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Ethan Galbraith breaks into a smile as he recalls the nail-biting dying seconds of Swansea's remarkable turnaround victory against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. The game wrapped up with Galbraith temporarily wearing a fan's glasses following the post-goal scrum.

During the final moments of stoppage time, Galbraith struck the post with a powerful effort from outside the box, and his teammate promptly slammed home the rebound before racing off toward the East Stand to celebrate, with supporters swarming the players.

Extraordinary Turnaround

The victory completed an incredible recovery given the Welsh side had found themselves down 2-0 deep into the final 45 minutes. During the celebrations, there was some collateral damage. The midfielder recalled, "There was a fan shouting out and Josh Key and I were puzzled: 'What's he on about here?' Then we saw the glasses. It was a light-hearted moment putting them on. We are on the pitch as footballers but we're people, too, so to have a joke with the fans is always good."

Pep Guardiola Test

The result earned a upcoming fixture at home against the Premier League champions on Wednesday, a club Galbraith ran close at the comparable phase of the FA Cup with the London side in February. Galbraith had a prime vantage point when Orient took the lead in remarkable manner, with a teammate's volley from about long distance going in via the bar and the Stefan Ortega. It feels criminal that it was recorded as an own goal.

"You would have wished they would've awarded it to him for taking the effort on from that distance," says Galbraith, who began the game centrally before shifting to right flank after the team changed formation. That meant getting to grips with the England international, with whom he exchanged jerseys, and the player was among the City players who paid tribute to the way his former team approached the match.

Opponent's Class

"Athletically they are exceptional but even the fundamentals and basic skills, they can just execute repeatedly," the midfielder notes. "It seems as if they never miss a pass and they are adept at control and slow down a game. You can think you're holding your own and then without warning they will just thread a ball past your midfield without you even noticing. You have to be focused throughout of the game. It takes a strong mentality and focus just to stay in the game."

Swansea Move

The Welsh side were keen on Galbraith in January and fought off rivals to bring him in in the summer in a significant move. He established himself as a crowd pleaser across multiple campaigns at Orient and has quickly done the same in his new home. At Orient he joined forces once more with the coach, who earlier gave Galbraith his debut prolonged spell in first-team action on loan at a League One side from United. Then came a spell at fourth-tier Salford, before he moved on from Manchester United.

Development Path

"I was probably a somewhat inexperienced going into senior level. I think a lot of players would say development squad matches is entirely separate. Sometimes it feels like possession is exchanged without real physicality. You see few tackles or duels. Once you start playing professional matches you have to learn quickly."

National Team Success

He has demonstrated that growth for both domestically and internationally, excelling for Northern Ireland, who are fighting to qualify for the international competition next summer via the playoffs and for whom he has featured in the last several matches, including home and away encounters against Germany. Ian Baraclough, Galbraith's ex- international manager, paid him the supreme accolade, saying he was Northern Ireland's "little Iniesta or Xavi" given how he handles the football and his ability to spot a game-changing assist.

Early Days

This marks quite the ride for the player from the Queens Park estate in Glengormley, just outside Northern Ireland's main city, who was raised observing his dad, his father, also a midfielder, play for his father's team.

Red Devils Debut

His single match for United came in Kazakhstan in 2019, a European competition trip to Astana, where they competed on an synthetic surface and the stadium roof was sealed owing to conditions of bitter cold. "That proved to be a lengthy journey and it was cold out there," he says, grinning. "The days leading up, the academy prospects trained together, so that assisted our preparation. Just to travel with the first team and earn some playing time at the end was incredible."

Moving On

How difficult was it to leave United, the club he joined from Linfield aged his mid-teens? "This turned out fairly simple, because I reached the point where I realized I wasn't going to make it at the senior squad. I'm extremely thankful for the experience gained but it reached a stage where I believed I needed to go my own route, move to a lower level and play first-team games. Now I'm slowly working my way back up."

Welsh Adaptation

It is the early part of the afternoon at the club's training ground but Galbraith has somewhere to be at 5pm: a driving theory test, another step towards getting on the road. Before his recent move to the local area, the 24-year-old was a frequent passenger in Swansea's dubbed team minibus, a team vehicle driven by academy staff, Pete and Howard, which ferries players to and from practice and games.

"It's myself Gonçalo Franco, the Brazilian, the midfielder – the Swedish defender used to be in it but has got his license. It's nice to interact with the teammates but I'm planning to be the subsequent individual to stop using the bus and behind the wheel. Franco enjoys practical jokes; he's frequently playing tricks."

Public Engagement

When he represented Orient, Galbraith would travel alongside followers on public transport after beginning his trip at Brentwood. "I tried|I attempted|My aim