Why Jak Alnwick will seek out James Tavernier after Rangers-St Mirren clash

New St Mirren keeper Jak Alnwick enjoyed a winning start against Livingston. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS Group

Goalkeeper looking forward to facing his old team-mates in Ibrox fixture

There won’t be any pangs associated with his recent past when Jak Alnwick returns to Ibrox this afternoon. It will be the keeper’s first meeting with Rangers since he departed the club to join St Mirren in the summer. Yet, Alnwick will certainly seek out captain James Tavernier following the encounter, the duo’s associations dating back to their days as youngsters in the Newcastle United set-up.

Alnwick has nothing but admiration for how Tavernier has developed his game in unexpected ways since those formative years. The full-back’s penalty and deadball expertise snared him 29 goals in the three seasons the keeper was on the books at Ibrox, even if Alnwick was loaned out to Scunthorpe United and Blackpool for Steven Gerrard’s two seasons at the helm.

Alnwick believes that Tavernier wears the armband with distinction, but is doubtful that his first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of his fellow Englishman’s game will be a factor for the Paisley club this afternoon. It’s a match they go into with confidence following the 1-0 win at home to Livingston on the opening day.

“I know him very well,” said the 27-year-old of the right-back one year his senior. “He has been a good friend of mine with the Newcastle and Rangers connection. He’s a good lad, a good captain, a good leader. It will be good to catch up with him after the game on Sunday but when we kick off it will be all about business. I’m a St Mirren player now and I’m out to get something from the game, whether it’s a point or three points.

“His record is brilliant. I’ve known him for years and I never had him down as a penalty taker or a free-kick taker. He always had the technique. He’s a technical player but I never had him down as a 
set-piece specialist. He has worked hard at it. I worked quite a lot with him at Rangers and would go in for his penalties and free-kicks. He has worked very hard on all aspects of his game.

“To be Rangers’ captain is brilliant for him, but it will all be business at Ibrox. I don’t think [it will make any difference that I know him]. You come across friends that you’ve played with in football nearly every week. I’ve been around long enough to know a lot of players. You study every player, whether they’re your friends or you don’t know them. We did it against Livingston. I hadn’t played against [Lyndon] Dykes but we studied him and kept him quiet. It will be the same for every team we play against.”

Jim Goodwin’s side have an unenviable Glasgow double-header this week in facing Rangers today before hosting Celtic at home on Wednesday at tea-time. Alnwick isn’t fussed about the fact that they have the two most difficult tests in the Premiership so early in the campaign, and so close together.

“You have to play them no matter what and they are two great sides,” he said. “We are coming off the back of three points and a clean sheet. I don’t think there’s a good or bad time to play them. You always have to be at your best if you want to take anything from the game. We know what they possess, both sides, and we have them back to back. We’ve got to prepare well and it’s two tough games but it’s actually something we are looking forward to as a team. As a footballer, you just have to be buzzing for those sort of games.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director