Rangers 2-1 St Mirren

Kris Boyd's double against St Mirren took Rangers back to within a point of Celtic at the top of the league table.

Straight from the off the striker opened the scoring from close range, pouncing to thump in after Paul Gallacher had saved from John Fleck.

St Mirren's Garry Brady hit the post, but Boyd got a second on 57 minutes when he diverted in Nacho Novo's shot.

Stephen O'Donnell's late strike for St Mirren sparked a nervy finish, but the home side claimed all three points.

Boyd had returned to the starting line-up after being left on the bench for the Champions League draw in Romania in midweek.

And it took just 19 seconds for the striker to make an impact by slamming the home side into the lead.

Gallacher saved Fleck's shot from just inside the box, but the ball ricocheted off Novo to Boyd, who claimed his sixth goal of the season from four yards out.

Steven Naismith and Fleck both tested Gallacher from distance as the home side looked good going forward against their stunned opponents.

But, once St Mirren settled, Andy Dorman forced Allan McGregor to palm a shot away, before the Welshman set up Brady for an exquisite shot which he curled round the keeper but watched rebound agonisingly off the upright.

Had it gone in the complexion of the game could have changed, but St Mirren stuck to their task, and Billy Mehmet found space to move into the Rangers box and crack a fierce drive which McGregor beat away.

Although St Mirren had come back into the game in the first period, they started sluggishly after the break.

Defender John Potter showed indecision in dealing with a high ball over the top, allowing Boyd and Novo to steal in behind, and Rangers would have doubled their lead had Gallacher not been so quick off his line.

St Mirren's Hugh Murray hit the top of his own bar trying to cut out a pass, but moments later Rangers, and Boyd, got their second goal.

Fleck robbed Steven Thomson, DaMarcus Beasley played Novo into the box, and the Spaniard's skewed shot across the six yard box fell to Rangers' number nine who finished with ease.

Boyd was inches away from his hat-trick when his header clipped the bar, and was later denied by a strong hand from Gallacher.

Despite Rangers' second-half dominance they were unable to get a crucial third goal and, with minutes remaining, O'Donnell set up an edgy finish scoring unmarked past McGregor after appearing to use a hand to control the ball.

Rangers manager Walter Smith:
"I felt we started very well but St Mirren got themselves into the game and they were the better side before half-time.

"We imposed ourselves better in the second period, but we weren't quite slick enough in the final third.

"Kris Boyd and John Fleck played very well for us and overall - given the difficult match we had in midweek and the bug affecting some of our team - we acquitted ourselves well today.

"We were disappointed to lose the goal at the end and if I'm being greedy perhaps we could have been a little bit more accurate in the last third of the park."

St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson:
"We're extremely disappointed to lose the goals in the manner that we did - especially one after 20 seconds.

"I thought we created two or three good opportunities and I was disappointed to go in down at the break.

"We showed a lot of courage to pass the ball in the way we did.

"If maybe we had got the goal back a wee bit earlier, who knows what could have happened."