The defensive injury problems that Gus MacPherson’s Queen’s Park have suffered this season would have most managers tearing their hair out.

MacPherson though has three reasons not to be. Firstly, he doesn’t have any. Secondly, his team are riding high joint-top of League Two, and lastly, the injury crisis helped him unearth a gem in on-loan Celtic kid Tony Ralston.

MacPherson believes that the 16-year-old full-back has what it takes to reach the top.

“I’ve had 8 or 9 injuries to players in my career before, but never so many in defensive areas,” he said.

“It’s helped us in one way because we were then able to get Tony Ralston in from Celtic on-loan, and he’s been a major positive for us.

“Lo and behold though, he picked up an injury as well. Thankfully he’s back now, and he’s the only recognised full-back we’ve got at the moment with Gavin Mitchell being injured and with us losing Shaun Rooney in the summer as well.

“We were playing midfield players in the full-back area, and we’d been playing a back three sometimes to compensate for that as well.

“When you’ve got a recognised full-back though and one that has obviously got a big future in the game, then you’ve got to bring them into the team if you can.

“We’re very, very grateful to Celtic for agreeing to let him come out and develop at this level and he’s certainly doing that.

“He’s been a major addition to the group of players that we’ve got and he’s certainly enjoying it which is pleasing as well.

“It’s difficult to say how good he can be because he’s only 16, that’s the frightening thing, but he’s a big strong boy who’s technically very good.

“He listens, he takes in instructions, and he’s probably what you would consider a modern-day full-back.

“Celtic have got an abundance of talent within their academy structure and their development team, and it was Chris (McCart) that suggested we looked at Tony.

“We saw enough in his first training session to suggest that he would add something to us. He’s a young boy, but he’s certainly got some very, very good attributes, and the most important one is that he’s professional and he listens.

“We’ve been very, very disrupted with injuries and suspensions to key players, so how well we have done is testament to everyone that has played their part so far in the first eight games of the season.”