Ralston, Tony

[Indicate any known awards (player of the year, etc)]

---

Pictures

• Player Pics

Articles

• […]

KDS

• Threads (2017)
• Threads (2019)

---

Articles

MacPherson: Injury crisis helped me unearth Celtic gem Ralston

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/spfl/13794872.MacPherson__Injury_crisis_helped_me_unearth_Celtic_gem_Ralston/

30 Sep 2015 / Graeme McGarry

The defensive injury problems that Gus MacPherson’s Queen’s Park have suffered this season would have most managers tearing their hair out.

MacPherson though has three reasons not to be. Firstly, he doesn’t have any. Secondly, his team are riding high joint-top of League Two, and lastly, the injury crisis helped him unearth a gem in on-loan Celtic kid Tony Ralston.

MacPherson believes that the 16-year-old full-back has what it takes to reach the top.

“I’ve had 8 or 9 injuries to players in my career before, but never so many in defensive areas,” he said.

“It’s helped us in one way because we were then able to get Tony Ralston in from Celtic on-loan, and he’s been a major positive for us.

“Lo and behold though, he picked up an injury as well. Thankfully he’s back now, and he’s the only recognised full-back we’ve got at the moment with Gavin Mitchell being injured and with us losing Shaun Rooney in the summer as well.

“We were playing midfield players in the full-back area, and we’d been playing a back three sometimes to compensate for that as well.

“When you’ve got a recognised full-back though and one that has obviously got a big future in the game, then you’ve got to bring them into the team if you can.

“We’re very, very grateful to Celtic for agreeing to let him come out and develop at this level and he’s certainly doing that.

“He’s been a major addition to the group of players that we’ve got and he’s certainly enjoying it which is pleasing as well.

“It’s difficult to say how good he can be because he’s only 16, that’s the frightening thing, but he’s a big strong boy who’s technically very good.

“He listens, he takes in instructions, and he’s probably what you would consider a modern-day full-back.

“Celtic have got an abundance of talent within their academy structure and their development team, and it was Chris (McCart) that suggested we looked at Tony.

“We saw enough in his first training session to suggest that he would add something to us. He’s a young boy, but he’s certainly got some very, very good attributes, and the most important one is that he’s professional and he listens.

“We’ve been very, very disrupted with injuries and suspensions to key players, so how well we have done is testament to everyone that has played their part so far in the first eight games of the season.”

---

Celtic’s David Turnbull tells all about Anthony Ralston’s sock troubles as he savours Kyogo Furuhashi decision

The only issue that proved perplexing from Celtic earning a foothold in European competition beyond Christmas the other night in Budapest involved socks. Or to be precise, the deliberately ripped ones initially worn by Anthony Ralston.

By Andrew Smith

Saturday, 6th November 2021, 10:30 pm

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtics-david-turnbull-tells-all-about-anthony-ralstons-sock-troubles-as-he-savours-kyogo-furuhashi-decision-3447921

The evening was one to enjoy and savour for David Turnbull. The Celtic midfielder doesn’t disagree that he turned in one of his best displays in the club colours as he and his team-mates fashioned the most fizzing performance of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure to slay Ferencvaros 3-2 in the Europa League. It ensured the worst possible outcome from their Group G campaign is a third place finish that would drop them into the Europa Conference League knock-out stages, but also made sure that their bid for progress within the Europa League remains very much alive.

It was a night in the Hungarian capital to put smiles on Celtic faces and Turnbull confesses these were being sported even as kick-off was delayed by Portuguese referee Fabio Verissimo took exception to how Ralston chooses to customise his stockings. A situation that induced the chuckles again for Celtic’s only ever-present player this season – “a great throught for me, one I love…with the games coming thick and fast”, he said – as he illuminated what unfolded.

Sign up to our Football newsletter

“Haha – you will need to ask him that…” the Celtic attacker said jokingly, when asked what had befallen Ralston. “I think he cuts the back of them to try and avoid cramp but with it being a European tie I don’t think the referees let you away with that. So the physios had to tape it up which meant he had to run back off again. It was not exactly that start we wanted, but it was a good laugh.”

