Anthony Ralston declares ultimate Celtic wish as lifelong fan opens up on his future

The Scotland right-back has been on the books at Parkhead since the age of eight

Winning trophies isn't something that Anthony Ralston will ever take for granted.

Especially when he's lifting them with his boyhood club.

The Celtic diehard is living the dream playing with the team he has always supported.

As a kid, the Bellshill-born Bhoy had only one ambition - to pull on the famous hoops.

Now 26, Ralston has done it all at Celtic Park since rising through the ranks nine years ago.

But the feeling of getting his hands on silverware and celebrating with his loved ones never gets old.

The defender is loving every minute of his recent run of games as a stand-in for Alistair Johnston.

The academy graduate has been as solid as ever and is a hugely valued member of Brendan Rodgers' squad.

Sure, Ralston would prefer more game time than he's had this term.

But when he does get the opportunity to represent the club, Ralston knows he's playing for a cause.

He only needs to glance up at the stands to see his family and friends bursting with pride.

That's why he'd never angle for a move elsewhere, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of James Forrest and Callum McGregor by becoming a Celt for life.

He said: "I've been here all my life. I've been here since the age of eight years old and worked all my life to be a Celtic player.

"I'm a Celtic fan, I come from a Celtic family. So days like Saturday, playing at Celtic Park, my friends and family coming to the game... I mean, I'd be silly to say that I want anything else.

"Of course, you want to be playing and I'll continue to keep my head down and work for that. But you know, Celtic's my job and this is where I love to be.

"The sun's beaming down, I'm playing a game of football at Celtic Park. If you'd said when I was a kid that that was what I was going to do, then I wouldn't have believed you. I never take it for granted."

Ralston's career could've turned out so differently before Ange Postecoglou handed him a lifeline at Parkhead.

It wasn't that long ago that the right-back found himself farmed out on loan with St Johnstone - who are now battling for Premiership survival.

Now, the Scotland international is about to pick up the 14th major honour of his career, with another clean sweep also within touching distance.

Ralston has butterflies in his stomach when he thinks about the upcoming Trophy Day celebrations.

But with a Scottish Cup Final also on the horizon, the homegrown talent is determined to stay focused.

He said: "Aye! You know, I never take them for granted either. My family will all come along to that and we'll enjoy that day when it comes.

"But we still have another game on Wednesday to take care of before that, so that's it."

It says a lot about Ralston's mentality that he's always ready to step up when called upon, and never lets his teammates down.

He said: "In my personal situation and a few other boys, there isn't always the guarantee that you're going to train through the week and get the game at the weekend.

"If I were to not put the performances in or work hard in training, then when the opportunity comes, I'd only be letting myself down because I wouldn't be able to take it, ultimately.

"So I've just kept professional, just kept my head down and trained every day."

Celtic haven't taken their foot off the gas since wrapping up the league, nor would their demanding gaffer allow them to cruise in second gear.

Rodgers has set his Treble-chasing team a string of targets and records to smash through in the remaining games.

Saturday's 3-1 win over Hibs saw them equal the 106 league goal tally set by Rodgers' Invincibles in 2016/17.

But the 111 goal milestone by Jock Stein's all-conquering Lisbon Lions is also on the four-in-a-row champions' radar.

They have two games left to make even more history, with a trip to Pittodrie on Wednesday followed by the Premiership curtain-closer at home to St Mirren.

Ralston said: "We've been reminded of that, what our targets are and what we want to achieve.

"We want to beat records. We want to keep pushing. There's never nothing to play for. There's always goals you want to achieve.

"We're getting closer to that target. We've got a few games left to complete, some achievements and targets that we've got.

"We did well to get closer to the ones today and we just need to keep going again on Wednesday.

"Obviously, we want to finish the season off as strongly as possible and make it really memorable. We know what we need to do in order to do that.

"But it's already been a magnificent season for the boys in the squad and everybody involved. So we double down now even harder to finish it off as strongly as we can."