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Calum Gallagher was proud to pull on the Rangers jersey during the club’s journey back to the top-flight and he went on to have a fine career with a number of Scottish clubs while studying for a Civil Engineering Degree.
The 31-year-old forward, who featured for Alloa in League One alongside current Light Blues Academy players Calum Adamson, Callum Burnside, Lewis Stewart and Josh Gentles last season, was handed his first-team debut by Ally McCoist against Dunfermline in March 2014 and he marked his Ibrox bow with a late goal in a 2-0 win.
It was a well-earned appearance after years of hard work and dedication with the Rangers youth teams and Gallagher made four more appearances for Rangers during the 2014/15 campaign.
He went on to enjoy spells with Cowdenbeath, St Mirren, Dumbarton and Arbroath but his time at Airdrie – between 2019 and 2024 – was the most successful of his career and he scored over 70 goals in 177 appearances.
Calum was top scorer in two of his five seasons with The Diamonds and his goals helped them clinch promotion to the Championship in 2022/23.
Such was his influence on the side, he was also named PFA Scotland’s Players’ Player of the Year for his exploits during that memorable campaign and was honoured to be inducted into Airdrie’s Hall of Fame.
Gallagher also knew the value of education away from football from an early age and he earned his Civil Engineering Degree to prepare for life after football.
In a wide-ranging interview as he showed his support for The Rangers Youth Development Company – who have donated more than £12.5 million to the Academy – Calum says it was a privilege to play for Rangers and he is happy with what he has achieved in the game so far.
He said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better football education and I enjoyed my time at Rangers. My grounding at the Academy set me up and gave me the confidence to go on and have a career in the game.
“I’ve got loads of happy memories and my youth journey gave me a firm foundation to go on and have a good career.
“I joined when I was 16 and my team-mates were players like Barry McKay and Lewis Macleod.
“They were full-time but I stayed part-time and was training three times a week with the likes of Craig Halkett, Charlie Telfer and Andy Murdoch as I was doing my Higher exams.
“In retrospect, it was a great decision and I didn’t miss out as the education side was important too and I now have a University Degree.
“I came through with a good group of players who went on to play hundreds of games in their careers and guys like the ones I’ve already mentioned plus Liam Kelly and Ryan Hardie all went on to do great things in the game.
“The spotlight was on the young players when I was there. Breaking into the Rangers first-team is a really difficult thing to do and it was a real blessing that I got the chance to do it.
“Making my debut against Dunfermline at Ibrox is definitely one of the highlights of my career.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. Every young boy dreams of coming on and scoring on your debut.
“At that point you’re on top of the world and it was a great feeling and a great time. When I look back at the photo of me scoring it always puts a smile on my face.
“I came in for the next few matches after that and it was a great learning experience.
“So just to be involved and help get the club back up to the top-flight is something we can take an element of pride in.
“I was desperate to get into the Rangers team, make an impact and be involved so it was an incredible time for me and I’m thrilled to have done it.
“Ally was so good at shielding us from the outside world. He was a joy to be around, a joy to work with and when he joined us in training he would still out-score everybody!
“He was an absolute pleasure to work with. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times since over the years and he’s just an absolute delight of a guy. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him.
“I used to run around all over the pitch through enthusiasm. I remember he put his arm over my shoulder one day after training and he told me that goals are scored between the six-yard box.
“I learned to play in that central area and it served me well when I moved on and had successes elsewhere so I couldn’t have asked for a better education.
“I also got the chance to work with Stuart McCall at Rangers and his enthusiasm really stuck out. It was infectious and although I didn’t play many games when he was manager I enjoyed learning from him.
“When Mark Warburton came in he was very honest with me and I thank him for the way he dealt with me leaving Rangers.
“It was potentially quite heartbreaking but he managed it well and I went to St Mirren and played 40-odd games that season. That was the first time I had a flavour of being cemented in a first-team and I ended up scoring against Rangers!
“I then had a couple of years at Dumbarton and when they were relegated, I came away from full-time football and started to think about my long-term prospects
“At that point I decided to go and get my Civil Engineering Degree and I then joined Airdrie.
“Ian Murray signed me and I just loved it there. We had a good spine to the team for the majority of the time I was there and I became a real stalwart there.
“I had a great time, ended up their leading goalscorer and that gave me a lot of pride.
“It was a difficult decision to leave after five years but I have so many good memories and I was also proud to be the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year the season we got promoted to the Championship.
“That was great and it was the best season of my career. I couldn’t have done any more that season and I always look back on that season with fondness.
“I’m 31 now but I still have the same passion and enthusiasm for football and I still enjoy the game.
“I enjoy being in a dressing room, training and playing. I’m happy with the career I’ve had up to now.
“If I retired tomorrow I would be happy as I gave it a right good go and I played a lot of games for a lot of clubs.
“I’d like to say thank you to all the Academy coaches that helped me and the players I came through with. They all did so much for us as a group.
“They were all good people teaching a group of young guys from different backgrounds and we were all looked after and given the opportunity to succeed.
“The Rangers Academy was an incredible place to learn your trade and I was lucky and grateful to have been there.
“I worked with top coaches like Billy Kirkwood, Tommy Wilson, Alan Kernaghan and many more when I was younger
“And I’ve also worked with a lot of coaches with Rangers links since I left, Ian Murray, Alex Rae and Rhys McCabe, and I enjoyed working with them all.
“I’m now a qualified civil engineer, that’s my day job, but I still love my football and I’m proud to have played for so many years.”
Calum’s career development was assisted by annual RYDC donations to the Rangers Academy and more than £12.5 million has already been provided.
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