Gallagher warns the Staggies there will be no Euro hangover for young Dons
Declan Gallagher has warned Ross County that the Dons’ classy kids won’t be traumatised by Thursday’s painful Europa Conference League exit.
The Aberdeen defender is honest enough to admit they were outclassed by Qarabag in the 3-1 second leg defeat at Pittodrie.
Not that the 30-year-old feels the need to make any excuses, despite being by far the senior figure in an inexperienced backline.
Andy Considine’s cruciate injury during the 1-0 first leg defeat in Baku saw Ross Mccrorie partner Gallagher at centre-back.
Meanwhile, teenager Calvin Ramsey and 21-year-old Jack Mackenzie filled the full-back berths with just 21 starts for the Dons between them. It’s a situation manager Stephen Glass moved quickly to address by agreeing a fee with Hamburg for former Rangers stopper David Bates after the setback.
But current Scotland squad member Gallagher ended a torrid 90 minutes more convinced than ever that Ramsey and Mackenzie are made of the right stuff.
That’s why Gallagher has no doubt they can cope with the Staggies and keep Aberdeen at the top of the table going into the international break.
He said:” i don’t think I have to lift the boys for this as they’re good professionals and Calvin Ramsey and Jack Mackenzie have been excellent.
“Of course, it was a learning curve for the young boys to see the level that they want to achieve and play at regularly.
“But they have to take the defeat on the chin as they are a good team with
a European pedigree and they outplayed us on the night. Despite that they are growing in confidence as you can see with the fact that Calvin (inset below) was just 18 last month but is already in the Scotland Under-21 squad.
“What they have to do is make sure that they keep progressing at the rate they have been and take their form into this Ross County game now.
“We just have to put the European campaign to bed now and focus on continuing our unbeaten run in the league.”
Ross County’s visit to Pittodrie is the Dons 11th game in just over a month in what has been a whirlwind start for Gallagher.
Of course, losing to Raith Rovers in the League Cup and failing to make the group stage of European football for an eighth-successive season dramatically reduces those demands. At least Gallagher is a glass-half-full sort of guy when it comes to seeing some positives for the long term.
He added: ”it’s been all about getting recovery time when you’re playing Thursday, then Sunday, the way we have been.
“The manager hasn’t had us on the training park as much as would have liked so far, so when things calm down a bit it will be more beneficially.
“I’m certainly loving the way we play out from the back with high-intensity football and the way the manager likes us to get at teams. “We’re not the finished article by any means right now. But there’s more to come.”
Not that Gallagher can put his feet up any time soon as he heads off on Scotland duty right after today’s game.
Someone who was a key figure in the Euro 2020 play-off wins against Israel and Serbia was an unused squad member in the finals.
That was a personal setback but he is prepared to self-sacrifice again if it means making it to next year’s World Cup Finals.
Gallagher said: “It’s always big disappointment for a footballer whenever you miss out on playing any game, whether it’s big tournament or not.
“But at the end of the day the manager had a decision to make and the team he went with I thought did quite well in the Euros.
“Just to be part of the squad and experience things was a massive achievement.
“I’m just delighted Steve Clarke has kept his faith and trust in me to keep me involved again.”