Declan Gallagher Explained

Declan Gallagher
Full Name:Declan Patrick Gallagher[1]
Birth Date:13 February 1991
Birth Place:Rutherglen, Scotland
Position:Centre-back
Currentclub:Dundee United
Clubnumber:31
Youthclubs1:Hamilton Academical
Youthclubs2:Celtic
Years1:2010–2011
Clubs1:Celtic
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Years2:2010–2011
Clubs2:Stranraer (loan)
Caps2:26
Goals2:3
Years3:2011–2012
Clubs3:Clyde
Caps3:25
Goals3:2
Years4:2012–2014
Clubs4:Dundee
Caps4:60
Goals4:4
Years5:2014–2016
Clubs5:Livingston
Caps5:51
Goals5:2
Years6:2017–2019
Clubs6:Livingston
Caps6:84
Goals6:3
Years7:2019–2021
Clubs7:Motherwell
Caps7:59
Goals7:3
Years8:2021–2022
Clubs8:Aberdeen
Caps8:23
Goals8:0
Years9:2022–2023
Clubs9:St Mirren
Caps9:27
Goals9:2
Years10:2023–
Clubs10:Dundee United
Caps10:18
Goals10:0
Club-Update:21:23, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
Nationalyears1:2019–2021
Nationalteam1:Scotland
Nationalcaps1:9
Nationalgoals1:0
Ntupdate:11:07, 7 January 2023 (UTC)

Declan Patrick Gallagher (born 13 February 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Dundee United and the Scotland national team.

Gallagher started his career at Celtic but never made a first team appearance, however he was involved in their Scottish Youth Cup win in 2010.[2] He was then sent out on loan to Stranraer to gain some first team experience. Despite impressing while on loan, he was released and was signed by Clyde before moving on to join Dundee. After experiencing a relegation followed by a promotion in two seasons at Dens Park, he joined Livingston in 2014.

In 2016, Gallagher was imprisoned for more than a year for assault which took place three years earlier. Gallagher returned to Livingston after his release from jail, and he played regularly during their consecutive promotions to the top division between 2017 and 2018. After moving to Motherwell in summer of 2019, he made his Scotland debut in November of that year. Gallagher helped Scotland qualify for UEFA Euro 2020 and was selected for their tournament squad. After spells with Aberdeen and St Mirren, Gallagher joined Dundee United in July 2023.

Career

Celtic, Stranraer loan

Born in Rutherglen and raised in Blantyre, Gallagher (who also spent time in the setup at Hamilton Academical)[3] signed for Celtic at a young age and played for the under-19s. He became a regular in the team and played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 victory over Rangers in the 2010 Scottish Youth Cup final.[2] While at Celtic, Gallagher says he trained with the first team, which "helps [my] match sharpness".[4]

He went out on loan to Stranraer in 2010–11.[5] Gallagher made his senior debut in a 9–0 win over St Cuthbert in the Scottish Cup and scored his first senior goal two weeks later as Stranraer beat Queen's Park 3–1. On 20 November 2010, he scored his second goal in five matches to help Stranraer beat Girvan 4–2 in the Scottish Cup.[6] Gallagher scored his final goal for Stranraer in a 3–2 loss to Montrose on 16 April 2011 and played his final game for the club as they defeated Clyde 3–0. Stranraer finished fifth, just missing out on a play-off place.[7]

Despite impressing while on loan, Gallagher was told he was not needed by Celtic, putting a number of clubs on alert. According to his teammate Nicky Riley, Gallagher left the Glasgow club "for the sake of his career".[8] After being released, he went on trial with Partick Thistle.[9]

Clyde

On 9 August 2011, Gallagher signed for Clyde.[10] He made his debut for the Bully Wee against Annan Athletic in a 2–2 draw and thereafter became a key player for the club. He scored his first goal for Clyde as they hammered East Stirlingshire 7–1 at Broadwood.[11] On 21 April 2012, he scored a last minute equaliser against Peterhead. During the 2011–12 season, Gallagher missed ten games due to injury.[12] At the end of the season, he had made 26 appearances and scored twice for Clyde.

Dundee

On 1 June 2012, Gallagher signed for an undisclosed fee for newly promoted Scottish Premier League (SPL) club Dundee, along with Carl Finnigan, after Rangers were removed from the league's membership, creating a space in the SPL.[13] One of his new teammates was former Celtic youth colleague Nicky Riley.[14] When joining Dundee, Gallagher stated that he never thought he was going to play in the top flight and the experience of playing in the SPL was "brilliant".[15]

He made his debut in a League Cup 0–0 draw against Peterhead (Dundee won on penalties);[16] he also played in the next round of the tournament, a defeat to Queens Park at Hampden. Gallagher became a regular in the first team and was paired in the centre of defence with Kyle Benedictus by manager Barry Smith.[17] In a match against Hearts on 2 November 2012, Gallagher made an impressive display during the match and was praised by the manager and teammate Riley.[8] [18] Gallagher played against his former club Celtic on 26 December 2012 as Dundee lost 2–0.[19] In the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, Gallagher scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win over Greenock Morton.[20] However, he was unable to prevent the club's relegation to the Scottish Championship.

