Declan Gallagher joins Scotland’s Euro Stories with Superscoreboard

DECLAN GALLAGHER recalls the moment Serb strongman Aleksandar Mitrovic made him feel like “a wee boy”.

Now he reckons his Scotland pals have grown up and are ready to muscle in on Euro 2024 success.

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Gallagher got the last laugh on mighty Mitrovic in the play-off final for the last European Championships.

And while Scotland failed to get out of their group back then, he believes they have matured into a real force to be reckoned with.

The nine-cap stopper said: “Mitrovic was up there with the strongest guys I’ve ever played against in my life.

“Early on in the play-off final in Belgrade, I met him at the byeline and bumped him and thought, ‘Right, I’m going to have a good game here’.

“Then the ball got whipped into the box, he pinned me and I couldn’t move. I felt like a wee boy.”

Three years on, Scotland are back at the Euro finals.

They didn’t need a play-off to qualify for Germany this time.

And Dundee United centre-back Gallagher believes they can take that historic next step into the knockout stages.

He added: “Just to be there and be selected in the squad for the last Euros was a major honour for me.

“I felt part of it through the whole campaign.

“Just being there was a great buzz. Everything about it was just amazing.

“The fact we’ve now gone to back-to-back Euros is a monkey off the back. There is less pressure going into this tournament. The lads can go and play with freedom.

“You saw that in the qualification campaign. They played like a team which just knew what they had to do.

“They went out there and beat the likes of Spain.

SCOTLAND’S EURO STORIES

New podcast with Superscoreboard

SCOTLAND’s Euro stories continue today in The Scottish Sun with Euro 2020 star Declan Gallagher.

Over the next two weeks, SunSport will look back at Scotland’s adventures at Euro 92, Euro 96 and Euro 2020.

In conjunction with Clyde One Superscoreboard, we’ll speak to six heroes who starred for the national team at those finals.

You can see the full video interviews online at www.thescottishsun.co.uk and www.youtube.com/@TheScottishSunSPORT

Episode #2 with Declan Gallagher is live NOW –  click HERE to watch the FULL episode

“I’m very confident about this tournament.”

Clarke’s side begin against hosts Germany in Munich on June 14.

After that, there are thrilling clashes with Switzerland and Hungary, with a place in the last 16 on the line.

Gallagher will watch from afar and share the ambitions of the Tartan Army for glory.

He said: “The way Scotland are playing just now, nobody should terrify you.

“The host nation have all the fans behind them but Scotland shouldn’t fear them.

“They have already shown they can beat Norway and Spain. They can go in with confidence and they’re playing some great football.

“I definitely think they can progress from the group stage.

“It suits us when we are the underdogs.

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“The system we play allows us to soak up pressure and catch teams on the counter attack.

“We have athletic players and some who are in a rich vein of form.”

Arguably none of the squad ended the season in better form than Player of the Year Lawrence Shankland.

The Hearts captain hit 31 goals for his club plus a last-gasp leveller for Scotland in Georgia.

He started the March friendly defeat to the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

And he’ll challenge Che Adams for a starting place in Munich. It’s all a far cry from his first call-up to the international scene.

Gallagher recalled: “Lawrence got his first call-up at the same time as me.

“Me and him were roomies together and basically didn’t know what was happening.

“We tried to tag along and ended up following Oli Burke around the place and out to the training ground.

“Deep down you’re thinking, ‘I hope I don’t mess up’.

“Once we got on to the grass, Steve Clarke was great with me. He told me to do exactly what I did at club level.

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“He told me to be myself — that was the reason I got the call-up.”

Scotland end their preparations for the finals with a Hampden friendly against Finland on Friday night.

Moments after the game, boss Clarke will deliver the crushing news to two stars that they’re dropping out of the 28-man provisional squad.

And Gallagher, an unused sub in the last finals after playing a big role in the qualifiers, reckons Clarke will tell the unlucky men in person.

He said: “I remember waiting on the squad announcement for the last finals.

“At that time, I was not playing regularly at Motherwell. I was injured and then we changed manager.

“I signed a pre-contract at Aberdeen, which put my position even more up in the air.

“When I got back in and was playing, I thought it was fine.

“Then towards the end of the season, the Motherwell manager took me out again to watch players he’d have the next season. There was a bit of nervousness, regardless of how well I played that night in Serbia.

“I think the ones he leaves out of the squad are the ones that he speaks to personally. He does it out of respect because that’s the way he is.

“If you’re in, you’re buzzing — but it’s upsetting for the ones who don’t make it.”

Gallagher, 33, will now focus on supporting Scotland in the finals.

He sends his best wishes to the squad,  including those he stood shoulder to shoulder with in the last Euro campaign.

And he may even stand for the pre-match national anthem after singing lustily from Hampden to Wembley to Belgrade and beyond.

He recalled: “I had to try to keep up with John McGinn, how long he sings and how high-pitched he sings.”

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