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Rangers set-up dramatic finale after beating St Mirren

19/05/2008

Rangers have gone level on points with Celtic at the top of the SPL after a 3-0 win over St Mirren at Love Street.

Walter Smith's side recovered from last week's defeat in the Uefa Cup final with goals from Kris Boyd and a brace from Jean Claude-Darcheville.

In the final round of games on Thursday, Rangers travel to Aberdeen while Celtic are away at Dundee United but the Hoops have a superior goal difference.

Rangers, who were held to a draw by Motherwell on Saturday, made an explosive start against St Mirren were 2-0 up after 24 minutes.

Steven Davis cut in from the left on four minutes and dinked a pass to the back-post where Kirk Broadfoot knocked the ball back for Boyd to tap in his 25th goal of the season.

St Mirren came close to grabbing a quick equaliser with Will Haining heading straight at goalkeeper Neil Alexander while Stephen McGinn rose above his marker to head inches over.

Rangers' punished the hosts' lack of composure in front of goal on 24 minutes when Davis set-up Darcheville with the ex-Nottingham Forest striker rifling a low shot into the corner from the edge of the box.

Frenchman Darcheville came agonisingly close to grabbing his second on the stroke of half-time with an acrobatic overhead kick that struck the post.

Rangers continued to carve out good chances in the second half with Spaniard Nacho Novo scuffing a shot wide from Darcheville's lay-off.

The home side's best chance of the half fell to Billy Mehmet on 67 minutes with the ex-West Ham striker's header flying inches wide.

Two minutes later, Darcheville grabbed his 15th goal of the season when he ran onto Barry Ferguson's pass and slotted the ball under the advancing Mark Howard.

In the dying minutes, skipper Ferguson blazed a shot over from close range while Boyd had a header hacked off the line as Rangers' failed to get closer to Celtic's goal difference.

After playing Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the final game of the season on Thursday, Rangers play Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup final three days later.