In his second campaign at Dundee, Gallagher scored his first league goal in a 4–3 loss against Queen of the South in the opening matchday.[21] Two weeks later, on 30 August 2013, he scored again, in a 3–0 win over Livingston.[22] He scored two goals in two matches as Dundee beat Hamilton Academical 3–0 in late November [23] and Morton 2–1 in early December.[24]

Like his first season, Gallagher continuously remained as a first pick in defence. However, in January 2014, contract talks broke down between the club and the player's agent.[25] As a result, Gallagher was linked a move away from Dundee, "as Scottish Premiership and English League One clubs have been monitoring his situation".[26] He rejected offers of a new contract from Dundee,[27] and despite achieving the feat of playing every minute for the club during the league season as Dundee won promotion back to the Scottish Premiership,[28] he was among four players to leave the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.[29]

Livingston

Gallagher signed for Livingston in July 2014.[30] He scored on his league debut for the Lions in a 2–1 away defeat to Hibernian,[31] and was in the side which won the 2015 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, beating Alloa Athletic.[32]

Imprisonment and return to Livingston

Gallagher and a co-accused were convicted in June 2015 of an assault at a hotel in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire on the evening of a wedding anniversary party in April 2013. In an attack described by the Sheriff as "brutal", Gallagher struck his victim to the head with a baseball bat or similar implement causing a fractured skull, and was sentenced to three years in prison.[33] Gallagher and his co-accused appealed their sentences and were released on bail the following month, and he was re-signed by Livingston pending its outcome.[34] He went on to make 30 appearances in all competitions during the 2015–16 season up to February 2016, when the appeal was dismissed and he was ordered back to prison.[35]

After training with Raith Rovers during day release from HMP Castle Huntly,[36] in January 2017 Gallagher was released from prison, initially with an electronic monitoring tag. He was immediately signed once again by Livingston[37] [38] and went on to make 15 league appearances, scoring twice including in his return game,[39] as Livi were promoted back as winners of 2016–17 Scottish League One.[40]

Gallagher was a regular for Livingston as they finished runners-up in the 2017–18 Scottish Championship, and played in all four matches as the club subsequently defeated Dundee United and Partick Thistle in the play-offs to achieve a second consecutive promotion.[41]

On 4 August 2018, in his first Premiership match for five years, Gallagher conceded a penalty against his old employers Celtic, who beat Livingston 3–1.[42] The Lions had better fortunes against the other half of the Old Firm two months later, defeating Rangers 1–0. [43] [44]

Motherwell

On 11 April 2019, Motherwell announced that Gallagher had signed a pre-contract agreement to join the club in the summer.[45] On 26 December 2019, Gallagher scored a winning goal in the last minute of a league fixture away to Ross County.[46]

Ahead of the 2020–21 season, Gallagher was named as Motherwell's new club captain following the departure of Peter Hartley.[47]

Aberdeen

In May 2021, Aberdeen signed Gallagher on a two-year contract, taking effect when his contract with Motherwell expired.[48]

St Mirren

In June 2022, St Mirren signed Gallagher on a two-year contract, after his contract at Aberdeen was terminated.[49]

Dundee United

Gallagher moved to Dundee United in July 2023 for an undisclosed transfer fee.[50]

International career

On 6 October 2019, Gallagher was called into the Scotland squad for the first time, ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia and San Marino.[51] [52] He did not play in those matches, but made his international debut the following month in a 2–1 win in Cyprus.[53] [54] Gallagher played in the play-off win against Serbia that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, the first time Scotland had qualified for a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.[55] He was selected in the squad for the finals, but did not make an appearance.[56] [57]

Career statistics

Club

[58] [59]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueScottish CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Celtic2010–11Scottish Premier League0000000000
Stranraer (loan)2010–11[60] Scottish Third Division263410000304
Clyde2011–12Scottish Third Division252101000272
Dundee2012–13Scottish Premier League240211000271
2013–14Scottish Championship364102030424
Total604313030695
Livingston2014–15Scottish Championship28100203[61] 0331
2015–16Scottish Championship231203120302
2016–17Scottish League One152100000162
2017–18Scottish Championship31020505[62] 0430
2018–19Scottish Premiership381105000271
Total1355601511001666
Motherwell2019–20Scottish Premiership302204000362
2020–21Scottish Premiership29130103[63] 0361
Total593505030723
Aberdeen2021–22Scottish Premiership23020105[64] 0310
Career total3281721225121039520

