fan shouting out and Josh Key and I 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 bit of craic with the fans is always good."

Premier League Giants

That win secured a next round fixture at home against Pep Guardiola's side on Wednesday, a club Galbraith pushed hard at the comparable phase of the FA Cup with his former club in February. The athletic midfielder had a prime vantage point when Orient took the lead in spectacular fashion, with Jamie Donley's volley from about long distance going in via the bar and the opposition keeper. It seems unfair that it was recorded as an own goal.

"You would have hoped they would've awarded it to him for attempting the shot from that far out," stated Galbraith, who played in the middle before moving to right flank after Orient changed formation. That meant facing off against Jack Grealish, with whom he exchanged jerseys, and the winger was among the opposition who paid tribute to the way the underdogs approached the match.

City's Quality

"Fitness-wise they are very good but even the fundamentals and basic skills, they can just do it over and over again," he explains. "It feels like they never miss a pass and they are adept at manage and take the sting out of a game. You can feel you're all right and then without warning they will just fizz a pass past your midfield without you even seeing. You have to be focused throughout of the game. It demands a resilient mindset and attention just to keep pace."

Swansea Move

The Welsh side were keen on Galbraith in January and fought off rivals to sign him in the summer in a seven-figure transfer. He established himself as a crowd pleaser across multiple campaigns at Orient and has swiftly replicated that in Wales. At the London club he reunited with Richie Wellens, who earlier gave Galbraith his initial sustained opportunity in first-team action on loan at his loan club from Manchester United. Then came a spell at lower division the Manchester club, before he permanently left his boyhood club.

Development Path

"I was perhaps a somewhat inexperienced going into men's football. I think numerous professionals would say youth team games is entirely separate. Sometimes it appears the ball is moved without much intensity. There are limited hard challenges. Once you start playing men's games you have to learn quickly."

Country Call-ups

He has demonstrated that maturation for both domestically and internationally, excelling for Northern Ireland, who could still reach the World Cup next summer via the qualifying rounds and for whom he has featured in the past five games, including two matches fixtures against the German national team. His former international manager, Galbraith's ex- international manager, paid him the supreme accolade, saying he was Northern Ireland's "creative maestro" given how he manipulates the ball and his knack for a decisive through ball.

Starting Out

This represents a remarkable path for the youngster from the Queens Park estate in the Belfast suburb, just outside Northern Ireland's main city, who used to see his dad, his father, also a engine room operator, play for a local club.

Manchester United Experience

The player's only game for Manchester United came in Kazakhstan in 2019, a European competition trip to the host city, where they featured on an synthetic surface and the stadium roof was sealed owing to conditions of freezing cold. "It was a lengthy journey and it was freezing," he comments, chuckling. "The week before, the academy prospects worked out jointly, so that helped us acclimatise. Just to travel with the first team and get a couple of minutes at the end was unbelievable."

Leaving United

What was the challenge was it to leave United, the club he signed from his boyhood team aged a teenager? "It was quite easy, because I got to the stage where I understood I couldn't establish myself at the senior squad. I'm hugely grateful for the time I spent there but it became apparent where I felt I had to take a different path, drop down the leagues and play men's football. Now I'm slowly progressing again."

Life in Swansea

This occurs during mid-afternoon at the club's training ground but Galbraith has an appointment at the early evening: a driving theory test, another step towards getting on the road. Before his recent move to the local area, the mid-twenties player was a constant rider in Swansea's dubbed team minibus, a small coach driven by academy staff, Pete and Howard, which shuttles players to and from training and matches.

"It's myself the Portuguese player, the Brazilian, an Ivorian player – the Swedish defender used to be in it but has got his license. It's enjoyable to interact with the teammates but I'm hoping to be the subsequent individual out of the minibus and on the road. The Portuguese player enjoys practical jokes; he's frequently playing tricks."

Supporter Connections

When he represented his former club, Galbraith would travel alongside followers on public transport after commuting at his base. "I tried|I attempted|My aim