Anthony Ralston lifts lid on fight to get where he is at Celtic - 'I just never gave up'

“Hometown discount” is a phrase used commonly throughout American sports to describe those players who agree contract extensions below their market value simply because they’re eager to stay with their local club.

Anthony Ralston claims not to have been privy to the negotiations that took place between Celtic and his representatives prior to him penning his latest deal but, given his well-known and long-standing affiliation with the club, it’s difficult to imagine his agent trying to play hardball without being laughed out of the room.

Still, it speaks volumes both for Ralston’s consistency and improvement as a player that Celtic were willing to hand him a new four-year contract that will extend his attachment with the club, should he stay until the end of it, to 20 years, man and boy. Now 24 years old and a new father to daughter, Mila, there is an earnest gratitude about this week’s development and an admission that there was a time when he feared his long-term future might need to be forged elsewhere.

“It’s a proud moment for myself, my family and everyone involved,” he said. “It’s good to try and take these moments in because they don’t come around all the time. As everyone has in their career, there have been difficult moments. When I was slightly younger there was a period of time when I did think things weren’t going the way I’d have wanted here.

LENNOXTOWN, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Anthony Ralston during a Celtic training session at the Lennoxtown Training Centre, on September 29, 2023, in Lennoxtown, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

“But I never gave up the fight and the people I’ve had around me – my family and my biggest motivation being my little girl coming along – have supported me. There are life things that happen and circumstances that give you that extra motivation and fight.

“I look back at those times then and it was worth the fight so I’m delighted. I’m a Celtic fan and come from a Celtic family. I used to go to all the games with my uncle and was a ball boy at all the games after that. It’s crazy to think that way now, being a player, but looking back they’re great memories and it’s more special being here as a Celtic fan.”

Dressing rooms are increasingly cosmopolitan places these days and there will be more languages spoken inside the Celtic one these days than the Tower of Babel. Manager Brendan Rodgers, however, recently acknowledged the importance of his squad retaining a Scottish core and Ralston is happy to join others like Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor in relaying the club’s values to the incomers.

“For the boys coming in from different backgrounds, they have to quickly understand what it’s like here, and the demands and the success that the club wants,” added the full-back. “They can see that through the likes of myself, Callum, Greg and others. I do my best to speak to the new boys and welcome them to the club. If players are coming here and moving away from their families, or even if their families are making the move with them, it can be difficult. You just try to help them settle in as best as possible as someone from around here who has got his family here. So myself, Callum and Greg have all tried to help them as much as we can.”

Celtic travel to Motherwell for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off with Ralston believing the team is now starting to gel after a sticky start. “You can see over the past few results and the way the team has performed that we are in a good place,” he added. “That was going to take a bit of time with new boys coming in.”