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Ethan Galbraith breaks into a smile as he remembers the thrilling final moments of Swansea's epic comeback triumph against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. The game wrapped up with Galbraith temporarily wearing a spectator's eyewear amid the pitch-side pile-on.

As the match entered added time, Galbraith rattled the woodwork with a powerful shot from 25 yards, and Cameron Burgess immediately converted the loose ball before racing off toward the crowd to revel in the moment, with the crowd swarming the players.

Remarkable Recovery

This completed an incredible comeback given the team had trailed 2-0 during the final 45 minutes. In the euphoria, there was some unintended consequences. He shared, "There was a supporter sort of calling out and we were puzzled: 'What's he on about here?' Then we noticed the glasses. It was a bit of banter putting them on. We are on the pitch as footballers but we're people, too, so to have a laugh with the fans is always good."

Premier League Giants

The result earned a next round game at home against Manchester City on Wednesday, a team Galbraith came close against at the same stage of the FA Cup with his former club in February. The athletic midfielder had arguably the best view when Orient took the lead in remarkable manner, with the attacker's first-time shot from about long distance going in via the crossbar and the City goalkeeper. It feels criminal that it was deemed an own goal.

"You would have hoped they would've credited him for taking the effort on from that range," stated Galbraith, who started in midfield before shifting to right wing-back after Orient changed formation. That meant competing with the England international, with whom he exchanged jerseys, and the player was among the Manchester squad who paid tribute to the way Orient approached the match.

City's Quality

"Physically they are exceptional but even the fundamentals and routine actions, they can just execute repeatedly," he explains. "It feels like they always find their target and they know how to dictate and take the sting out of a game. You can feel you're holding your own and then without warning they will just deliver a through ball between defenders without you even seeing. You have to be focused at all times of the game. It requires a strong mentality and focus just to stay in the game."

Welsh Transition

The Welsh side were keen on Galbraith in January and beat off competition to sign him in the summer in a £1.5m deal. He established himself as a fans' favourite across a couple of years at his former club and has quickly achieved similar status in his new home. At Orient he reunited with his former manager, who four years ago gave Galbraith his first extended run in first-team action on loan at a League One side from United. Then came a spell at lower division the Manchester club, before he moved on from Manchester United.

Learning Curve

"I was likely a slightly green going into senior level. I think a lot of players would say youth team games is entirely separate. Sometimes it appears play is circulated without much intensity. There's not many tackles or duels. Once you start playing men's games you have to adjust fast."

National Team Success

He has shown that growth for club and country, shining for the Green and White Army, who could still reach the international competition next summer via the qualifying rounds and for whom he has been selected in the past five games, including both legs fixtures against the German national team. The ex-coach, Galbraith's former international manager, paid him the ultimate compliment, saying he was Northern Ireland's "midfield general" given how he handles the football and his ability to spot a killer pass.

Humble Beginnings

It has been an incredible journey for the player from the Queens Park estate in the Belfast suburb, just outside Northern Ireland's main city, who used to see his dad, his father, also a central player, play for his father's team.

Manchester United Experience

The player's only game for the Red Devils came in Central Asia in 2019, a European competition trip to the Kazakh capital, where they played on an artificial pitch and the venue ceiling was sealed owing to temperatures of freezing cold. "That proved to be a extended travel and it was freezing," he says, chuckling. "The days leading up, the academy prospects trained together, so that aided our adjustment. Just to accompany the senior squad and get a couple of minutes at the end was unbelievable."

Moving On

How hard was it to move on from Old Trafford, the club he signed from his boyhood team aged 16? "It was quite easy, because I reached the point where I knew I couldn't establish myself at the senior squad. I'm extremely thankful for the experience gained but it reached a stage where I believed I had to take a different path, join a smaller club and play first-team games. Now I'm slowly climbing the ladder."

Welsh Adaptation

It is the middle of the day at the team's practice facility but Galbraith has somewhere to be at 5pm: a learner's exam, another move in the direction of getting on the road. Before his recent move to his new neighborhood, the young professional was a frequent passenger in Swansea's nicknamed team minibus, a minibus driven by club employees, the transport team, which transports players to and from practice and games.

"It's myself the Portuguese player, Ronald, an Ivorian player – Melker Widell used to be in it but has started driving. It's pleasant to interact with the guys but I'm aiming to be the subsequent individual to stop using the bus and driving. Franco likes to pull a few pranks; he's constantly causing mischief."

Fan Interactions

During his time at his former club, Galbraith would travel alongside fans on London's Central line after starting his journey at Brentwood. "I tried|I attempted|My aim