Celtic played the sort of football that put smiles on the faces of their manager and supporters thereafter. None more so than the forever beaming Kyogo Furuhashi, who served up another dashing display with a glorious goal and assist. Turnbull agreed the Japanese striker is “very much” a joy to play with. And the Scotland international, looking forward to joining up with Steve Clarke’s squad for the decisive World Cup qualifier in Moldova following Celtic’s Sunday-lunchtime assignment in Dundee, now feels at one with the defence-disorientating movement of the 26-year-old. And Turnbull delights in his club convincing the £4.6million signing from Vissel Kobe to further his career with Celtic.

“From the first day of the season in training he has been terrific and since then he has been getting better and better,” he said. “I don’t know what other clubs were maybe in for him in the summer but we are all really happy he chose to come here because he has been a great pick up for us. I feel we have a great understanding. When he runs in behind, I know to try and find him with a through ball and when he drops off I know what he is doing in terms of linking the play. He is great player and a really good finisher when he gets the ball in the right areas. You can see all that through the amount of goals he has got for us already and I hope he can keep doing even more of that in the remainder of the season.”

---

Anthony Ralston: Celtic scrapbook is reading like a fairytale after dramatic career turn

Ahead of this season, it seemed for all the world that Anthony Ralston’s Celtic scrapbook would be a pretty sorry affair, with scant entries.

By Andrew Smith

Thursday, 16th December 2021, 10:30 pm

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/anthony-ralston-celtic-scrapbook-is-reading-like-a-fairytale-after-dramatic-career-turn-3497885

The right-back’s moments to be preserved for posterity before his rebirth under Ange Postecoglou since July didn’t amount to a whole lot. There was a first goal for the club in a 5-0 League Cup lashing of Kilmarnock in September 2017 – 16 months on from his senior debut in a defeat away to St Johnstone – that prompted then Rugby Park manager Lee McCulloch to predict correctly that Ralston’s talents would see him graduate to the national side.

Then there was his skirmishing with Neymar in the Champions League a month on from McCulloch’s anointing. Memories of Ralston against Paris Saint-Germain extend no further than a callow 18-year-old Celtic academy product giving the Brazilian it tight by screaming in his face with fist clenched following a crunching tackle. A cringe-inducing incident owing to his illustrious opponent proving otherwise untouchable as he ran amok with two goals in a 5-0 slaying.

Beyond that, precious little. Between loan spells with Dundee United and St Johnstone, his rare senior Celtic outings were notable only for grumbles at his presence from a support he numbers himself among.

The same support, indeed, he led in uproarious celebrations at full-time in Dingwall on Wednesday night – Ralston orchestrating these because he had ignited them with a crashing 97th minute header to claim Ange Postecoglou’s 10-men a bonkers 2-1 victory that seemed certain would elude them.

It made for one more cut-out-and-keep experience across campaign in which these do not seem as if they will ever stop piling up for the 23-year-old…his international debut earned by a run of exceptional form that has made him a banker for his Australian manager, a five-goal contributor no less, and is entitled to have the Celtic full-back feeling he can fulfill all manner of his football dreams. A quest he can progress by claiming a first winners’ medal earned through playing an integral on-field role, an opportunity afforded by Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final. “I hope so,” he said of at last taking part in such a showpiece as an established first team performer. “It will be a special occasion for the club, the first chance this season to get a trophy. So we’ll be going there focused on what we need to do. We all know the magnitude of the game. But it’s important we go into every game with the same mentality.”

Ralston doesn’t deny he will head to Hampden on the back of a matchwinning strike that gave him personal satisfaction “right up there with anything else” to come from his time in Celtic colours. “I’ve never been involved in a last minute winner,” he said. “I’m delighted for the supporters who travelled despite their work commitments. It’s midweek and they went all the way up to Dingwall. It’s nothing less than they deserve.”

