The Ritchie family were introduced to the tourist delights of Scotland last week on the back of Matt’s first international call-up.
And now the Bournemouth man is hoping they’ll get the chance to have another clan gathering in Ireland in a couple of months’ time.
Ritchie, who was born and bred in England but qualifies for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born father, started against Northern Ireland and Gibraltar after his shock selection.
His two caps will be cherished, but the 25-year-old is determined that it will be just the start of things for him as a Scotland player.
Ritchie knows though that he will have to maintain good club form between now and the end of the season to keep his place for the crucial Group D clash with Martin O’Neill’s men in June.
And he won’t be the only Ritchie hoping Gordon Strachan sticks with him.
“All my family came up for the Northern Ireland game and they stayed up for the Gibraltar match too,” the wide midfielder said.
“They are very proud and really loved their week up here in Glasgow.
“They took a trip to Edinburgh as well to see some of the sights.
“Hopefully I’ll make the squad for Dublin as well and they can book a trip over there too.
“The Ireland game will be a massive one.
“They are all big games from now until the end of the qualifiers.”
Ritchie added: “It has been a great experience, the boys have been great with me and I felt I’ve taken a step in the right direction.
“I’ve loved being involved with Scotland and hopefully I can continue with it.
“Do I feel I did enough? That’s a question for the manager.
“I felt I did okay in the second half against Northern Ireland and in the first 45 minutes against Gibraltar.
“But it’s what he thinks that counts.
“All I can do now is go back to Bournemouth and do my best.
“We’ll see what happens when the next squad is announced but obviously I’ll be desperate to be involved.”
With Bournemouth pushing for promotion to the Premier League, there’s no danger of Ritchie’s club run-in lacking intensity.
And that will be no bad thing for his Scotland claim.
“Playing well for Bournemouth will help my case,” he pointed out.
“We have seven massive games coming up, they’re cup finals really, so hopefully I can complete the job down there.
“We’re hoping to achieve something there and it would be great to help the team to that.
Ritchie was substituted at half-time in the Gibraltar match as Gordon Stracahn tinkered with a formation that hadn’t worked particularly well in the first 45. But he hasn’t viewed it as a slight on his own performance.
“The manager wanted to change the system and when that happens someone has to come off,” he commented.
“Unfortunately it was me this time but that’s football.
“I still enjoyed it, it was a great win and three points.
“We left ourselves a bit open in the first half and they attacked a bit more than we probably thought they would.
“But other than the goal, it was very comfortable and to score six goals in any match is brilliant.
“It was a great win and although it was disappointing to lose a goal the three points were the main thing.
“That was our target and that’s what we’ve got, so it has been a good week to finish up with two victories.”
If and when Strachan scouts Bournemouth again this season, it won’t just be Ritchie who the head coach has an eye on.
Former Aberdeen wingher Ryan Fraser is also on the south coast, and Ritchie believes he is definitely one to watch.
“Ryan is doing really well down at Bournemouth,” he explained.
“He’s not played as many games as he would have liked because the team is doing so well.
“But he’s made an impact coming off the bench and has done great when he has played.
“He’s got a lot of potential and his time will come soon.”