again as they chalked up their eighth successive
League win this afternoon with a 2-0 success over
Kilmarnock at Rugby Park through goals from Carlos
Cuellar and Kris Boyd.
Manager Walter Smith made three changes from
Wednesaday with Chris Burke, Jean-Claude Darcheville
and Boyd replacing Nacho Novo, Steven Davis and
Charlie Adam.
The home fans displayed a banner before kick-off
proclaiming "We want Johnston out" - a reference to
Killie Chairman Michael Johnston.
The Ibrox men almost made an instant breakthrough in
two minutes when Darcheville went through on a Boyd
headflick only to scoop the ball over the bar under
pressure.
Eight minutes later the home side threatened when
Craig Bryson's mazy run ended with a low curling shot
from twenty yards that was inches wide.
The opening goal arrived in 24 minutes when Kirk
Broadfoot's chip was headed on to the far post by
Barry Ferguson, Cuellar nodding the ball back across
goal and into the far corner of the net.
Sixty seconds later Ferguson's 22-yard drive from a
Darcheville lay-off was held by home goalkeeper Alan
Combe.
Kilmarnock were still very much in the hunt however -
Simon Ford's header from a Jamie Hamill free-kick in
28 minutes landing on the roof of the net.
Darcheville should have secured goal number two four
minutes before the interval when he was released
through the middle by another Boyd headflick only to
slice the ball wide.
Boyd was a constant menace against his old club, and
he was inches wide in fifty minutes with a header from
Brahim Hemdani's free-kick, then two minutes later his
low 22-yard free-kick was touched wide by Combe.
Killie, perhaps encouraged by the narrowness of the
scoreline, began to press for an equaliser - and they
came mightily close in 58 minutes when Allan
Johnston's drive from the edge of the box was headed
off the line by Sasa Papac.
That proved to be a wake-up call for the visitors,
Boyd making it 2-0 from the penalty spot four minutes
later - the spot-kick awarded for handball against
Jamie Hamill after Lee McCulloch's cross was headed on
by Boyd.
Referee Mike McCurry was obliged to speak to
Kilmarnock Assistant Manager Billy Brown in the wake
of the penalty decision, and ten minutes later pulled
aside both McGregor and Frazer Wright for a lecture
after the two had tangled off the ball.
Rangers appeared home and dry, yet Broadfoot almost
handed the Rugby Park outfit a lifeline in 84 minutes
when he was woefully short with a passback, the ball
being seized on by substitute David Fernandez who
rounded McGregor only to send his shot across the face
of goal.
Sixty seconds later at the other end McCulloch's flick
from substitute Novo's corner was parried by Combe,
and then in the final minute Lee again was denied by
the Killie 'keeper when his eighteen-yard shot from a
Novo cutback was held.
Afterwards a contented Walter Smith commented:
"I'm delighted to get the three points. We started
fairly well but should have added to the first goal.
It's disappointing not to be clinical in front of
goal. We had to defend well at times, but have been
very solid in recent weeks."
So now it's on to Athens, and the cauldron that awaits
in that historic city.
KILMARNOCK Combe; Hamill, Ford, Wright, Hay; Fowler,
Johnston (Fernandez 70), Locke (Di Giacomo 86),
Bryson; Taouil (Gibson 78), Invincible
UNUSED SUBS Harpur, O'Leary, Clancy, Corrigan
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Cuellar, Weir, Papac;
Burke (Naismith 75) Ferguson, Hemdani, McCulloch;
Darcheville (Novo 75), Boyd
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Dailly, Davis, Furman, Fleck
REFEREE Mike McCurry
Attendance 10,546