The right-back doesn’t seem to feel these fans deserve the strongest possible condemnation for the large-scale pitch invasion prompted by his header hitting the net. It may have been a brief incursion, but injuries to stewards highlight the folly of fans forcing their way on to the field, where they never have a right to be. In wrapping up his elated actions at the end with their outpouring – in every sense – Ralston makes a case for understanding how high that emotions can run in a nip-and-tuck title race. A contest in which dropping two points against County to fall six behind champions Rangers would have resulted in despondency taking grip among the Celtic faithful. “It was a heat of the moment thing [from me in leading celebrations at the end] and we all got a bit carried away, but that is part and parcel of the game,” he said.

Acutely weakened by the injury loss of six attackers in Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, James Forrest, Albian Ajeti, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Mikey Johnston and a man down on the evening following Carl Starfelt’s red card late on, in the fact of such handicaps Postecoglou’s men never resigned themselves to a draw. That is a reflection of the mindset that the 56-year-old has drilled into his Celtic squad. His players didn’t cast aside their probing, passing approach, throw their big players up and launch balls into the box in the hope of getting a lucky break in the box. Indeed, at one point Postecoglou sent Joe Hart back towards his goal when the English international intimated he wanted to go up for a corner. Instead, they crafted a winner with Tom Rogic producing an artful cross that Ralston buried with aplomb. “We always believed throughout,” said the Bellshill-born defender. “It’s instilled in us all that no matter what happens in a game, no matter the circumstances or the challenges we’re faced with, we can overcome them.”

And Ralston has overcome recent fitness challenges of his own to become Celtic’s highest scorer outside of the attacking department with three headers and two left-foot finishes. It is only a fortnight since he suffered a tear in his ankle against Hearts, an issue he feared might derail his season of seasons. “We’ve a great physio staff and I’ve done the right things and now I’m feeling good and ready to play,” he said. “It’s one of those things, when you get a injury at that moment you aren’t sure what it is. I was glad it wasn’t as severe as first thought and I was able to do the right rehab over the course of a week or so. I just wanted to come back and contribute to the team as quickly as I could, and in the most positive way.”

As has become the Ralston way, he exceeded expectations on that front.

---

Anthony Ralston is seizing unexpected Celtic opportunity as key ingredient revealed for clean sheet

Goalscorer Anthony Ralston felt Celtic had clicked into gear as they thrashed Dundee 6-0.

By Angus Wright

Monday, 9th August 2021, 10:15 am

Anthony Ralston scores for Celtic against Dundee, adding to his strike against Hearts the previous week.

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/anthony-ralston-is-seizing-unexpected-celtic-opportunity-as-key-ingredient-revealed-for-clean-sheet-3338804

Ange Postecoglou could not have enjoyed a better first league game at Parkhead as his side demolished Dundee with the kind of attacking football he demands.

Kyogo Furuhashi marked his home debut with a hat-trick, Tom Rogic netted, right-back Ralston scored a penalty-box goal any striker would have been proud of, and substitute Odsonne Edouard converted a late penalty.

Sign up to our Football newsletter

After failing to notch a win in his first three matches, Postecoglou has now seen his team score ten goals in two games and record their first clean sheet of the season.

“Everything clicked into place,” Ralston said. “We’ve been working hard in training and analysing a lot on how we want to play. It’s just nice to go into a game and put it all together.

“It’s important we kick on now and keep playing the right way with intent, as the results will come.

“The clean sheet was pleasing. We defended well as a back four and goalkeeper, but also as a team. The pressing front to back as a unit was brilliant and it’s important we keep that going in the future.”

Ralston only played one game last season – when 14 team-mates were self-isolating – but a dearth of alternative right-backs saw him propelled into the first team under Postecoglou.

The 22-year-old is seizing his unexpected opportunity. He was among Celtic’ s best players in their opening cinch Premiership defeat at Hearts and has now scored two well-taken goals, both with his left foot.

“I never thought my left foot was much use,” he joked. “I’m delighted to get another goal. The most important thing is contributing to the team. Hopefully I can continue.

“I’ve just had to stay focused when I’ve been out of the team and work hard behind the scenes to be as fit as possible, so when the chance came I was able to take it.

“I’m enjoying playing and being in the team. I just need to make sure I keep the right mindset in each game and in training.”

---

What Anthony Ralston had to say about Celtic’s move for right back rival

It is more than five years since Anthony Ralston made his senior debut for Celtic.

