St Mirren
Jak is out to stop his old mate Tav
Jak Alnwick is out to stop the man he helped become a set-piece specialist.
The St Mirren goalkeeper returns to Ibrox this afternoon, just a few weeks after ending a frustrating spell with Rangers.
In three-and-a-half seasons on the books, he played just 11 times for the Light Blues.
The last two seasons have seen him spend loan spells at Scunthorpe and Blackpool.
Steven Gerrard decided Alnwick wasn’t the man he wanted as back-up for Allan McGregor, and released him at the end of his contract before bringing in Jon McLaughlin following his release by Sunderland.
While 27-year-old Alnwick doesn’t have too many games to look back on, he did leave a lasting impact.
His time in Govan saw him team up with old pal, James Tavernier, and the Rangers captain has developed into a different player to the one Alnwick remembers when they were both kids at Newcastle United.
He said: “He has been a good friend of mine with the Newcastle and Rangers connection.
“His goals record is brilliant. I’ve known him for years, and I never thought of him as a penalty taker or a free-kick taker.
“James always had the technique, and he’s a technical player. But I never had him down as a set-piece specialist.
“I know from experience he has worked hard at it.
“When I was at Rangers, I would go in goal for his penalties and freekicks, and he put the hours in on all aspects of his game.
“To be Rangers’ captain is brilliant for him.”
Alnwick doesn’t believe either man will have an advantage today because they know so much about the other’s game.
And these days there’s a host of information available on every member of the opposition.
He went on: “Will it make a difference? I don’t think so.
“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 last weekend. I hadn’t played against Lyndon Dykes but we studied him, and managed to keep him quiet.
“It will be the same for every team we play against.”
Having not played competitive football in 2020, Alnwick is looking forward to getting a run of games for the Buddies, and establishing himself as the club’s No. 1.
Goalkeeping is a family affair and his brother, Ben, is currently without a club after leaving Bolton at the end of last year.
The 33-year-old has been linked with a move to Sunderland in the past week.
St Mirren’s goalie says the brothers have been able to support one another during these uncertain times.
“We’ve spoken a lot,” he said. “He was at Bolton and had been through plenty, with the club going into administration.
“He has his family up in Newcastle, so it was tough for him.
“I’d come back from an injury I got at Blackpool, and didn’t know where I was going. So it’s always good to have someone you trust to speak to, no matter what it’s about.
“It’s especially helpful when it’s someone who actually plays in the same position.
“A lot of people think they know a lot about goalkeeping, but unless you have played there, it’s totally different to what people think.
“Ben’s played there for a lot of years, made a lot of mistakes, done a load of brilliant stuff, had promotions, relegations and can advise me on different things.
“He’s always on the phone, seeing how things are going.”