🔗 Share this article

Ethan Galbraith grins broadly as he recalls the nail-biting closing stages of his team's remarkable turnaround win against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup. The game ended with Galbraith temporarily wearing a fan's glasses following the on-field celebration.

As the match entered added time, Galbraith rattled the woodwork with a long-range shot from distance, and his teammate quickly slammed home the rebound before racing off toward the crowd to revel in the moment, with the crowd swarming the players.

Stunning Reversal

The victory completed an unbelievable turnaround given Swansea had found themselves down 2-0 deep into the latter period. During the euphoria, there was some unintended consequences. The midfielder recalled, "There was a spectator shouting out and Josh Key and I were thinking: 'What's he on about here?' Then we saw the glasses. It was a bit of banter putting them on. We are on the pitch as players but we're individuals, too, so to have a laugh with the fans is always good."

Pep Guardiola Test

The result secured a upcoming fixture at home against the Premier League champions on Wednesday, a team Galbraith pushed hard at the same stage of the FA Cup with Leyton Orient in February. The athletic midfielder had arguably the best view when Orient took the lead in spectacular fashion, with the attacker's first-time shot from about 45 yards going in via the bar and the opposition keeper. Many argued that it was recorded as an own goal.

"You would have hoped they would've awarded it to him for having a go from that distance," stated Galbraith, who started in midfield before switching to right flank after they changed tactics. That meant facing off against Jack Grealish, with whom he traded tops, and the player was among the opposition who praised the way his former team attacked the game.

City's Quality

"Fitness-wise they are very good but even the simple things and routine actions, they can just perform consistently," he explains. "It feels like they always find their target and they understand how to dictate and take the sting out of a game. You can believe you're doing well and then without warning they will just deliver a through ball through a line without you even spotting it. You have to be switched on every second of the game. It takes a tough attitude and focus just to keep pace."

New Chapter

The club sought to acquire Galbraith in January and fought off rivals to bring him in in the summer in a seven-figure transfer. He became a favorite as a crowd pleaser across a couple of years at Orient and has swiftly done the same in Wales. At the London club he reunited with Richie Wellens, who earlier gave Galbraith his initial sustained opportunity in professional games on loan at his loan club from Manchester United. Then came a loan at lower division the Manchester club, before he moved on from his boyhood club.

Learning Curve

"I was likely a slightly green going into professional soccer. I think a lot of players would say youth team games is very different. Sometimes it feels like possession is exchanged without much intensity. There's not many physical contests. Once you start playing first-team football you have to adjust fast."

International Recognition

His progress reflects that development for his team and nation, excelling for the Green and White Army, who could still reach the global tournament next summer via the knockout phase and for whom he has been selected in the recent fixtures, including both legs encounters against Germany. Ian Baraclough, Galbraith's former international manager, gave him the highest praise, saying he was Northern Ireland's "little Iniesta or Xavi" given how he handles the football and his ability to spot a game-changing assist.

Early Days

This marks quite the ride for the kid from the Queens Park estate in the Belfast suburb, just outside Belfast, who used to see his father, Stuart, also a midfielder, play for a local club.

Red Devils Debut

Galbraith's only game for United came in Kazakhstan in 2019, a Europa League trip to the Kazakh capital, where they competed on an plastic turf and the arena covering was closed owing to temperatures of bitter cold. "This represented a lengthy journey and it was cold out there," he recalls, grinning. "The preceding week, several youth players and I practiced as a group, so that aided our adjustment. Just to accompany the senior squad and make an appearance at the end was unbelievable."

Departing Old Trafford

How hard was it to move on from Old Trafford, the club he transferred from aged 16? "The decision proved relatively straightforward, because I got to the stage where I knew I couldn't establish myself at first-team level. I'm hugely grateful for the experience gained but it reached a stage where I felt I had to take a different path, drop down the leagues and play professional soccer. Now I'm steadily working my way back up."

Life in Swansea

It is the early part of the afternoon at the team's practice facility but Galbraith has a commitment at late afternoon: 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 regular in Swansea's dubbed player transport, a small coach driven by team personnel, the drivers, which transports players to and from sessions and fixtures.

"It's myself the Portuguese player, the Brazilian, an Ivorian player – Melker Widell used to be in it but has started driving. It's enjoyable to socialize with the guys but I'm hoping to be the next one to drive independently and behind the wheel. The Portuguese player is known for his humor; he's constantly causing mischief."

Supporter Connections

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