By Andrew Smith

Tuesday, 17th August 2021, 10:30 pm

Celtic’s Anthony Ralston in a challenge with Hearts’ Andy Halliday during the Premier Sports Cup 3-2 win on Sunday. The right-back says he “welcomes the challenge” that will be provided by the club’s nearing-completion pursuit of another right-back in Croatian international Josip Juranovic, (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Celtic’s Anthony Ralston in a challenge with Hearts’ Andy Halliday during the Premier Sports Cup 3-2 win on Sunday. The right-back says he “welcomes the challenge” that will be provided by the club’s nearing-completion pursuit of another right-back in Croatian international Josip Juranovic, (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

In the intervening period he has had to deal with injuries, various loan periods and a whole heap of opprobrium from the club’s support. Now, the right-back has earned a sustained run in the team, the trust of his manager, and appreciation from those that fill the stands.

Against that backdrop, it would be entirely understandable were the 23-year-old concerned over the possibility his recent renaissance could count for little – the club understood to be closing in on a deal for Croatian international right-back Josip Juranovic, having agreed a £2.5million with current club Legia Warsaw. Ralston refuses to see Celtic’s moves for a player likely to push him to the sidelines in such fashion, though.

Sign up to our Football newsletter

‘It’s healthy. You need competition in every position,” he said of Ange Postecoglou’s constant mantra that the club must recruit another right-back. “It’s important. That’s the way it is. You look forward to having competition as well. I welcome the challenge, for sure. It’s important for every position that you have competition and that’s what keeps you on your toes and on top form all the time. That’s really important to have in a team. It’s a positive to help the team. It’s important to have players in every position.”

It is normally important to have backing from supporters to thrive at any club. In coming from a Celtic supporting background, Ralston will know full well he found a niche despite having no goodwill from the fanbase until recently. Yet he refuses to be other than conciliatory about his castigators.

‘It’s just about focusing on what I can do to help the team on a daily basis and what I can do better,” he said. “I need to take every opportunity. I’m a Celtic fan and if I wasn’t playing for Celtic, I’d be coming to all the games and supporting them. So I’m really pleased to be in this position. It’s a dream of mine. Every game and every opportunity I get I’ll give my all and do my best for the club. That’s all I strive to do. It’s the best support in the world. I just want to try my best and will continue to do that.”

---

Anthony Ralston reflects on Scotland and Celtic journey after goal – ‘I didn’t know what was happening’

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/international/anthony-ralston-reflects-on-scotland-and-celtic-journey-after-goal-i-didnt-know-what-was-happening-3725113

Anthony Ralston was handed a new 12-month deal last June at Celtic more out of necessity than the feeling he was viewed as a long-term right back by the club.

By Alan Pattullo

Wednesday, 8th June 2022, 11:05 pm

He was the only player who could play that position left at the club when Ange Postecoglou arrived. The Australian has never regretted triggering the option of tying Ralston down for one more year.

Now the 23-year-old is a fully-fledged international with a goal on the first start for his country. Ralston scored the opener with a well-placed header as Scotland defeated Armenia 2-0 in their first Nations League fixture.

Sign up to our Football newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Notice and Terms of Service apply.

The result provided some comfort after last week’s ruinous defeat to Ukraine in a World Cup semi-final play-off.

Anthony Ralston of Scotland celebrates after he scores the opening goal during the UEFA Nations League League B Group 1 match between Scotland and Armenia at Hampden.

Anthony Ralston of Scotland celebrates after he scores the opening goal during the UEFA Nations League League B Group 1 match between Scotland and Armenia at Hampden.

Ralston was one of six changes to the team as Steve Clarke sought to ensure there was no Hampden hangover against a side ranked No 92 in the world.

“This is football and you just need to keep yourself positive at all times, keep working and that’s what I’ll continue to do for the rest of my career,” said Ralston afterwards, when asked about his swift change in fortunes.

He signed a new three-year extension to his contract as recently as November after proving his worth to Postecoglou.

“I was in a situation where I didn’t know what was happening,” he said. “My contract was coming to an end. But I just kept believing in myself. I kept on working hard and I managed to get myself back in and just take my opportunities when I got them.

