James Penrice's journey to Rangers has been laid bare by his former Livingston boss Davie Martindale, who revealed he once recommended the defender to the Ibrox club. Martindale, now Livingston's director of football, grew up less than two miles from Penrice in the Livingston housing schemes of Craigshill and Knightsridge.
Penrice, who made his dream debut for Rangers with a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over St Mirren on Sunday, has taken a winding path to his boyhood club. After being released by Rangers as a youngster, he battled back from the lower leagues, with spells at Partick Thistle, Livingston, Hearts, and AEK Athens, where he won a Greek league title.
Martindale's warning and praise for family
Martindale, who served a four-year jail sentence for involvement in organised crime, knows the temptations Penrice faced growing up in a similar area. He praised Penrice's parents, James Senior and Theresa, for keeping him on the right path.
"I actually grew up in the same area as James' mum and dad," Martindale told Record Sport. "I knew them both really well when I was younger. And I think they should take so much pride and credit for the way James has turned out."
Martindale added: "James grew up in the same kind of place I did. It was a Rangers background, his parents are big Rangers fans, it's a big Rangers family in a big Rangers community. But I've also seen the kind of temptations and the negatives you face growing up in a council area with a lot of poverty, a lot of violence, a lot of drugs."
Path to Rangers and debut impact
Martindale revealed he had suggested Penrice to Rangers before he joined Hearts, but the club did not act on his advice. "I actually spoke to certain individuals at Rangers - people who are no longer there - and suggested they should sign him before James joined Hearts," he said. "Rangers clearly didn't think he was ready at that stage."
Penrice's debut performance against St Mirren has impressed his former boss, who believes his emotional attachment to the club will bring out the best in him. "The fact James is a Rangers fan I really do think will make a difference," Martindale said. "When you've got players with ability who also have that emotional attachment, I think you get a bit more out of them."
Martindale also defended Rangers' start to the season, saying he expected results to turn. "I've never been convinced that things were as bad as had been made out," he added.
