By Scott Rolland

Scotland manager, Sebastien Pocognoli, has granted Rangers full-back, James Penrice, a dream call-up to the national team.

Penrice, who began his career with Partick Thistle, has burst into the Rangers first team this season. Rangers, where Penrice is currently playing on loan, from Greek giants AEK Athens. Penrice recorded 20 league appearances for the Greek side, with one European appearance.

Rangers failed to reach any of the group stages that Europe has to offer, however, Penrice has been a bolt for the Blues. Scoring on his debut in a 5-1 win over St Mirren, Penrice has gone from strength to strength with consistent high-level performances.

These performances have attributed in Rangers recent domestic comeback, which has resulted in the club booking a place in the Premier Sports Cup final at Hampden in December. This good spell has also seen the Blues climb to second in the Premiership, four points behind city rivals Celtic, with a game in hand.

Penrice first taste of regular football came in the 2016/17 season. During this season Penrice enjoyed a successful spell at Bayview where he featured weekly for East Fife FC under then manager, former Scotland international, Gary Naysmith, who nurtured a young James Penrice.

After a spell with the Methil club, he returned to parent club Partick Thistle where he was then loaned out again, this time to Livingston. A good run in the team for Livingston earned Penrice a shot at Partick Thistle’s first team when he returned. He would go on to make regular appearances over the following seasons.

When his time eventually came to an end with the Jags, Penrice made the permanent switch to Livingston. He would then spend three seasons with the club before securing a big move to Edinburgh club Heart of Midlothian for just one season.

The end of his time at Hearts marked the end of his time in Scottish football for the time being, as Penrice swapped the Scottish capital for the Greek capital, signing for Super League club AEK Athens. A successful first season with AEK saw Penrice lift the league trophy and add it to his honours.

Now, back playing in Scotland, Penrice has been handed his first call-up to the national team. This shows that the hard work and dedication shown by Penrice hasn’t escaped Pocognoli’s visions. With two massive games coming up for the Scots, Penrice has had his efforts rewarded with the manager’s trust.

The Rise of James Penrice