Anthony Ralston faces, probably, his busiest five weeks of the season since Alistair Johnston arrived at the club. The Scottish international has found himself behind the pecking order due to the form of the Canadian in the second half of the season.
And now that Johnston is injured, Ralston is set to step up for this weekend’s trip to Hearts. The right-back is looking forward to the tie but sent his injured teammate a message that just shows the class of the man.
Ralston said [The Herald], “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.
“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.
Ralston then went on to unselfishly say that everything he wants to achieve, it’s for the good of the team, not for himself. And he compared his relationship with Johnston to a former fans favourite.
The full-back continued, “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.”
I’m just going to say it. Ralston is a class act. Out in the fringes of the team and after a couple of failed loan moves, it looked like his Celtic career was over. Until Ange Postecoglou stepped in.
His form rapidly improved and he earned a new contract. Even though he has had to play behind Juranovic and Johnston, there has been not one word of complaint from the 24-year-old. A true professional and a credit to himself. It’s little wonder he is popular with the manager and his teammates.
In other news, Bobby Madden reveals three Celtic mistakes that caused his most controversial game as a ref; omits gamechanging decision
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
