Club helping country for Ethan Galbraith as he focuses in on pivotal games

Swansea midfielder Ethan Galbraith has carried his impressive club form into the Northern Ireland set-up

Being happy at club football is helping Ethan Galbraith excel at international level with Northern Ireland.

The 24-year-old has carried last season’s impressive form with Leyton Orient into the Championship after completing a summer move to Swansea.

And it is benefiting Galbraith on the international stage with a number of standout performances including last month’s World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany.

“I think form in football is massive,” said the former Manchester United man. “Coming into internationals when you’re doing well at your club you can always bring it with you so it can only be positive.

“I think it’s the group we have at Swansea, plus the manager and the coaching staff, they’ve made it easier for me to settle in. I think once you feel comfortable in football, then you can play with freedom.

“I think I’ve got stronger. I know the game more but it’s also just maturing as a footballer on and off the pitch.

“Even the last couple of years it wasn’t frustrating for me because just being part of the group has been good for me.”

Galbraith said he took heart from being in constant contact with Michael O’Neill, even when he wasn’t involved in the squad.

“Michael has been great for me. When I wasn’t sort of getting in the squad he was still checking up, always speaking, and to get back in and the way he’s drafted me back in, he’s been brilliant for me,” he said.

“He made me feel sort of included and I always had a chance of getting back in if I was playing well and playing to the standards, so he’s been brilliant for me.”

Galbraith knows this double-header against Slovakia and Germany at Windsor Parkcould prove pivotal for Northern Ireland’s hopes of qualification and he is relishing it.

He said: “I can’t wait. I think everyone is buzzing for it. I think with the group we have and how we’ve been playing lately everyone is excited to get into camp.

“We’ve looked at them a bit at the start of the week. I don’t really know too much but for them to get a result against Germany, obviously it’s going to be a tough game, but for us, at home, we need to try and get the fans onside and continue how we’ve been playing.”