“I’ve worked hard,” he added. “I wasn’t involved at Celtic, it’s no secret it was a hard time for me. But I kept myself right, I kept training hard, I kept believing. I’m happy I’ve done that, I gave myself the best chance and that’s all I could do.”

Ralston is looking forward to showing Mila, his two-year old daughter, footage of the goal, scored in the 28th minute at the far post with his head after a cross from former Parkhead teammate Stuart Armstrong.

“My daughter wasn’t at the game, but it’s something that I’ll be able to show her in the years to come and she’ll be able to see her dad scoring for her country, which is quite special,” he said. “It’s a nice moment to look forward to.”

Ralston gives Clarke another option at right wing-back and could well have played his way into a starting slot against Republic of Ireland on Saturday as Scotland seek to make it two wins out of two in Group B1. Nathan Patterson is also fit again and came on for Ralston for the last 15 minutes.

“There are other talented boys who also play that position, so I’m not the one to make that call,” said Ralston. “I can do is try to be positive when I get my chance and that’s what I’ll continue to try to do.”

---

“I wish Ali all the best with his health and his recovery,” Ralston’s message to Johnston

By Editor        3 May, 2023 No Comments

https://thecelticstar.com/i-wish-ali-all-the-best-with-his-health-and-his-recovery-ralstons-message-to-johnston/

Anthony Ralston was absolutely outstanding at Hampden on Sunday when we came on to replace the injured Alistair Johnston against theRangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final. In that second half the latest Ibrox club threw everything they had at the Celtic defence in a desperate attempt to save their season from ending on that Beautiful Sunday and there’s no doubt that Ralston’s contribution to the Celtic cause was significant alongside the other defensive heroes in the defence – Man of the Match Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt, Greg Taylor and of course the Canadian international right back himself.

Anthony Ralston of Celtic receives medical treatment during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Livingston FC at on December 21, 2022. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

When Josip Juranovic came back from the World Cup carrying a knock, Ralston was the only fit and available right back at the club. Alistair Johnston had been signed and had arrived in Glasgow to work with the squad but was unable to play until the January transfer window opened.

Ralston though picked up an injury in a match at Celtic Park against Livingston and that meant that Johnston would be, unlike the other January signings, thrown in at the deep-end at Ibrox on 2 January. The new Bhoy of course performed really well on his Celtic debut and has been a fixture in the Celtic side ever since, with Ralston having to take time to recover from that injury then picking up another after being called up as an emergency replacement for Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.

Had Ralston not picked up that knock against Livingston there’s every chance that Johnston would have been gradually introduced to the Celtic team in a similar fashion to Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoki Iwata and Hyeongyu Oh. That thought is football and instead Anthony Ralston got himself fit and was ready to play his part when called upon.

“That’s the mindset of all the players in the squad,” Ralston said, as reported by The Herald. “It’s a big squad and it’s important to know your role when you could be called on at any point.

“My job wasn’t to go on and do anything for myself, it was for the team. That’s drummed right through us. Even the boys that weren’t there on Sunday, they train every day to make us the best we can be.

“I wish Ali all the best with his health and his recovery. We’re not quite sure what it is but the main thing is that he’s all right. If I need to step in and do my job, then I’ll step in and do my job,” Anthony Ralston said.

He added: “We’ve no other choice. From day one, the gaffer’s message has been that we train every day like we are going to play, and that’s what we all do. That’s the reason why boys – on Sunday it was not just myself, but Sead Hakšabanović and Aaron Mooy – can come off the bench and do a job, because we train every day at the highest level.

“We’re in it as a team. Success comes as a team. I thought the boys were terrific overall on Sunday and deserved the win,” he stated. “Of course, you want to be playing as much as possible, but the most important thing is the end goal and that end goal is achieved by having a squad, not individuals. It’s not about what you want personally, it’s about a squad of boys that want to achieve special things. That’s what we want to do and that’s how we work.

