| Match report from Rangers visit to Rugby Park, Kilmarnock. |
Kilmarnock 0 Rangers 2 (Whittaker 54, Miller 60)
Attendance 8,906
Rangers moved thirteen points clear in the SPL title race with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park tonight courtesy of two second-half goals from Steven Whittaker and Kenny Miller.
When Rangers last visited Ayrshire on League business a goalless draw ensued with Pedro Mendes red-carded and Manager Walter Smith ordered to the stand. Tonight the Ibrox Boss fielded an unchanged side from Saturday.
The home side were the first to threaten - Mehdi Taouil testing Allan McGregor in eight minutes with a 25-yard shot that the goalkeeper held.
It took the visitors some time to get going - from one Kenny Miller break in twenty minutes Kris Boyd's volley from the edge of the box flashed over.
Panic ensued in the Ibrox defence eight minutes later when from an Iain Flannigan cross McGregor fumbled the ball but recovered to block Taouil's effort from the rebound..
Incredibly from a Flannigan free-kick in 32 minutes McGregor again dropped the ball but on this occasion recovered.
The half ended goalless - but not before McGregor had spilled another one - on this occasion an Allan Russell shot in 44 minutes.
Rangers restarted on the offensive - Boyd's volley from a Lee McCulloch knock-on being cleared off the line by Jamie Hamill in fifty minutes.
Four minutes later the deadlock was broken when from a Sasa Papac cross Tim Clancy's attempted headed clearance fell to Whittaker who coolly created space for himself before slotting the ball home.
It was 2-0 on the hour when Miller rifled the ball into the roof of the net from close rang after Boyd had fed Steven Davis whose low drive was blocked by home goalkeeper Cameron Bell.
Rangers were hitting their opponents on the break - two minutes later a mazy Whittaker run ended with a shot that was deflected wide of the target.
Maurice Edu replaced Kevin Thomson in 66 minutes, and eight minutes later Nacho Novo substituted for Miller.
The game was won - and afterwards Walter Smith commented:
"It was a satisfying result. We won the game in the first 25 minutes of the second-half, which was by far our best spell of the game after a poor first-half. We didn't create enough chances in the first-half. We're showing an excellent level of consistency with just one League defeat in a full calendar year."
KILMARNOCK Bell; Hamill. Pascali, Wright, Clancy; Taouil, Fowler, Severin (Kelly 84), Flannigan (Invincible 63); Russell (Burchill 67), Maguire
UNUSED SUBS Robinson, Hay, Fernandez, Kiernan
RANGERS McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Wilson, Papac; Davis, McCulloch, Thomson (Edu 66), Beasley; Boyd, Miller (Novo 74)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Naismith, Broadfoot, Little, Fleck
REFEREE Calum Murray |
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