Celtic defender Anthony Ralston delivered a timely reminder of his capabilities last night as Scotland defeated Croatia to keep their Nations League ambitions alive.
The 26-year-old is firmly behind Alistair Johnston in the Parkhead pecking order, but he is certainly capable of showing up at international level when called upon by Steve Clarke.
On a night when Scotland simply had to win, Ralston turned in a solid performance against Croatia that has drawn positive reviews from media and pundits alike.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Post-match, the Celtic man singled out Ben Doak for his impact on proceedings, with both helping to form a solid partnership on the right-hand side against elite opposition.
In the aftermath of Scotland’s first competitive victory in 2024, Leanne Crichton has identified where things took an upward turn at Hampden involving the input of Ralston.
Anthony Ralston’s second-half improvement vs Croatia
Speaking on The Scottish Football Podcast, Chrichton cited Ralston’s ability to ‘stay underneath’ the ball in the second-half allowed his right-sided partner the opportunity to face up Croatia’s backline more efficiently as Scotland’s pressure eventually broke the deadlock.
She stated: “Well, that’s it. I think when you’re a wide player in any team, your job is to assist and have opportunities and to score. And I just felt in that first half it was too easy for him to pass the ball back the way, you know, a couple of times and that was down to the way the team fed him the ball.
“Not good enough, not enough quality. Tony Ralston, I mentioned, was trying to underlap and was running into the same channel that Ben Doak was in. In the second half, Tony Ralston stayed underneath the ball more often than not.
“Ben Doak was fed the ball and nine times out of ten he had to beat in the guard, a guard deal, got to the byline, forced Croatia to defend, created moments, more energy, brought energy to the stadium, to the fans, which then transpires on to the pitch and gives the players that bit as well.”
Anthony Ralston on-hand for Celtic when needed
Although Johnston is still firmly the preferred full-back for Celtic, Ralston is on-hand whenever needed to deputise in his place.
It goes without saying, but the Lennoxtown graduate leaves it all out on the pitch. Anything he lacks on the technical side is made up for in grit and determination.
Hopefully, he can help his national team finish the Nations League campaign strongly against Poland on Monday before returning to Celtic full of confidence.
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