Gallagher hopes to play way into side for Israel
DECLAN Gallagher hopes his Motherwell form can catapult him into contention for Scotland’s Nations League play-off clash with Israel next month.
The defender was impressive again for the Steelmen in Saturday’s goalless draw away at Hamilton, helping them to their 16th clean sheet of the season in all competitions.
Gallagher, 29, has already earned international recognition under Steve Clarke, making his debut in a win over Cyprus and then playing again in another victory over Kazakhstan.
And the former Livingston man is confident he can make Clarke’s squad again – as long as he can maintain his own high standards and play at the level he knows will be enough to seal him a third cap.
“I’m feeling confident,” Gallagher said. “I’m still playing well and we’re sitting third in the league and I’m doing well for my club, which is the reason I got called up the last time. Hopefully I’ll get called up again on merit.
“I’m trying to play as well as I can for my club and hopefully that’d be enough to get me into the next squad. I thought I played well the two games I played so hopefully I’ve done enough to stay in the next squad.
“There are a lot of good centre-halves out there so I need to keep playing well. I think it has to make you a little bit more confident as a player going into those games, believing that you’re an international player.
“And that is what I believe, that I’ve become a better player going into the training camps with some of the boys I’ve been training with – so I feel a lot more confident.”
Motherwell had chances to win the Lanarkshire derby despite being down to 10 men after Chris Long was sent off. Gallagher himself was guilty of spurning one of the better opportunities in injury-time when he found himself in acres of space inside the six-yard box, only for his first touch to let him down.
But the defender was adament that he was content with a point to move his side back into third in the table after Aberdeen lost at home to Ross County.
“I had quite a good chance at the end but my touch shows I’m a centre-half and not a striker,” he laughed. “I’ve opened my foot up instead of taking it toward the goal, and it’s run away from me.
“These things happen but it’s still a good result for us at the end of the day because of the Aberdeen score, though we could’ve taken all three.”
Alex Gogic, meanwhile, reckons his side should have made their numerical advantage count. The defender simply hopes his experience beating the drop with Accies in the past will prove to be an advantage over fellow strugglers Hearts.
And he remains confident that he and his team-mates will be fine come the end of the campaign.
“We’re looking at this as two points dropped, to be honest,” he said.
“But it’s another point. I think Hearts have a good team but we know the situation more than they do. We’ve just got to dig deep, we know what we have to do.”