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland201920
202050
202120
Total90

Honours

Celtic U19

2009–10[2]

Dundee

2013–14[28]

Livingston

2014–15[32]

2016–17[40]

Scotland

Notes and References

  1. Book: A Record of Post-war Scottish League Players 1946/47 to 2017/18 . 7 . John Litster and Scottish Football Historian magazine . 2018.
  2. News: Celtic win SFA Youth Cup . BBC News . 28 April 2010.
  3. https://www.hamiltonacciesfc.co.uk/accies-1-0-livingston/ Accies 1-0 Livingston
  4. News: Scottish Cup: Training with top Celtic stars has prepared me for Motherwell, admits Stranraer loan star Declan Gallagher. Daily Record. 5 January 2011. 11 June 2014.
  5. Web site: Stranraer loan hoops youngster. 30 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005700/http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.php/topic/135001-stranraer-sign-hoops-youngster/. 3 December 2013. dead.
  6. Web site: Stranraer appearances and goals. https://archive.today/20140203093531/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/153147/declan-gallagher?cc=5739/. dead. 3 February 2014. ESPN.
  7. News: Division Three: Montrose 3 Stranraer 2. Daily Record. 17 April 2011. 11 June 2014.
  8. News: Nicky Riley delighted to see Dundee new boy Declan Gallagher return to form after move from Celtic. Daily Record. 7 November 2012. 11 June 2014.
  9. News: Jackie says Jags will be Well fired up for next test. Glasgow Evening Times. 10 July 2011. 11 June 2014.
  10. Web site: Gallagher Joins The Bully Wee . Official website. Clyde FC . 9 August 2011 . 11 June 2014 .
  11. Web site: Clyde 7–1 East Stirling. https://archive.today/20130103124043/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=325318&cc=5739. dead. 3 January 2013.
  12. News: Clyde decimated with long-term injuries. Evening Times. 7 February 2012. 11 June 2014.
  13. Web site: Dundee sign Carl Finnigan and Declan Gallagher. 1 June 2012. www.bbc.co.uk.
  14. News: Dundee newboy Declan Gallagher tipped to be Dens Park star by Nicky Riley. Daily Record. 11 July 2012. 11 June 2014.
  15. News: Dundee starlet Gallagher taking things one step at a time. Evening Telegraph. 12 June 2013. 11 June 2014.
  16. News: Scottish Communities League Cup: Peterhead 0 Dundee 0 (Dundee win 4–1 on pens). Daily Record. 31 July 2012. 11 June 2014.
  17. News: Dundee must stay upbeat, says manager Barry Smith. BBC Sport. 27 October 2012. 11 June 2014.
  18. News: Dundee boss Barry Smith praises young central defence. BBC Sport. 3 November 2012. 11 June 2014.
  19. News: Dundee 0 Celtic 2: Hoops go seven points clear. Evening Times. 26 December 2012. 11 June 2014.
  20. News: Moore gutted over Ton flop. Evening Times. 4 February 2013. 11 June 2014.
  21. News: Dundee dumped at Queen of the South . DC Thomson . Evening Telegraph . 13 August 2013. 11 June 2014.
  22. News: Dundee 3–0 Livingston. BBC . BBC Sport. 30 August 2013. 11 June 2014.
  23. News: Hamilton Academical 0-3 Dundee. BBC . BBC Sport. 23 November 2013. 11 June 2014.
  24. News: Greenock Morton 1–2 Dundee. BBC . BBC Sport. 7 December 2013 . 11 June 2014.
  25. News: Dundee quarrel with defender Declan Gallagher's agent . BBC . BBC Sport. 23 January 2014. 11 June 2014.
  26. News: Gallagher could be on move from Dundee. DC Thomson . Evening Telegraph. 24 January 2014. 11 June 2014.
  27. News: Declan Gallagher's days are over at Dundee after rejecting deal . DC Thomson . Evening Telegraph . 10 June 2014 . 11 June 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140610202121/http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/sport/dundee-fc/declan-gallagher-s-days-are-over-at-dundee-after-rejecting-deal-1.412926 . 10 June 2014 .
  28. Web site: Dundee's Championship winning squad: where are they now?. Evening Telegraph . 5 May 2017. 8 October 2018 .
  29. Web site: Four Leave Dens. Dundee F.C..
  30. News: Livingston announce six new signings for new campaign . BBC Sport . BBC . 4 July 2014 . 4 July 2014.
  31. Web site: Hibernian 2–1 Livingston . BBC Sport . BBC . 9 August 2014 . 30 October 2014.
  32. Web site: Challenge Cup final: Livingston 4-0 Alloa Athletic . BBC Sport . 5 April 2015 . 8 October 2018 .
