James Penrice made an immediate impact on his Rangers debut, playing a key role in a second-half surge that helped Derek McInnes get his tenure as manager off to a winning start against St Mirren.
The opening 45 minutes told a mixed story for the Ibrox side. Rangers moved two goals clear, but their performance lacked fluency, and St Mirren capitalised on the uncertainty to pull a goal back before half-time, keeping the contest alive heading into the break.
Whatever was said in the away dressing room appeared to work wonders, as Rangers emerged for the second half a transformed side. At the heart of the improvement was 27-year-old Penrice, deployed at left-back, who became a constant menace down the flank and gave St Mirren's defence little respite.
His influence was evident just seven minutes after the restart. Penrice surged forward on a counter-attacking move down the left, showing the energy and directness that had been missing from Rangers' play in the first period. He delivered a precise first-time pass into the path of Djeidi Gassama, who made no mistake in front of goal to restore Rangers' two-goal advantage.
Penrice was not finished there. Two minutes later, in the 54th minute, he found himself in the right place at the right time inside the box, reacting quickest to a loose ball and firing it home from close range. The goal extended Rangers' lead to three and effectively ended any hopes of a St Mirren comeback, capping a remarkable individual contribution on his first appearance for the club.
The full-back's display drew praise from pundits covering the match, with former Rangers striker Steven Thompson highlighting the significance of Penrice's performance in the context of a new managerial era. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound, Thompson said: "For James Penrice to get on the scoresheet and also have an outstanding performance here in his first game at Rangers was another added bonus."
Thompson also pointed to the atmosphere inside the stadium as a sign of renewed optimism among supporters following the managerial change. "You could hear it inside the stadium, the shift in how the Rangers fans are feeling," he said. "[The win] will give everyone at the club a lift."
The result marks a promising, if not entirely polished, start for McInnes, who will have taken plenty of encouragement from how his side responded after conceding before half-time. While the opening period exposed some of the issues he will need to address, the manner in which Rangers regrouped and asserted control after the break suggests the players responded positively to his early messaging.
Thompson summed up the broader significance of the victory, describing it as containing "a lot of positives for Derek McInnes" as he begins the task of steadying a club under intense scrutiny. With Penrice's dynamic display down the left offering a glimpse of what he can bring to the side, Rangers fans will hope the second-half performance against St Mirren proves to be a foundation to build on rather than a one-off, as McInnes looks to stamp his authority on the squad in the weeks ahead.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.