James Penrice marked his Rangers debut with a goal and an assist after arriving from Greece and being thrown straight in at left-back 24 hours later. The move came with Tuur Rommens out injured, and Rangers had already started the season winless in four. Against ST Mirren, Penrice looked like a player who had settled in far quicker than anyone would expect.
McInnes gets a response from left-back
The impact was immediate. Penrice set up Djeidi Gassama with a first-time pass on the counter in the 52nd minute, then scored from close range two minutes later to give Rangers a three-goal cushion. BBC reported that he arrived from Greece 24 hours earlier, while the Daily Record said he had only reached Ibrox on Saturday, but both versions point to the same thing: he barely had time to unpack before starting.
Derek McInnes was clear about what he liked. "James comes here with a freshness. He just goes and plays the game with real enthusiasm but he's also got quality," he said. "His quality of defending was good, his decision making, his energy - he sees what it means to play for the club. The more players we can get like that, the better. I'm really glad the club allowed us to bring him in."
Steven Thompson was just as struck by the mood shift. "For James Penrice to get on the scoresheet and also have an outstanding performance here in his first game at Rangers was another added bonus. You could hear it inside the stadium, the shift in how the Rangers fans are feeling. A lot of positives for Derek McInnes," he said.
Rangers had also gone 134 days without a home win before the turnaround, which is why this debut carried more weight than a routine good first outing. St Mirren finished 10th in the 2025 Premiership, so this was not a season-defining test, but it still gave McInnes a left-back he could trust on the day. Penrice has at least made the problem position look far less urgent.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
