FT - Rangers 2-1 St Mirren. It’s all over and if you’d said at half-time Walter Smith’s men would stumble over the finishing line, nobody would have believed you. Until St Mirren scored with 10 minutes left, the
hosts were cruising but might have drawn this game in the end. As it is, they have three points in the bag and they’re deserved for the overall effort.
90 mins - It’s a third booking and Somers is losing his grip on the game a little. Whittaker tries to go past Jack Ross and is obstructed but the caution is a bit harsh.
86 mins - McGinn makes the most of a Mendes challenge on him and throws himself to the ground. Referee David Somers gives a free kick, which Dargo bends around the wall only to see McGregor save. Mendes is booked and moments later Miller joins him on a yellow card.
85 mins - This isn’t the way the match should be finishing. Despite the glut of chances they’ve had, Gers are struggling to see the game out.
82 mins - Saints are chasing a leveller now and after Novo taps wide, Will Haining gets on the end of a right-wing corner but his header is always going far too high.
80 mins - GOAL! Back come the Buddies as Miranda makes it 2-1. Gers have been in a comfort zone for so long and should be out of sight by now but they’re sweating after this one. Dargo puts Miranda in on goal with a cute backheel and the Argentine full-back blasts across McGregor and inside the far post.
78 mins - Miller releases the overlapping Whittaker on the left and he intelligently picks out Davis, whose grasscutter rolls a foot wide of Howard’s left-and post.
77 mins - SUBSTITUTION: Adam’s day comes to an end and he is replaced by Nacho Novo as Rangers make their first change. Needless to say, the popular Spaniard’s introduction goes down rather well.
75 mins - St Mirren have their best chance of the match as Whittaker is caught out of position and a cross comes in for Wyness, who connects well and is inches from bringing the game back to life.
73 mins - It just doesn’t seem to be Miller’s day, even if he has been the best player on the park. Broadfoot crosses low from the right and the former Derby man gets there first but his shot smacks off the bar before the ball is cleared for a corner. Lee McCulloch heads it past when it comes in from Davis.
71 mins - Adam collects after Whittaker is stopped on the left and crosses for Boyd, whose header is a yard over the woodwork.
63 mins - More good football from Gers. This time Davis and Boyd play a pair of one-twos before the latter rifles at the target and Howard scrambles across his line to tip round the post.
62 mins - Great effort from Miller. He cuts in and drive at the upright with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area. Howard palms it away and when Boyd collects the reboud, he is curiously flagged offside.
57 mins - SUBSTITUTIONS: St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson decides to go for it and throws on two strikers. Craig Dargo and Dennis Wyness both enter the fray, with Billy Mehmet and Andy Dorman departing.
52 mins - We see two sides of Miller in a matter of seconds - first of all, he beats Howard to the ball and skips past him wide on the right but then moves towards goal and takes a touch too many. That allows a Saints defender to get back on the line and when Miller shoots, he blazes over when he should bury it.
48 mins - McGinn stabs the ball goalwards from 25 yards but McGregor holds it easily. Gers break forward in response and a lovely Miller ball puts Ferguson in. His first attempt is blocked and the second is tipped wide by Howard.
46 mins - Saints get the action underway once more and there are no further changes at this stage.
HT - Rangers 2-0 St Mirren. Gers have totally coasted the first 45 minutes and while they lead by two, it could easily be by more. Their goals were excellent and some of their one-touch football has been really good to watch.
45 mins - Some great play as the interval approaches. Miller and Mendes combine superbly on the right and Boyd heads over when the cross comes in from Broadfoot.
40 mins - SUBSTITUTION: Saints make the first change of the game as the injured Steven Robb comes off and Stephen McGinn - the matchwinner when these sides met last month - replaces him.
37 mins - Another nice move from Rangers. Firstly Adam dummies a cross-field pass to allow Whittaker space to collect it and when he crosses low, Miller steps over the ball and Boyd shoots wide.
35 mins - Mendes is okay and Ferguson rolls the set piece to Boyd but St Mirren’s wall seems to break early and the effort is blocked when it should perhaps have been retaken.
34 mins - Rangers win a free kick as Miller is pulled back by Brady but of more concern is the fact Mendes is lying in a heap in the middle of the pitch.
32 mins - It’s another opportunity for the home team but Boyd heads wide after good work by Davis, Barry Ferguson, Mendes and Adam.
23 mins - Gers look so dangerous every time they come forward. This time Mendes finds Adam but he leans back a little too much and his drive sails over the upright.
22 mins - Miller is really alert today and he plays a great one-two with Adam in the left channel before seeing his on-target shot blocked. Unlucky.
21 mins - Mendes splits the defence with his pass to Miller but instead of shooting, the forward checks back inside. He then sends the ball towards goal after finding nobody is upfield with him and his effort loops just over with the aid of a deflection.
20 mins - After an action-packed first 10 minutes of the match, the second 10 have been much quieter. Rangers going two goals ahead has killed the game as a contest for the time being at least.
9 mins - GOAL! Some lovely stuff from Rangers and they’re clearly getting the chances they missed on Wednesday at Motherwell out of their system here. Miller’s deft touch plays in Kirk Broadfoot on the right, he plays back inside and the striker feeds to Steven Davis who rifles home. It’s 2-0 and the Light Blues are cruising.
6 mins - A couple of chances for Saints as they try to hit back. Garry Brady tries his luck first but fires over then Franco Miranda heads just too high from a corner.
5 mins - Miller does really well to get ahead of his man in the box and although he has to take the ball away from goal, he crosses from the right and Pedro Mendes heads wide.
4 mins - GOAL! Guess who? That’s right, it’s that man Boyd who opens the scoring and it’s his 150th career goal at club level. He heads down to Miller, his strike partner touches it back to him and Boyd does the rest from 20 yards. It’s a low strike and Mark Howard has no chance.
1 min - Boyd lays off to Adam and straight away he is involved, having a go from 25 yards but fizzing the ball wide. He is off target but it was worth a go.
0 mins - Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller get the game underway. Walter Smith has made three changes for this game and two of them are notable - Lee McCulloch plays his first game for the club at centre-half in Madjid Bougherra’s place and Charlie Adam is on the left of midfield. It’s his first outing in six weeks.
RANGERS: McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, McCulloch, Whittaker; Davis, Mendes, Ferguson, Adam; Miller, Boyd.
Subs: Alexander, Edu, Novo, Dailly, Lafferty, McMillan, Shinnie.
ST MIRREN: Smith; Ross, Haining, Potter, Miranda; Dorman, Murray, Brady, Mason, Robb; Mehmet.
Subs: Smith, Wyness, Dargo, Hamilton, McAulsand, McGinn, Cuthbert.
REF: David Somers.
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Posted by mdnl
Posted by mdnl
Posted by mdnl
34 min: Great work from Miller who creates an opening for Boyd just 6 yards out but the former Killie man is denied by Alan Combe. Good save, from a great chance.
second-half display. Despite taking several of their best players off at half-time Rafa Benitez was able to replace them with international stars and they showed their class throughout. 