“Me and Josip had a great relationship. If he was in, I would support him and the same the other way round. It’s the same with me and Ali. We’ve got a great relationship as well. I wish him all the best with his health and his recovery and I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

20th November 2021; Hampden Park,  Scottish League Cup semi-final, Celtic versus St Johnstone; Anthony Ralston and Josip Juranovic of Celtic party with the fans after the final whistle

Ralston of course was the first goalscorer in a competitive game played under Ange Postecoglou, in that controversial 2-1 defeat at Tynecastle on the opening day of last season. And he’ll be back at Tynecastle this Sunday as Celtic look to wrap up the title. Looking back at the splendid goal, Ralston reckons it was something of a Hail Mary strike.

Anthony Ralston at Tynecastle. Photo Jane Barlow

“That feels like a lifetime ago now. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best with my left foot! We know it’s a tough place to go, but it’s about us and we’ll go into training and get our heads down. Sunday is done, it’s about next weekend now. We go to work and we aim to go there and win.

“It’s one of our goals to win the title and we’re going to try our best to do that. It starts with the training pitch. We’ll go and implement our things in training to then go and execute it at the weekend.

Anthony Ralston. Photo: Jane Barlow

With such a commanding lead in the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup already in the trophy cabinet at Celtic Park, there is a widespread belief that having knocked out theRangers in the Scottish Cup Final to win a place in the final against Championship side Inverness Caley Thistle, the Treble is very much on. That’s not something that Ralston will entertain at this stage in the season.

“We don’t think about it and we haven’t been thinking about it. We want to compete in everything we are in – Europe as well – and in everything we do. We strive to do that as a squad.

“Take it a day at a time like we have been from day one and we’ll hopefully achieve our end goal. Either way, you just want to win. It’s how we win it as well. We want to be able to burst through the finish. It’s not a case of letting up at all,”  Anthony Ralston said. “Our aim is to play our football. If we can play our football, I’m sure everything will take care of itself.”

---

‘Everything is for her’: The Celtic star who is now in ‘different place’ in second Rodgers stint

Anthony Ralston was one of the few faces familiar to Brendan Rodgers when he returned as Celtic manager this summer but the defender believes he has changed immeasurably during that four-year gap.
By Graeme Macpherson
Published 13th Aug 2023, 08:00 BST
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/everything-is-for-her-the-celtic-star-who-is-now-in-different-place-in-second-rodgers-stint-4252906
He has been out on another loan spell at St Johnstone before returning to Parkhead where he was reinvented by Ange Postecoglou as an inverted full-back. Ralston has also become a Scotland international and a father to a baby daughter since Rodgers was last in town.All those developments, the 24 year-old believes, will strengthen his case for regular football as he prepares to vie with Alistair Johnston for a place in the starting line-up.

“The gaffer was here when I was younger and he put a lot of faith in me,” reflected Ralston. “He gave me chances and, looking back, that was massive for my career. I’m now in a different place both in my personal life and here too. I’ve got my wee girl and that’s the difference from when the gaffer was here previously. She’s my reason for what I do now. Everything is for her. The gaffer will relate to that too. Back then I was in a different place, I was a kid trying to come into a team that was very hard to break into. I’m still fighting every day to do that – nothing much has changed there – but my football has evolved and I have learned as time has gone on. Hopefully I can put it all into practice.”

Scotland are in good shape to qualify for next summer’s European Championships. Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson and Calvin Ramsay provide considerable depth at right-back but Ralston will also have a decent chance of making it to Germany if he continues to play regularly for Celtic. “Every chance you get (in international football) you need to take,” he added. “Working hard in training and trying to show the gaffer that he can rely on me when I do play. Hopefully there will be more games in the future. It’s a big part of everybody’s career, wanting to play for your country.”

---

‘Ralston rallies to embody Scotland’s fighting spirit’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cv22y0j7jkjo
Anthony Ralston is embraced by captain Andy RobertsonImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Anthony Ralston was embraced by captain Andy Robertson after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland
Tom English
BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer
@tenglishsport

Published
21 June 2024

Euro 2024, Group A: Scotland v Hungary

Venue: MHPArena, Stuttgart Date: Sunday, 23 June Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC One, listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Scotland, live text commentary on BBC Sport website.

Imagine you are Anthony Ralston. You have started six league games for Celtic all season and, because a plague has descended on others, suddenly you’re first choice for Scotland at Euro 2024.

