How the Scottish Press Rated Anthony Ralston in Inspired Win Over Poland

Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston proved once more dependable for Scotland last night in their heroic 2-1 win away to Poland.

The victory wasn’t enough to see Steve Clarke’s side finish second in their UEFA Nations League A group, but it saved them from automatic relegation to League B: they will now face a play-off in March to decide their fate.

John McGinn opened the scoring for the Scots early on in Warsaw before Kamil Piatkwoski equalised for the Poles just before the hour mark.

As the Game entered the closing stages, it was end-to-end, and Scotland, thanks to captain Andy Robertson, scored a winner in stoppage time.

Ralston was the sole current Celt involved in the match, and he coped well, adeptly dealing with the threat of Nicola Zalewski and Karol Swiderski. The 26-year-old was also more than willing to get forward, providing over and underlapping runs for former bhoy Ben Doak, who set up the opener.

The Scottish press widely billed Ralston’s display as passable. The Scotsman gave him a 7.5 out of 10 rating, with The Herald and Daily Record both opting for a 7. The Edinburgh Evening News and Daily Mail, however, gave the defender a slightly less grandeur 6.

Although he continually faces criticism from several sections of the Scotland support, Ralston rarely puts a foot wrong for his country.

He is constantly reliable and consistent in his performances. For someone who is arguably Steve Clarke’s third-choice right-back, he regularly carries out a respectable job.