| The FF match report from Falkirk v Rangers at the Westfield Stadium. |
Falkirk 1 (Moutinho 40) Rangers 3 (Boyd 17, 36; Miller Pen 73)
Attendance 6,903
Rangers got back to winning ways with an impressive 3-1 win over Falkirk at Westfield this afternoon with two-goal Kris Boyd the main marksman.
Manager Walter Smith made four changes from Aberdeen with Madjid Bougherra, Kevin Thomson, Nacho Novo and Kenny Miller replacing Danny Wilson, Steven Naismith, John Fleck and Kyle Lafferty.
Both sides went all-out in attack from the opening minutes - Pedro Moutinho seeing his 25-yard shot flash just over in ten minutes.
Five minutes later Allan McGregor had to be alert when he held Ryan Flynn's twenty-yard effort.
The visitors were looking the more likely however - and so it proved in seventeen minutes when Boyd turned the ball home from a Bougherra cross for the opening goal.
It was the striker's 150th SPL goal - and four minutes later he almost added a second when he played a superb one-two with Miller that sliced open the home defence only for his shot to be blocked by the outrushing 'Bairns' goalkeeper Robert Olejnik.
It was all Rangers now - Lee McCulloch's twenty-yard drive flew inches wide in 24 minutes - and two minutes later Novo's angled drive was beaten away by Olejnik.
For all that the Ibrox men were well on top, the key moment of the match surely arrived in 35 minutes when Scott Arfield was clear through on goal from a Moutinho pass only for his shot to be blocked by the advancing McGregor.
It was an excellent save - and in an instant Rangers broke to the other end where Steve Davis released Miller wide on the right, his cutback being rifled home by Boyd.
Falkirk were not out of it yet however - three minutes later Moutinho was denied by McGregor who turned his drive wide and from the resultant corner the home forward stabbed the ball home from close range from a Monteiro header.
2-1 at the interval scarcely reflected the visitors' superiority, but Rangers restarted on the offensive determined to re-establish their authority - and almost increased their lead in 47 minutes when Thomson's free-kick found Novo ghosting in at the back post to stab the ball goalwards only for Olejnik to block his effort.
Lee McCulloch's header from a Steve Davis corner was inches wide on the hour - and immediately thereafter DaMarcus Beasley replaced Novo.
Ten minutes later Lafferty came on for Boyd - but it was Beasley whose skill proved decisive when as he cut inside in 73 minutes he was upended by Darren Barr for a clear penalty.
Miller blasted home the spot-kick - and the points were secure.
Two minutes later Miller almost made it a double when from a Davis corner his clever turn and shot was blocked by Olejnik.
The Bairns 'keeper denied Lafferty in 81 minutes when he produced a superb one-handed save from the Ulsterman's header following a Davis cross, and again six minutes later he kept the score respectable when he denied Beasley following the American winger's mazy run from a Fleck pass.
Afterwards a contented Walter Smith summed up:
"We played well today - that's the best we have played for a while on a consistent basis. We were excellent in the first-half - although slackness at times allowed Falkirk to create chances. Falkirk worked very hard, although in the end we could have scored a few more goals."
FALKIRK Olejnik; Allison, McLean, Barr, Mitchell; Monteiro (MacDonald 56), Arfield, Flynn, Lima, Finnigan (Bullen 67) ; Moutinho (Marceta 77)
UNUSED SUBS Wagenaar, Twaddle, Finnbogason, Murdoch
RANGERS McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Davis, McCulloch, Thomson, Novo (Beasley 60); Boyd (Lafferty 70), Miller (Fleck 80)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Smith, Little, Wilson
REFEREE Willie Collum |
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