Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DONEGAL v DOWN SHY NEW BOY TO JUST ONE OF THE LADS
No more teenage kicks for Gallagher as he plans to take down the Mournemen
EOGHAN Ban Gallagher has gone from star-struck teenager to just one of the lads inside a couple of years.
The Killybegs defender was only 16 when Donegal won the All-ireland in 2012 and when he was called up to the senior squad along with some of his U21 team-mates found it a daunting experience.
“Myself and Ciaran Thompson were called up at the same time after we lost the Ulster U21 final to Tyrone and for my first training session I travelled up with Paddy Mcbrearty and Ryan (Mchugh).
“I remember Eamonn Mcgee, Christy Toye and Michael Boyle were sitting with us but we were quiet back then!
“They had just lost the All-ireland final (2014) and I had immense respect for them.
“I looked up to them and to be in the same dressing-room was incredible but it’s a gradual thing where they just become your team-mates and your friends.
“It didn’t happen all of a sudden and there was no one defining moment.
“You just realise you’re all in the one boat trying to achieve the same goals.”
Gallagher, whose father John Ban played for Donegal in the 1990s, is not a natural-born cornerback but has found himself cast in that role last year and again this summer.
His darting runs out of defence have often lifted the pressure and sometimes resulted in scores at the other end, making him a valuable asset.
Something he will certainly be in Sunday’s Ulster SFC semi-final against Down at Clones.
“The aim is to improve every year. The first year I came in, I didn’t make the squad which is what I expected. Rory (Gallagher) brought me in to train, really.
“I think I have improved some aspects but other aspects have suffered, so it’s about getting the whole lot together and continuing to push on because people will only remember that you are only as good as your last game.”
Having a former Footballer of the Year in the Donegal back-room team can only but be a massive weapon, especially for the younger players.
Gallagher rates Karl Lacey’s impact this season as “huge.”
“You just see what he brought to the game.
“Defensively how he thought about it, his hunger to turn the ball over, the intensity even when he is talking about it you can see the desire there. He has brought huge energy.
“A player of his calibre has a huge skill set in terms of providing tips for us younger boys but you even find that the older boys are learning from him too.
“It’s very positive to have him there.”