Games key for Dec to fulfil his Euros dream
Declan Gallagher has started fewer than half of Motherwell’s matches since Graham Alexander replaced Stephen Robinson as manager in January but he’s determined to keep his place after being warned by Scotland boss Steve Clarke that he’ll miss out on the Euros unless he’s a regular at Fir Park between now and the end of the season.
The centre-back, capped seven times by Clarke, returned to the team after a 4-1 drubbing at Kilmarnock and has started ‘ Well’s last three games, including Friday night’s nerve-shredding penalty shootout Scottish Cup win over Morton.
It took the Steelmen into the quarterfinals of the competition and Gallagher is hoping that Hampden heroics for his club will lead to more of the same for his country this summer.
“I’m hoping to keep playing games here for the rest of the season,” said the 30-year-old. “I spoke to Steve Clarke at the last camp and he told me I had to be playing if I wanted to be involved in the summer – that’s why I didn’t get any minutes in the last few games with Scotland.”
Gallagher is also out of contract this summer and has been linked with moves to Celtic and Aberdeen but he straight-batted questions about where he’ll be playing next season.
“All I’m focusing on is Motherwell right now and the stuff about my future, whether it’s here or elsewhere, is for another day. I just want to rack up as many minutes on the park as I can because I want to make the squad for the Euros.”
The Steelmen will now travel to face the winners of today’s High Noon shootout between Stranraer and Hibs on Saturday to fight for the right for a place in the last four.
“We saw on Friday night that lower league teams can still cause you problems,” he admitted. “Morton came to Fir Park, sat in and made it really difficult for us to break them down. We genuinely don’t have a preference whether it’s Stranraer or Hibs we get in the next round.
“If Stranraer get through we’d prepare for them the exact same way as we would if it was Hibs but, obviously, I’ll have an eye on their game on Sunday to see who we’ll get”