'Least we can do': Hearts' prized guy sets out stall after 'weird shouts' of last week

The decision to sign James Penrice on a free transfer from Livingston has proven to be an excellent bit of transfer business by previous sporting director Joe Savage and head coach Steven Naismith.

Left-back Penrice was one of a clutch pre-contract agreements brokered by Hearts this time last year. And while there was considerably more excitement about the arrivals of playmakers Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda from Motherwell and Ross County respectively, Penrice has eclipsed them this season.

Such has been Penrice’s form, it was announced on Saturday morning that he is in the PFA Scotland team of the year for 2024/25. Only striker Sam Dalby of Dundee United is the other non-Old Firm man to win the votes of peers. Penrice saw off competition from Celtic’s Greg Taylor and Hibs’ Nicky Cadden for that spot. It is another show of recognition for the 26-year-old.

Even in defeat, Penrice excels. He was this correspondent’s man of the match in the 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Aberdeen at the weekend. He tore up and down the Hampden pitch and made key interventions in defence and attack. While Hearts aren’t returning to the national stadium in May, perhaps Penrice should be there in June, when Scotland play Iceland in a friendly.

Competition at left-back at Scotland level is exceptionally fierce. Captain Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Taylor and Josh Doig are more established rivals for that berth. But there can be no underplaying the season Penrice has had in what has been a struggling Hearts side.

Hearts ‘have got to win these five games’

Missing out on the top six of the Premiership two weeks ago means that the best Hearts can do is finish seventh. They have five matches left, starting against Dundee at Tynecastle on Saturday. "We've got to win these five games - that's the least we can do, I think,” admitted Penrice. “Hopefully we can do that.

"Don't get me wrong, it's very disappointing, but I think that's your job. You can't always have it easy in football. This is what you're judged on when it is tough. Can you bounce back? That's what us as a group of players have got to do. We've got to bounce back now and go and finish these five games strongly. Because we owe it to the fans as well.”

A defeat by Dundee and concerns about finishing 11th and facing a relegation play-off might become stronger. Hearts have a six-point cushion over the Taysiders, the current incumbents in that position, and a win over them would surely secure safety.

This is not where Hearts want to be. Penrice certainly belongs in the top six. Given that a year ago he underwent hip surgery, playing 43 games this term at such a high level is a big success.

“I've loved every minute of it,” said Penrice. “It's been a massive jump up for me. I think I took it in my stride and I'm playing with confidence.

“Ultimately, I'd like to be doing a wee bit better than we are. I joined this club to compete in the finals and finish up the higher end of the league and go and play in Europe. On that end, it's disappointing, but from a personal point of view, I've loved every minute of it.

“It's a club that I've took to straight away. The support that everyone around me and the fans have given me and my family in joining the club, it's been excellent."

Penrice’s PFA team of year nomination

Penrice was quizzed on being named in the PFA team of the year. He was slightly bashful in response. "Yes, it's a massive achievement for me,” he said. “I was hoping it would get released after the game. It's a massive credit to where I was. Almost a year ago, I wasn't even playing football and I was injured.

“I think it's a lot of hard work that's went into it, but it's not just me, it's the boys in there as well. They help for that and I'm very thankful to the club for giving me an opportunity to play.”

These next five games are a chance to lay some sort of foundation for next season. They will be in the hat for the Premier Sports Cup group-stage draw at the end of the season and have an opportunity to silence some of the doubters who are rounding on head coach Neil Critchley and his players.

"There were weird shouts in the press earlier on in the week,” said Penrice. “We couldn't handle big games, but I don't think anyone walked off that park that was in a Hearts jersey that was disappointed in their performance. I thought every single one of the boys were brilliant. That's what you need. That's what you need every week when you play with this club. You need to put 100 per cent and that needs to be the first thing. That's what we've got to do going forward now."

It could be a summer of change at Tynecastle, with the Jamestown Analytics partnership set to bring in new players. “It's a very exciting project that the club have got with the way they're going about their business with the analytics,” added Penrice. “I'm sure there will be a lot of changes, but as players you just need to get on with it and see what comes. We'll be going into next season with positivity and hopefully we can start better than we did this season."

Land a few more players like Penrice and they will stand half-a-chance.