  33. News: Footballer Declan Gallagher jailed for baseball attack at Parkville Hotel, Blantyre . Daily Record. 19 June 2015. 8 October 2018.
  34. Web site: Livingston re-sign Declan Gallagher pending jail appeal . BBC Sport . 31 July 2015. 6 June 2021.
  35. News: Footballer Declan Gallagher jailed as assault appeal refused . The Scotsman. 3 February 2016. 8 October 2018.
  36. News: Victims' fury as bat thug footballer Declan Gallagher gets day release at Raith Rovers . Daily Record. 26 September 2016. 8 October 2018.
  37. News: Former Celtic player speaks out following release from prison after baseball bat attack . The Herald . 9 January 2017. 8 October 2018.
  38. News: Livingston FC: Declan Gallagher signs for Lions following release from prison . Daily Record. 5 January 2017. 8 October 2018.
  39. News: Livingston stopper Declan Gallagher opens up on life in prison and how he'll grab second chance in football . Daily Record. 14 January 2017. 8 October 2018.
  40. Web site: Livingston 2–1 Alloa Athletic . Livingston F.C. . 8 April 2017 . 8 April 2017.
  41. News: Partick Thistle 0 - 1 Livingston (agg 1-3): Hopkin's men seal promotion . The Scotsman. 20 May 2018. 8 October 2018.
  42. Web site: Celtic 3-1 Livingston: Rogic, Edouard & Ntcham score for champions . BBC Sport . 4 August 2018. 8 October 2018.
  43. News: Declan Gallagher hits back at unprofessional Rangers players over taunts . The Scotsman. 2 October 2018. 8 October 2018.
  44. Web site: Rangers sparked heated Livingston scenes by hand-shake refusal - Declan Gallagher . BBC Sport . 2 October 2018. 8 October 2018.
  45. Web site: Motherwell: Declan Gallagher to sign from Livingston. BBC . BBC Sport. 11 April 2019. 10 June 2019.
  46. Web site: Ross County 1–2 Motherwell. BBC . BBC Sport. Mullen. Scott. 26 December 2019. 27 December 2019.
  47. News: Motherwell captain Declan Gallagher has 'big boots to fill'. Daily Record. McGilvray. Andy. 23 June 2020. 3 August 2020.
  48. Web site: Declan Gallagher: Aberdeen sign Motherwell defender on pre-contract. BBC . BBC Sport . 7 May 2021 . 3 June 2021.
  49. Web site: Declan Gallagher: Scotland defender signs for St Mirren after Aberdeen exit. BBC . BBC Sport . 26 June 2022 . 26 June 2022.
  50. Web site: Declan Gallagher: Dundee United sign centre-half from St Mirren for undisclosed fee . BBC Sport . 26 July 2023 . 26 July 2023.
  51. Web site: Gallagher earns first Scotland call-up. Sky Sports. 6 October 2019. 6 October 2019.
  52. Web site: Scotland: Motherwell's Declan Gallagher called up for Euro 2020 qualifiers. 6 October 2019. www.bbc.co.uk.
  53. Web site: Cyprus 1–2 Scotland: John McGinn strike earns successive wins. 16 November 2019. BBC . BBC Sport. 16 November 2019.
  54. Web site: Cyprus 1-2 Scotland: Team showed character after half-time warning - Liam Palmer . Alasdair . Lamont. 16 November 2019. BBC . BBC Sport. 17 November 2019.
  55. Web site: Scotland: Declan Gallagher on his road to redemption from prison to Euros . Scott . Mullen . BBC . BBC Sport . 5 June 2021 . 6 June 2021.
  56. Web site: Aberdeen's Declan Gallagher better for Euros experience, despite no game time, says Dons boss Stephen Glass . Paul . Thomson . Daily Record . 24 June 2021 . 21 July 2022.
  57. Web site: Declan Gallagher keen to put disappointment of Euro 2020 with Scotland behind him . Jamie . Durent . Press & Journal . 16 July 2021 . 21 July 2022.
  58. Web site: Declan Gallagher career stats. https://archive.today/20130103090953/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/153147/declan-gallagher?cc=5739. dead. 3 January 2013. ESPN Soccernet.
  59. Web site: D. Gallagher. Soccerway . 8 October 2018.
  60. Web site: Stranraer 9 St Cuthbert Wndrs 0. Sky Sports. 23 October 2010. 10 June 2019.
  61. Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  62. 4 appearances in the Premiership play-offs
  63. Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  64. Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
  65. Web site: Declan Gallagher: Goalless draw with Livi was my sweetest Celtic Park moment . . 7 April 2019 . 31 May 2022 . subscription .
  66. Web site: SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS – 2ND LEG : Partick Thistle 0 Livingston 1 . BBC Sport . 20 May 2018 . 31 May 2022 .