Anthony Ralston reveals his Celtic motivation as family man puts Parkhead resurgence into perspective

Ralston's daughter Mila turns two in February and he reveals it was her arrival that sparked his astonishing revival.

Anthony Ralston’s daughter Mila was born in February 2020.

Little did she know, it also sparked the rebirth of her dad’s Celtic career.

Heading into a first Covid lockdown, the full-back looked to be on his way out of Parkhead. He had already been shipped out to St Johnstone on loan with just a year left on his Hoops contract.

The pandemic left players like Ralston worried about their future.

But becoming a father changed everything. It gave him a fresh outlook, new purpose – and light at the end of what looked like a dark tunnel.

Most importantly of all, Mila’s arrival inspired Ralston not to give up on his Celtic dream. So he returned to Lennoxtown, vowing to graft harder than he’d ever done.

With his contract expiring last summer new boss Ange Postecoglou extended it by a year – because there was no other right-back at the club.

Most people viewed it as a token gesture by the Aussie. No one could have foreseen what happened next.

Fast forward a few months and Ralston hadn’t just become a fixture in Postecoglou’s side – he was an integral part of it.

Now he has been signed up on a new long-term deal at the club he loves and no Celtic fan wants him out of the team.

By anyone’s standards, it has been an extraordinary turnaround for the 23-year-old.

Of course, he’s had to work for it. And Postecoglou’s faith in him has played a massive part.

But Ralston puts the mental strength he has shown down to the birth of his little girl – because it gave him the push he needed not to let his time at Parkhead drift away.

He said: “I’ve got a huge family support behind me.

“From when I was a kid, there’s been ups and downs even from a young age. But every step of the way my family have always been there to support me.

“They always believed in me – even when others didn’t. So I owe them a massive thanks for supporting me through the good and hard times.

“I became a father when things weren’t going well with my football.

“But that motivated me to give my daughter the best life possible. Mila turns two in February.

“When things weren’t going well, that really pushed me to come in every day and work hard.

“I knew if my chance came, I had to take it for her. There was a lot of motivation from fatherhood, my family and also just from myself.

“I want to make the best career I can for myself because I’ve worked ever so hard since I was a kid.

“I wasn’t going to let the opportunity go when I got it. A lot has gone into this and I’m delighted to be where I am now.

“Mila was born just before lockdown so it was a tricky time for everyone.

“But it came at the right time for me because it motivated me to come back and push myself to the limit.”

So how does he sum up his remarkable transformation at Celtic?

After being on loan at Saints and Dundee United before that, it looked impossible for Ralston to be a first-team regular with the Hoops.

And even he admits he thought he was on his way out. Ralston said: “It’s a bit mental. I haven’t really had a chance to sit back and think about it.

“But I’m sure when that time comes it will be something I’m really proud of from a personal point of view.

“To come from where I was at the beginning of the season to where I am now, it’s been a massive turnaround.

“I’m proud of myself for what I’ve managed to achieve.

“But it’s only the beginning for me. It’s no secret that I want to play for Celtic. I want to have my career here.

“I want to keep going in this direction and I’m delighted by how the season’s gone so far for myself – because I feel I’ve contributed to the team in such a positive way.

“I hope I can continue to do that in the second half of the campaign.

“Through the course of last season I didn’t get much game time and I was coming towards the end of my contract.

“It was normal to think that my time here was coming to an end.

“But I never gave up. I had the opportunity to extend my deal for a year so I took it.

“And through that, I got playing. In the last few months I’ve signed up on a long-term contract. Things change in football so quickly.

“You have to just stay positive, keep the right mindset and work hard. That’s what I did.”

Ralston was also boosted by making his full Scotland debut in the stunning 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Denmark in November.

But if there’s been one personal low point for Ralston so far this term, it was his surprise omission from the starting line-up for the Premier Sports Cup final win over Hibs. Still, after what he’s been through mentally to reach this point, that was never going to faze him.

He played his part in the 2-1 Hampden victory, coming on as a 56th-minute sub, and got his hands on the trophy.

Ralston is staying on an even keel and said: “These things happen in football but you can’t get too high on the highs or low on the lows.

“We’re all together now as a team. It’s not about me or any other individuals.

“We got success in the cup final, which is the main thing. We won as a team and that was the mentality I had that day at Hampden.

“Listen, I’ll have lots of ups and downs in my career – it’s never going to be plain sailing.

“But I’ve learned that you need to stay positive through it all. You have to keep working and that’s what I will do.”

Going into the enforced early winter break, Celtic remain six points behind champions Rangers in the title race.

But Ralston insists huge strides have been made at Parkhead under Postecoglou.

And with injured stars like Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull getting a break before the restart, the full-back claims the only focus is on what they do.

He said: “There’s been huge progress made since the manager arrived.

“It’s been brilliant to see what a talent Kyogo is. So of course you’re going to miss him when he’s out.

“He’s such an important player for us and coming from a different country with a language barrier, he’s done brilliantly.

“In terms of the league, it’s just important that we focus on ourselves and what we do.

“There will always be other things going on – on the outside.

“But we just have to stick together as a team and as a club. That’s all we can do.”