defeat St. Mirren 2-0 at Ibrox this afternoon with
second-half goals from Barry Ferguson and new boy
Daniel Cousin.
Manager Walter Smith made two changes from Podgorica
with Alan Hutton and Kris Boyd replacing Kirk
Broadfoot and Brahim Hemdani.
There was a healthy travelling support inside the
ground - but a dreich afternoon was somehow reflected
in the play during an uninspiring first-half with the
home side struggling to get started.
Indeed Saints almost took the lead in thirteen minutes
when Sasa Papac cleared Ryan McCay's header off the
line following a Mark Corcoran free-kick.
Twelve minutes later Rangers finally threatened when
DaMarcus Beasley's snap-shot from twenty yards was
pushed wide by visiting goalkeeper Chris Smith.
Nevertheless the home side were struggling to make an
impression - the closest to a first-half breakthrough
coming in 42 minutes when Kris Boyd's fifteen-yard
volley flashed over from a Beasley pass.
Rangers restarted in more determined fashion, Beasley
cutting inside from a Jean-Claude Darcheville pass in
49 minutes only to see his shot flash wide of the
target.
Three minutes later the deadlock was broken when
Ferguson coolly netted after Alan Hutton's cross had
been chested into his path by Lee McCulloch.
It was almost two on the hour when Boyd, desperate to
find the net after three months without a goal, saw
his sixteen-yard volley on the hour from McCulloch's
pass parried by Smith.
Five minutes later Thomson's 25-yard volley was fisted
away by Smith as Rangers went all out for a second
goal, then immediately thereafter Boyd shot over from
McCulloch's headflick.
New signing Daniel Cousin from Lens replaced Boyd
midway through the second-half.
A Ferguson free-kick in seventy minutes from all of
thirty yards almost produced a spectacular own-goal
from Ryan McCay when his backheader was touched over
the bar by Smith.
St. Mirren were not yet out of it however - Garry
Brady testing McGregor four minutes later with a
25-yard shot that the goalkeeper held.
Cousin has only been on the park for some nine minutes
when his header from a Sasa Papac cross was held by
Smith - but the Gabon Internationalist had only four
more minutes to wait for a debut goal when he netted
from Beasley's flick.
A potentially difficult fixture had been won, and
afterwards Walter Smith summarised:
"It was a difficult first-half, but give St. Mirren
credit - they played well. In the second-half we put
them under more pressure, playing at a quicker tempo.
The first goal opened the game up. I'm pleased to have
won the game."
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Papac;
McCulloch, Ferguson, Thomson, Beasley; Boyd (Cousin
66), Darcheville (Novo 56)
UNUSED SUBS Carroll, Broadfoot, Lennon, Emslie,
McMillan
ST. MIRREN Smith; Van Zanten, Haining, Potter, McCay;
Corcoran, Mason, Murray, Brady (McGinn 76), Reid
(Brittain 70); Kean (Behmet 86)
UNUSED SUBS Howard, Burke, O'Donnell, Barron
REFEREE Mike McCurry
Attendance 47,772