Ralston: I'm ready for anything that's thrown at me
Saying Anthony Ralston has progressed through the ranks at Celtic is something of an understatement. The talented young full-back has been on an incredible journey so far which has taken him from ball boy to preparing to face the elite of Europe in the UEFA Champions League. His performances in those games and maturity he has shown throughout have now earned him his first call up to the Scotland under-21 national team and even attracted interest from Gordon Strachan. At 18-years-old, Ralston exudes a maturity and diligence, both on and off the pitch, far beyond his years. It’s this level headedness which has helped him break into the Celtic first team and given him the platform to show he is worthy of representing his country. Last month Scotland, under-21 coach Scot Gemmill named Ralston in his squad for the UEFA Euro 2019 qualifier against The Netherlands which the young Scots won 2-0 last night (Tuesday) in Paisley.
“This is my first time being called up to the under-21s, so it’s a huge honour and I’m really proud to be given the opportunity,” Ralston told this week's Celtic View in an exclusive interview. “I’m looking forward to going away for a few days and training with the squad and hopefully I’ll be called on to do a job.”
Ralston’s inclusion will see him join his Celtic team-mates Calvin Miller and Michael Johnston in the squad, however his call-up to the Scotland under-21s coincided with a request to attend training with Celtic captain Scott Brown and his more senior team-mates who are part of the senior national squad.
“It’s been an experience,” said Ralston when trying to sum up a whirlwind week. “I got a phone call on the Sunday night asking me to come in and train the following day with the Scotland first-team so I trained with them on Monday and did a double session on the Tuesday.
“It was new for me. I was around an environment with all these other first-team players from different teams who, when I was younger, I watched playing for Scotland. It was a bit surreal being around them in training but it’s where I want to be and it was brilliant being around good coaching staff, so it was good to be around it.
“Having KT, who’s a similar age to me, Broony and Stuart there was really good. They’re all really good guys, so I was able to hang around and chat with them. It would have been hard to go up there and make conversation without them, so it made the experience all the more enjoyable having them there.
“The first-team players were really nice, though. They all came up and introduced themselves, asked how I was doing and made conversation. They were all great with me, very welcoming and I felt part of the team for the days I was there.”
The experience may have been new to Ralston, but he has been included in the Celtic first-team squad for every game since the start of the season which he believes has prepared him for new challenges coming his way this season.
“At Celtic, the training is of a very high intensity and it’s no different with Scotland as well. The training sessions with the Celtic first team have geared me up and ensured I am ready for training at that level with the quality of players in the Scotland squad. I was ready for anything that was thrown at me because of the intensity I’m already accustomed to with Celtic.
Es gibt nicht wenige, die Ralston diese Saison einen ähnlichen Durchbruch zutrauen, wie in Tierney vor zwei Jahren erlebt hat, und nachdem er diese Saison bereits in allen laufenden Wettbewerben zum Einsatz gekommen ist und im League Cup beim 5-0 gegen Kilmarnock sein Tordebüt gefeiert (2-0) und zwei weitere Treffer aufgelegt (4-0, 5-0) hat, ist, denke ich, auch die Zeit für einen eigenen Thread gekommen.
18. SPL Spieltag
29.12.2024 16 Uhr DZ
Celtic Park
Celtic FC - Johnstone
29.12.2024 16 Uhr DZ
Celtic Park
Celtic FC - Johnstone
