Tampines star back in Hong Kong for ‘bucket-list’ night after Singapore national service
Lee Man host Tampines Rovers on Wednesday aiming to avoid ignominy of becoming first pointless Hong Kong team in Asian competition
Jared Gallagher will tick off an unlikely “bucket-list” ambition when the midfielder lines up for Tampines Rovers against Lee Man in an AFC Champions League Two dead rubber at Mong Kok Stadium on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Gallagher spent around two years in Hong Kong, after living with his family in Shanghai, before being obliged to return to Singapore in 2020 to undertake National Service.
He has acknowledged the 666 days of enlistment was by far the toughest period of his young life, but plugged away at developing a football career, nonetheless. Gallagher devoted his spare hours to training with Young Lions, with whom he made his Singapore Premier League debut in March 2022.
A switch to Tampines followed before this season, and Gallagher has made 23 appearances for the current Singapore league leaders.
“[Military service] was unique and something most people don’t get the chance to experience,” Gallagher said. “It makes you mature and grow up much faster than you would at university. That time taught me about resilience, which is really important in football, so it’s the thing I’ve carried with me most.
“It taught me about time management and also to cherish football … I was spending morning to evening in military camp, then training in the evening with Young Lions
“The opportunity to play football [for a living] is not something everyone gets and it is not lost on me what a privileged position I am in.”
