Divided loyalties for former Roman over FA Cup clash
Andy Gallinagh won’t know which team to cheer on this weekend as Bath City travel to Banbury United in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round.
Banbury are managed by Andy Whing, who Gallinagh went to school with and has remained close friends with to this day.
Gallinagh made 172 appearances for the Romans, scoring the first of his three goals in a 4th Qualifying Round win at Dover 10 years ago, the last time City won a match at that stage of the competition.
The Sutton Coldfield-born defender had signed for the club on loan in September 2011 from Cheltenham.
“My wife gave birth to my little girl just after I joined Bath,” recalled Gallinagh. “It was a bit of a strange time in my life.
“It was my first experience coming out on loan. I found it quite difficult at first with Kate being heavily pregnant and to get settled into a new changing room.
“I knew a couple of the lads but I didn’t hit the ground running. It felt like this was the game where I was accepted.”
Dover were a division below Conference Premier Bath City, who had made a poor start to the season, winning just one of their opening 19 games in all competitions and a week earlier lost 4-1 at Fleetwood Town, where Jamie Vardy netted twice.
Gallinagh was experiencing the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup for the first time but had been involved at the latter stages with Cheltenham.
“I captained us against Southampton at St Mary’s,” he said, recalling a 2nd round defeat in 2010. “I wasn’t in the squad when we played Newcastle in 2006 but I remember the excitement with the likes of Alan Shearer coming down.
“The FA Cup is a massive part of football – the financial gain can be huge for clubs. I knew how big it would have been for Bath, now I’ve retired I know the importance even more.
“There was a bit of needle down at Dover. It’s a strange one, I remember the long walk up the hill to the ground while some of their players were travelling up on golf carts.”
The sides were locked at 0-0 at the break with Gallinagh making the breakthrough two minutes after the interval, nodding home from close range after Gethin Jones’ header hit the bar.
“It wasn’t the prettiest of goals,” Gallinagh laughed. “I didn’t score many so I’ll take it. It was a special moment, it made me feel like I was starting to find my feet.”
The win took City to League Two Dagenham & Redbridge in the 1st Round where Sean Canham’s 11th minute opener was cancelled out by Brian Woodall’s header before the break.
Gallinagh was man-of-thematch in the 1-1 draw, which earned a televised replay 11 days later which saw the Daggers progress 3-1 after extra time.
“Their second goal probably shouldn’t have stood,” Gallinagh claimed of Jon Nurse’s strike in the replay, awarded after he appeared several yards offside. “We had chances in the away game to win but it wasn’t to be.
“It was a good bonus for the club to get the TV cameras down and get a bit more money.”
This season’s FA Cup has seen City overcome two lower league opponents 6-0 on aggregate, but Gallinagh isn’t expecting an easy ride against Southern Premier Central Banbury United managed by his long-time pal. The Puritans haven’t lost any of their 14 league and cup matches this season and sit third in the table after Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Bromsgrove Sporting.
“He’s one of my best mates,” said Gallinagh of Andy Whing. “We see each other quite a bit. He’s done incredibly well and deserves all the luck he gets. He puts a lot of desire and effort into Banbury, at the moment it’s paying off.
“It’s a bit of a Catch-22 for me. I’ve got a lot of time for Bath and enjoyed my time there. I know Jerry as we were at Cheltenham together.
“Whingy will be wanting to win just as much as Jerry. I’ll try and come along but if I can’t I’ll have a close eye on the result.
“I’m always looking to see how Bath and Banbury get on.”
Gallinagh, now 36, departed Bath in the summer of 2016, joining Worcester City. Following a season at Stratford he returned to Worcester but a serious knee injury caused him to retire three years ago and take a different career path – he now teaches PE at a secondary school in Redditch.
“I really enjoyed my time at Bath,” said Gallinagh. “It felt like a place where I could go and enjoy my football.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Adie (Britton) and Arch (Lee Howells). They showed confidence in me and I felt I paid them back in my first two seasons with my performances.
It wasn’t the prettiest of goals. I didn’t score many so I’ll take it. Andy Gallinagh