THE path from the Thistle Weir Youth Academy to the Jags first team is a fairly well-trodden one. The youth setup has produced players such as Liam Lindsay and Aidan Fitzpatrick in recent years and now the academy’s latest star pupil is closing in on a new contract at Firhill.
Left-back James Penrice has around 80 first-team appearances under his belt at Thistle and with his 21st birthday arriving on Sunday, the fan favourite reckons that three points against Dundee today would be the perfect gift to mark the occasion.
“Absolutely,” he said. “That would be superb. That’s what we’re going for.”
READ MORE: Ian McCall glad to see Partick Thistle building momentum
Penrice’s time in the first team has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Thistle never truly convinced during previous manager Gary Caldwell’s tenure at the club but now that green shoots of recovery are visible, Penrice believes that he appreciates the positivity around the club more now than he otherwise would have.
“Getting into the first team then getting relegated wasn’t too good and I’ve went out on loan a couple of times which has been good for my development,” he said. “That can only steady me and help me improve.
“It’s so much better [under McCall]. Around the club there’s a real buzz and it’s different from the time when it was all doom and gloom.
“We didn’t play well last year, it wasn’t good enough. It’s much better now – going to teams and getting three points and making Firhill a fortress, that will be massive for us this season.
“The way that we are now, being hard to beat, we don’t stop and keep going to the end, that’s the way that is always should have been.”
As the latest success story from the club’s youth academy, Penrice is insistent that the opportunity to develop at Thistle and break into the first team sets the club apart from others. And with a new deal almost signed, Penrice will not be going anywhere any time soon.
READ MORE: Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall keen to add to squad
“It’s close,” he said of the contract extension. “I was at other youth academies and the good thing about Thistle is that there’s genuinely a path to the first team.
“You’re bedded in, you know what it takes. All the boys at the youth academy come in and spend time around the club. I was at teams in Edinburgh and another big team in Glasgow and it isn’t the same.
“It’s massive the way that Thistle do it and you can see that it works. You’ve got Liam Lindsay and Aidan Fitzpatrick who have already made strides to go and improve their career.
“Liam is a £2 million player now. That’s down to Thistle.”
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