DECLAN IN DREAMLAND
Dark days are over as Gallagher delivers for Scots
THREE appearances in Dark Blue within seven days and not a goal conceded, lead weights wouldn’t have stopped Declan Gallagher floating on air as he reflected on all of it back at Fir Park.
Amid the heroic collective effort of every member of Steve Clarke’s depleted squad, the individual stories of t he l i kes of t he Motherwell defender, Andy Considine and Paul Hanlon were conspicuous due to their time in the making.
Forced to go part-time with Clyde in 2011 after his release by Celtic, Gallagher was playing in the Championship with Livingston six years ago against the likes of Dumbarton and Alloa.
Leaving the Hampden pitch on Wednesday, with Czech Republic defeated and demoralised, all the hard yards and the dark days felt worth it.
There can be no debate now. Gallagher is in there on merit. As deserving of his place as those who ply their trade with some of the biggest clubs on the planet.
‘It was just amazing, the highlight of my career,’ said the 29-year-old. ‘To get three more Scotland caps and another three clean sheets, you can’t really ask for much better than that when you are a defender.
‘Somebody said to me that I now had Andy Robertson of Li v e r pool, Li a m Cooper of Leeds United and Scott Mc To mi n a y of Manchester United as my team-mates.
‘So there’s me and (Motherwell team-mate) Stephen O’Donnell playing our part in the back five.
‘I like playing in the middle of it. I got to boss those Premiership players about, which was good for me. It doesn’t matter what clubs they pay for. They are all really down-to- earth guys who make you feel comfortable.
‘Before the game, Andy said: “You’re the middle man, you’re the leader, you can see everything, so make sure you are talking the full game”. That’s what I did and thankfully it worked for us.’
Gallagher can certainly talk like the best of them but it was his composure on the ball over the course of the week that spoke volumes about his ability.
He feels there may be something to be said for not having too much time to dwell on what lies ahead.
‘I think it just came, because at first I didn’t think I was going to be in the team,’ he admitted.
‘Looking at it, there was Kieran Tierney and Liam Cooper and you were still wondering if Scott McKenna and Liam Palmer were going to be there.
‘So I didn’t have my mind on starting because they did well on the l ast trip by beating the Czechs.
‘But the next thing I knew,
Scotty wasn’t there, Liam Palmer wasn’t there and Kieran had to drop out to self-isolate — and I was in the starting team. I didn’t really have any time to worry or panic.’
Gallagher wouldn’t pretend, however, that the enormity of the Israel game didn’t register with him.
He added: ‘Obviously, there’s a little bit more nerves because you are playing in such a massive game the chance to get to the f i nal pl ay- of f f or a major tournament.
‘So there is that added pressure but, at the end of the day, it’s still a game of football, it’s still 11 v 11 and if you are better than your man on the night, hopefully you’ve done enough.’
The unreserved praise of the nation was one thing. As for the paternal nod of approval from one not normally given to words of praise? Pretty much the tin lid on the perfect week.
‘My dad (Pat) has been a really vocal influence on my career,’ explained Gallagher. ‘I listen to what he says because he watches my games like a hawk.
‘If he tells me I’ve had a decent game, it means I’ve had a worldie as he’s my biggest critic. When I spoke to him after the Czech Republic game, he said to me: “Did you get my text at half-time? It looked like you did as you put in (a shift) after that”.
‘I told him I hadn’t even looked at my messages yet. You can just i magine me saying to Steve Clarke during his half- ti me team-talk: “Hold on a minute, gaffer, my dad’s texted to tell me how to deal with (Matej) Vydra!’
‘But he’s been great with me, as have my mum and my wife. They’ve been with me in every part of this journey.’
Restricted to an armchair view of their son’s flawless contribution to t he national cause, t he Gallaghers at l east have a tangible souvenir.
‘It was my mum’s 50th in September and I didn’t manage to make the party,’ said Gallagher.
‘ I t was al s o my dad’s birthday on the day after the Israel game, so I gave them both my top as a present. It means everything to them, probably even more than it does to me. I’m so grateful for their support.’
The same could be said of the debt he owes so many on reaching this point. Without them, the embrace he shared with Clarke at fulltime on Wednesday would never have happened.
‘We were having a laugh during training when I said I’d had four caps and was unbeaten in all of them. The manager just said he hoped that continued,’ said Gallagher. ‘As soon as we beat the Czechs, he said to me: “Five unbeaten, the record continues”.
‘I’m just so happy he trusted me to play in all three games.’
Ahead of the Euro 2020 play-off final with Serbia in Belgrade, it’s all about maintaining the standards he has set — starting with Motherwell’s trip to St Mirren today.
‘It’s back down to earth,’ added Gallagher, ‘but, at the same time, I want to keep that buzz from the international break and bring it back to this squad.’