If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that James Tavernier doesn’t miss penalties.
Or so we thought.
Saturday afternoon brought an interesting set of circumstances for the Rangers skipper.
He was called upon from the spot not once, not twice, but on three occasions. All before the hour mark.
The first spot kick was routine.
In just the second minute, St Mirren’s Ethan Erhahon, fouled in the area. Shortly afterward, Tavernier stepped up and slotted it into the bottom right corner.
Business as usual.
Yet, surprisingly, he was called upon again, barely 20 minutes later.
Paul McGinn was the culprit this time, giving the Gers the chance to double their advantage.
To the shock of the home faithful, this one didn’t go to plan – instead, crashing off the post.
On Twitter, Bears couldn’t believe it.
https://twitter.com/jamesposteddat/status/1091719964682321920
https://twitter.com/callumcraig31/status/1091721082476920832
Remarkably, though, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Shortly before the hour mark, Buddies’ midfielder Greg Tansey handled inside the area.
Undeterred by his rare failure, Tav once again took responsibility from 12 yards.
This time, normal service was resumed, as he went safe and placed it down the middle.
The right-back’s brace took him to an impressive eleven for the season in all competitions.
When a fourth (yes, fourth) penalty was awarded ten minutes from time, Tavernier stepped aside selflessly, allowing Jermain Defoe to open his SPL account.
It’s not everyday your team get four spot kicks. Thankfully, despite one uncharacteristic misdemeanour, Rangers took advantage.
