 Gallagher was born in Liverpool, and began his football career as a schoolboy with home-town club Liverpool When he left school at 15 he signed for Birmingham City as a trainee.He turned professional on his 17th birthday and made his first team debut in October 1973 against Arsenal at Highbury.He made over 20 appearances in his debut season, and from then on hardly missed a game until a broken leg sustained in a car accident kept him out for several months.