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Declan Gallagher

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Declan Gallagher
Personal information
Full name Declan Patrick Gallagher[1]
Date of birth (1991-02-13) 13 February 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Rutherglen, Scotland
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Dundee United
Number 31
Youth career
Hamilton Academical
Celtic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Celtic 0 (0)
2010–2011 → Stranraer (loan) 26 (3)
2011–2012 Clyde 25 (2)
2012–2014 Dundee 60 (4)
2014–2016 Livingston 51 (2)
2017–2019 Livingston 84 (3)
2019–2021 Motherwell 59 (3)
2021–2022 Aberdeen 23 (0)
2022–2023 St Mirren 27 (2)
2023– Dundee United 34 (0)
International career‡
2019–2021 Scotland 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:00, 24 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 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 Scottish Premiership 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

[edit]

Celtic, Stranraer loan

[edit]

Born in Rutherglen and raised in Blantyre,[3] Gallagher (who also spent time in the setup at Hamilton Academical)[4] 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".[5]

He went out on loan to Stranraer in 2010–11.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

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".[9] After being released, he went on trial with Partick Thistle.[10]

Clyde

[edit]

On 9 August 2011, Gallagher signed for Clyde.[11] 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.[12] On 21 April 2012, he scored a last minute equaliser against Peterhead. During the 2011–12 season, Gallagher missed ten games due to injury.[13] At the end of the season, he had made 26 appearances and scored twice for Clyde.

Dundee

[edit]

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.[14] One of his new teammates was former Celtic youth colleague Nicky Riley.[15] 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".[16]

He made his debut in a League Cup 0–0 draw against Peterhead (Dundee won on penalties);[17] 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.[18] 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.[9][19] Gallagher played against his former club Celtic on 26 December 2012 as Dundee lost 2–0.[20] In the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, Gallagher scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win over Greenock Morton.[21] 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.[22] Two weeks later, on 30 August 2013, he scored again, in a 3–0 win over Livingston.[23] He scored two goals in two matches as Dundee beat Hamilton Academical 3–0 in late November [24] and Morton 2–1 in early December.[25]

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.[26] As a result, Gallagher was linked a move away from Dundee, "as Scottish Premiership and English League One clubs have been monitoring his situation".[27] He rejected offers of a new contract from Dundee,[28] 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,[29][30] he was among four players to leave the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.[31]

Livingston

[edit]

Gallagher signed for Livingston in July 2014.[32] He scored on his league debut for the Lions in a 2–1 away defeat to Hibernian,[33] and was in the side which won the 2015 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, beating Alloa Athletic.[34]

Imprisonment and return to Livingston

[edit]

Gallagher and a co-accused were convicted in June 2015[35] 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.[36][37][38][39] 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.[35] He went on to make 30 appearances in all competitions during the 2015–16 season up to February 2016,[39] when the appeal was dismissed and he was ordered back to prison.[37]

After training with Raith Rovers during day release from HMP Castle Huntly,[39][40][38] in January 2017 Gallagher was released from prison, initially with an electronic monitoring tag.[40] He was immediately signed once again by Livingston[39][41] and went on to make 15 league appearances, scoring twice including in his return game,[40] as Livi were promoted back as winners of 2016–17 Scottish League One.[42]

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.[43]

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.[44] The Lions had better fortunes against the other half of the Old Firm two months later, defeating Rangers 1–0.[45][46]

Motherwell

[edit]

On 11 April 2019, Motherwell announced that Gallagher had signed a pre-contract agreement to join the club in the summer.[47] On 26 December 2019, Gallagher scored a winning goal in the last minute of a league fixture away to Ross County.[48]

Ahead of the 2020–21 season, Gallagher was named as Motherwell's new club captain following the departure of Peter Hartley.[49]

Aberdeen

[edit]

In May 2021, Aberdeen signed Gallagher on a two-year contract, taking effect when his contract with Motherwell expired.[50][3]

St Mirren

[edit]

In June 2022, St Mirren signed Gallagher on a two-year contract, after his contract at Aberdeen was terminated.[51]

Dundee United

[edit]

Gallagher moved to Dundee United in July 2023 for an undisclosed transfer fee.[52]

International career

[edit]

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.[53][54] He did not play in those matches, but made his international debut the following month in a 2–1 win in Cyprus.[55][56] 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.[57] He was selected in the squad for the finals, but did not make an appearance.[3][58]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of 30 June 2022[59][30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Scottish Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Celtic 2010–11[60] Scottish Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stranraer (loan) 2010–11[60][61] Scottish Third Division 26 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 30 4
Clyde 2011–12[62] Scottish Third Division 25 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 27 2
Dundee 2012–13[63] Scottish Premier League 24 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 27 1
2013–14[64] Scottish Championship 36 4 1 0 2 0 3[a] 0 42 4
Total 60 4 3 1 3 0 3 0 69 5
Livingston 2014–15[65] Scottish Championship 28 1 0 0 2 0 3[a] 0 33 1
2015–16[66] Scottish Championship 23 1 2 0 3 1 2[a] 0 30 2
2016–17[67] Scottish League One 15 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 2
2017–18[68] Scottish Championship 31 0 2 0 5 0 5[a][b] 0 43 0
2018–19[69] Scottish Premiership 38 1 1 0 5 0 0 0 27 1
Total 135 5 6 0 15 1 10 0 166 6
Motherwell 2019–20[70] Scottish Premiership 30 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 36 2
2020–21[71] Scottish Premiership 29 1 3 0 1 0 3[c] 0 36 1
Total 59 3 5 0 5 0 3 0 72 3
Aberdeen 2021–22[72] Scottish Premiership 23 0 2 0 1 0 5[d] 0 31 0
Career total 328 17 21 2 25 1 21 0 395 20
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  2. ^ 4 appearances in the Premiership play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League

International

[edit]
As of 26 June 2022[73][74]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 2019 2 0
2020 5 0
2021 2 0
Total 9 0

Honours

[edit]

Celtic U19

Dundee

Livingston

Dundee United

Scotland

References

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