Leyton Orient are heading to Wembley after beating Stockport County in the semi-final of the League One Play-Off, with a former Manchester United academy star winning the game
A former Manchester United starlet, once dubbed the club’s “best young player”, was the difference-maker as Leyton Orient booked their ticket to Wembley.
Ethan Galbraith, who spent six years on United’s books, scored the decisive spot-kick as Orient clinched a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Stockport County on Wednesday to secure their place in the League One Play-Off final. It means the O’s are now one game away from ending their 43-year wait to get back into the second tier of English football.
Galbraith has been central to their promotion push, having started the bulk of Orient’s league matches and even pitching in with a few goals, including a double against Stockport earlier in the campaign.
That will come as little surprise to many in United circles given that, not long ago, the Northern Ireland international, 24, was being tipped for a spot in the Red Devils’ first team.
He joined the club from Linfield in 2017, and it didn’t take him long to start turning heads. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed him his senior debut against Astana in the 2019/20 Europa League after watching him sparkle not only in the U21s side, but in first team training too. In August 2020, a source told MEN: “He’s the best young player outside the core first-team group at the club.”
But Galbraith struggled to turn promise into genuine effectiveness. The midfielder received a stern dressing-down from Solskjaer after a friendly against Aston Villa in September, with the Norwegian visibly frustrated by how often he had been caught in possession during the match.
“Galbraith… I spoke to him after the game and he knows a couple of times he gets caught on the ball but that’s the learning he needs. That’s going to make him, next time he’s on the pitch, be ready for it.”
He was loaned out to League One club Doncaster Rovers for the 2021/2022 campaign, and then to Salford City in League Two the following season. Galbraith performed well for both clubs, but failed to showcase the kind of progression United were hoping for.
Erik ten Hag, who arrived at Old Trafford in 2022, showed little interest in the youngster, and in 2023, Galbraith’s United journey came to an abrupt end. The youngster’s contract was set to expire, and with no extension on the table, he was forced to look elsewhere.
“After six years, my time has come to an end with this magnificent club, Manchester United,” he wrote on social media, confirming his departure. “My earliest ambition as a boy was to become a professional footballer and I’m forever grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity and support to fulfil that dream.
“It’s been a privilege and I feel very honoured to have been able to represent the club. I step into the next chapter of my career a more mature, well rounded person and I’m excited for what’s next.”
That next chapter was a gamble. Despite being linked with the likes of Newcastle, Stoke and Derby, Galbraith opted instead to join Leyton Orient, who’d just been promoted to League One, in search of guaranteed first-team football.
He hit the ground running in east London, helping the O’s secure their highest league finish in over a decade in his debut season. His second season has been even better, with Richie Wellens’ side surging up the table in the final weeks of the campaign to nab an unlikely Play-Off spot.
In the second leg against Stockport, Galbraith not only converted the winning penalty but also provided the assist for Ollie O’Neill’s opening goal – an all-round performance that rightly earned him the Player of the Match award.
Now, with a trip to Wembley looming and promotion within touching distance, Galbraith has a golden chance to prove to the watching world – and perhaps to those back at Carrington – that he was right to bet on himself.
If he can help fire Orient to glory, it could mark not just a turning point for the club, but a personal redemption story for a player still chasing the big stage he once seemed destined for.
2025-05-15 08:54:25