You’ve been an unused substitute for your club in 12 consecutive Champions League matches and haven’t played any European football in two years and four months.

And now, for your country, you’re seeing the might of Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen and Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich bearing down on you on the biggest night of your football life.

You’ve been pilloried for your performance. You are at the epicentre of the flak in the wake of the 5-1 defeat by Germany. People want Ross McCrorie to replace you. Or James Forrest. Or Scott McTominay. Or…

Scotland’s training camp might be a cocoon near the Austrian border, but they’re not completely cut off from comment from the outside world. Stuff gets through.

Before Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson got injured, nobody could have imagined that one of the most talked-about Scottish players in Germany would be the Celtic man.

You are now in the team in a must-not-lose game against Switzerland.

Dan Ndoye, an important player for Bologna in their successful bid for a spot in the Champions League, and the experienced Ruben Vargas are now coming for you.

So, under pressure, you gift a pass to Xherdan Shaqiri and he wallops one into the top corner.

Blick, the Swiss German-language daily newspaper, thanks you for your service. “Defender Ralston plays a pass into the centre that would have earned the boot from even a junior team,” it reports.

‘How could you not root for Ralston?’

The question is asked again. Imagine you are Anthony Ralston? So few games, so little confidence, such a cauldron you’re in. Everybody with eyes on you. Wingers salivating at the mouth in your presence.

So this is where it turns, this incredible one-man drama.

Ralston is one of only four Scotland outfield players who has played every minute in Germany. He ranks second only to McTominay in terms of distance covered on the pitch.

He looked to be cramping up just after the hour mark in Cologne, but in the 91st minute, he delivered a cross into the Swiss box and, in the 94th minute, he delivered another.

As much as his football ability was tested on Wednesday, Ralston’s nerve was tested even more.

Those minutes after the goal must have been a lonely time, even though his team-mates rallied around him superbly.

“Not many people would come back from that,” said his captain, Andy Robertson. “It was a difficult one for him, but, second half, he was different class.”

That might be stretching it, but you know where Robertson is coming from. Ralston dug in. He refused to capitulate.

He got himself high up the pitch when he could and defended pretty well in the main. He fronted up.

This is a player whose only other starts this season outside of international football have come against Ross County (twice), Kilmarnock (twice), St Mirren (twice), Aberdeen and Motherwell.

He has now started three games in a row (Finland, Germany and Switzerland) for the first time since August.

How could you not root for Ralston, a footballer who is working extraordinarily hard to survive against more talented players in an unforgiving setting – and where his every error is examined and amplified?

In a sense, he’s Scotland’s fighting spirit in microcosm. There isn’t a single member of this squad who has been tested, psychologically, in the way Ralston has.
‘Underdog with character and heart’

“A big character” was how his club captain, Callum McGregor, described Ralston.

“He hasn’t played a huge amount of football and, to get thrown into that top level, he deals with it really well,” McGregor said. “He’s such an honest boy.”

McGregor spoke about how Ralston’s error could happen to anybody and sometimes you get away with them and sometimes a guy takes advantage and produces something from another planet, as Shaqiri did.

“To come back and show that level of performance and calmness for a young player speaks volumes,” McGregor said.

Ralston is 25, so he’s not all that young in football years, but in time spent in the rarefied air, he now exists in, he’s still a mere child.

His team-mates went to him on the full-time whistle in Cologne to comfort him for his mistake, no doubt, but also to show their regard for him for staying in the fight.

Ralston doesn’t have the international class of many on show here in Germany. Every game is a grind.

He knows that he doesn’t just have a target on his back. He has one on his front. He has one square between his eyes.

But he’s got character and he’s got heart and those qualities have taken him a long way in his career. He’s an underdog who might have won over a few doubters in what he did following the calamity of that misplaced pass.

And, if he hasn’t, well, that doesn’t seem to bother him all that much. His manager has backed him, his team-mates are with him and he’ll surely be back out there again when Scotland play Hungary on Sunday.

Another enormous night in the remarkable recent story of a lesser-spotted full-back who has become the focus of so much attention.

---