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Ethan Galbraith can't help but smile as he reminisces about the thrilling final moments of Swansea's remarkable turnaround victory against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. The game wrapped up with Galbraith temporarily wearing a fan's glasses amid the post-goal scrum.

During the final moments of stoppage time, Galbraith struck the post with a long-range strike from 25 yards, and his teammate immediately slammed home the deflection before sprinting toward the crowd to revel in the moment, with fans congregating around the players.

Stunning Reversal

The result capped an unbelievable turnaround given the Welsh side had trailed 2-0 midway through the second half. In the delirium, there was some unintended consequences. Galbraith explained, "There was a supporter shouting 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 players but we're humans, too, so to have a joke with the fans is always good."

Premier League Giants

The victory earned a upcoming game at home against the Premier League champions on Wednesday, a club Galbraith ran close at the comparable phase of the FA Cup with his former club in February. He had an excellent perspective when Orient took the lead in stunning style, with a teammate's first-time shot from about long distance going in via the crossbar and the Stefan Ortega. It feels criminal that it was deemed an own goal.

"You would have expected they would've awarded it to him for attempting the shot from that distance," says Galbraith, who started in midfield before moving to right flank after they changed tactics. That meant competing with City's winger, with whom he traded tops, and the winger was among the City players who paid tribute to the way his former team attacked the game.

Guardiola's System

"Fitness-wise they are very good but even the simple things and simple things, they can just do it over and over again," Galbraith says. "It feels like they always find their target and they are adept at control and neutralize a game. You can think you're doing well and then without warning they will just thread a ball past your midfield without you even noticing. You have to be alert throughout of the game. It demands a strong mentality and attention just to keep pace."

Welsh Transition

Swansea sought to acquire Galbraith in January and beat off competition to bring him in in the summer in a seven-figure transfer. He made a name as a crowd pleaser across a couple of years at his former club and has rapidly done the same in his new home. At the London club he linked up again with the coach, who previously gave Galbraith his debut prolonged spell in first-team action on loan at his loan club from Old Trafford. Then came a spell at fourth-tier Salford City, before he moved on from his boyhood club.

Growth Journey

"I was perhaps a bit naive going into senior level. I think a lot of players would say under-23s football is very different. Sometimes it feels like play is circulated without serious challenge. There's not many physical contests. Once you start playing first-team football you have to adjust fast."

International Recognition

His progress reflects that development for club and country, performing well for his national side, who remain in contention for the World Cup next summer via the knockout phase and for whom he has featured in the recent fixtures, including two matches encounters against a football powerhouse. The ex-coach, Galbraith's ex- international manager, paid him the supreme accolade, saying he was Northern Ireland's "creative maestro" given how he manipulates the ball and his eye for a game-changing assist.

Humble Beginnings

It has been quite the ride for the kid from the local area in Glengormley, just outside Belfast, who was raised observing his parent, the elder Galbraith, also a central player, play for Ballyclare Comrades.

Manchester United Experience

His single match for the Red Devils came in the away trip in 2019, a Europa League trip to the Kazakh capital, where they played on an plastic turf and the arena covering was shut owing to conditions of freezing cold. "This represented a long trip and it was freezing," he recalls, smiling. "The preceding week, myself and quite a few of the young lads worked out jointly, so that aided our adjustment. Just to travel with the first team and make an appearance at the end was unbelievable."

Moving On

How difficult was it to move on from Old Trafford, the club he joined from Linfield aged his mid-teens? "This turned out relatively straightforward, because I reached the point where I knew I wasn't going to make it at the top level. I'm extremely thankful for the time I spent there but it reached a stage where I felt I had to take a different path, drop down the leagues and play first-team games. Now I'm steadily working my way back up."

New Environment

It is the early part of the afternoon at the club's training ground but Galbraith has somewhere to be at 5pm: a learner's exam, another progress toward getting on the road. Before his recent move to Sketty, the mid-twenties player was a frequent passenger in Swansea's so-called team minibus, a minibus driven by team personnel, the transport team, which transports players to and from practice and games.

"I travel with Gonçalo Franco, Ronald, Malick Yalcouyé – a former passenger used to be in it but has begun using his own car. It's enjoyable to socialize with the teammates but I'm planning to be the next one to stop using the bus and driving. Franco enjoys practical jokes; he's frequently playing tricks."

Supporter Connections

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