Penrice glad to be back

Thursday 29th April, 2021 at 1:22pm

James Penrice returned from suspension as Partick Thistle took on Cove Rangers at Balmoral. The Jags’ number three came on as a second half substitute and experienced a very lively end to the game in the midfield. First, with 15 minutes to play, Cove went 2-1 up through Ryan Strachan before Scott Tiffoney equalised two minutes later. Penrice could have scored the winner too as his curling effort came off the outside of the post with five minutes left to play but it wasn’t to be as the points were shared. James spoke to ptfc.co.uk ahead of the team’s Thursday night clash with Falkirk:

“It was a tough one on Tuesday; everyone knows how difficult it is to get anything away to Cove. We maybe felt like with the way the game ended that we could have snatched it but I think over the game a point each was probably the fairest result.”

Penrice came closest to a winner with the aforementioned strike that ricocheted off the post and he gave us his recollection of that moment.

“Yeah, it was one that just fell to me in the box and I tried to bend it into the corner. I thought it was going in but it wasn’t to be and it came back off the post. Despite that, I was just pleased to be back involved and be able to help the team.”

Cove’s second goal came in the 75th minute and that could have been a killer blow for the Jags but a sharp response saw them draw level a couple of minutes later which James says was vital.

“It was really disappointing to go behind at that point but I thought we showed great heart and desire to respond in the way we did. If we’d let them settle after the goal then it would have become tough to break them down because their a well-organised side but the fact that we came straight back at them maybe caught them a bit cold.”

The Thistle Weir Youth Academy graduate had missed games recently as a result of a knock before then having to serve his suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards which he says has made for a frustrating few weeks.

“It’s been difficult because obviously I want to play and especially with the way the teams been playing, you want to get involved with that. I got a knock at Peterhead and I missed a couple of games because that was a week where we had three in quick succession then not long after I came back I had to miss a game due to suspension because it didn’t kick in immediately.

“With it being a head knock it was important to do the right thing and make sure I was alright before I was training and playing again. It’s a big thing for the long term as well as the short term so I feel better now and I’m ready to hopefully finish the season strongly.”

With a very busy schedule ongoing for Thistle, Penrice says every player has to be ready to play their part whether that’s from the start or as a substitute as was his role at Balmoral.

“The squad is really strong and we feel like anyone who goes into the team is more than good enough. Guys coming off the bench have a big part to play too, for example, Joe Cardle has changed the game as a sub a couple of times for us and having the options to bring quality players on has been a big advantage for us.”

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