James Penrice's Hearts hype backed up by impressive numbers in key statistic areas 

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The Hearts star has been a real high point in a difficult season at Tynecastle.

It has been a challenging season for Hearts so far and they will head into Saturday’s home clash against Kilmarnock sat in the Premiership relegation play-off spot.

However, there have been signs of promise from Neil Critchley’s side in recent weeks and the improvements have been clear to see as Hearts look to rein in the clubs above them in the table over the coming weeks. After battling to narrow wins against Dundee and Motherwell and earning a draw at faltering Aberdeen, Critchley’s men are now unbeaten in their last four league games and progressed into fifth round of the Scottish Cup with a 4-1 win at Highland League leaders Brechin City on Friday night.

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Several players have hit form over the last six weeks - but it is arguably left-back James Penrice who has come to the fore more than most over that time. But how much of an impact has the former Livingston defender made?

What has Penrice said about his time at Hearts?

Speaking after scoring his first Hearts goal in a 2-1 win against St Johnstone last month, he said: “That was the first one, yeah. I was just thinking: ‘Get it on target and open my eyes. It's a brilliant cross from Ads. I've managed to steer it the right way and it goes in the net. I had just carried on my [attacking] run, because I think I played it in the middle and I gave it to Shanks [Lawrence Shankland], and then Shanks tried to run out and they cleared it. Then I just thought: ‘Well, Shanks isn't there, so I might go. Then I ended up scoring, so it was good.

“I was more thinking I would take three points rather than a goal on my birthday, but I got both of them, so I'm happy with it. A wee bit of me was thinking, don't celebrate because it's going to get chalked off [for offside]. I could tell it was really close, but it just means the run was perfectly-timed. Three points was what I was wanting. I'll take the goal, but the three points are the bigger birthday present.”

What has Neil Critchley said about Penrice?

Speaking earlier this season, the Hearts boss tipped the left-back for a call-up to the Scotland squad, saying: “I think James has been outstanding. He is a top boy, really driven, plays with energy and character. He’s been fantastic. I think he should have ambitions of looking further. I spoke to him about international recognition. I know he’s got that ambition and it’s something he wants to do. I think that’s within his grasp.

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“If he keeps playing the way he’s playing, then he will get noticed by people around him. Now, he’s up against good competition in his position, but all he can do is concentrate on his performances and keep playing the way he is playing. He has been a major plus since I came here.”

What do the stats say about Penrice’s impact at Hearts?

Using stats provided by the data experts at WhoScored, we can see Penrice has become one of the most reliable members of Critchley’s squad after he was handed more starts (19) during the league season. That figure is only bettered by the now departed Kye Rowles and experienced goalkeeper Craig Gordon and is only equalled by Blair Spittal. As a result only Rowles and Gordon have earned more game-time across the campaign with their respective totals of 1,800 and 1,890 minutes sitting above Penrice’s total of 1,737 minutes.

Despite playing at left-back, only two Hearts players can better Penrice’s four goal involvements (two goals and two assists) and they are Lawrence Shankland (three goals and three assists) and Blair Spittal (three goals and two assists). Penrice also tops the table alongside Spittal when it comes to average key passes per game after the duo both racked up an average of 1.6. More significantly, using WhoScored’s average match rating system, Penrice’s average of 7.3 out of ten sits second across the Hearts squad as Craig Halkett’s 7.27 sees the defence top the table.

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