Anthony Ralston, of Scottish origin, born on the 16th of November 1998, is a consistent right back defender for the mighty Celtic Football Club. Standing at an unassuming yet sturdy 5ft 11in and scaling 12st 3lb, he carries the number 56 jersey. His football prowess extends beyond club level, as he has gained merit by playing for the national side.
In the 2023-24 season, Ralston put in decent performances for Celtic in the Premiership, making a total of 15 appearances; six as part of the starting line-up, and nine times coming off the bench. He was also called upon in the Scottish Cup and the Euro 2024 matches, with three starts in the latter and a couple of substitute appearances in both. Additionally, he made an understated appearance in the Euro Qualifiers.
Ralston's journey has seen numerous back-and-forths, with his football career starting at Celtic in July 2015, followed by a loan spell at Queen's Park in the Championship. He returned to Celtic in January 2016, only to be loaned again to Dundee United in March 2018. After the completion of his Dundee United spell, he found himself back at Celtic briefly before another loan spell took him to St Johnstone in September 2019. On completion of his loan in June 2020, Ralston returned to Celtic where he continues to give a good account of himself. His debut season at Queen's Park saw him making ten first team appearances with a goal to his name.
Ralston's tenure at Celtic has so far been peppered with moderate appearances. His initial stint in the 2015-16 season was rather low-key with just one appearance. The pattern continued in the next season but was broken in the 2017-18 period when he made it to the field thrice. The following 2018-19 season saw him score his first goal for the Hoops in his four appearances. Subsequently, the 2019-20 period was a muted one with only two appearances. Ralston's second sting at St Johnstone in the 2019-20 season marked his career high, clocking 22 appearances.
On his return to Celtic for the 2020-21 season, Ralston struggled for game time, managing a paltry single appearance. However, a turnaround was in the offing – 28 appearances and four goals in the 2021-22 season. In the following 2022-23 season, he held his own with 16 appearances and kept the momentum going into the 2023-24 season, contributing significantly to the team effort over 15 appearances. A promising 2024-25 season lies ahead for Ralston at Celtic.
