Kilmarnock manager
Jim Jefferies made three changes from the side who defeated Falkirk in
the semi-final of the CIS Insurance Cup.
In came Gary
Wales, Grant Murray and Rhian Dodds; out went the injured Momo Sylla,
the suspended Colin Nish and Allan Johnston.
New Rangers
recruit Kevin Thomson was handed his debut, with the former Hibernian
captain replacing Nacho Novo.
Referee Dougie
McDonald awarded Rangers a penalty after seven minutes, sparking an
angry reaction from Kilmarnock players & fans.
Killie defender
Ford tackled Boyd and the linesman flagged for a corner kick, but
McDonald pointed to the spot.
Boyd picked
himself up and slotted the ball low past Alan Combe to give the Ibrox
side the lead.
Rangers could
have went further ahead in 15 minutes when Barry Ferguson headed home
from close-range, only for the linesman to wrongly flag for offside.
Rangers went two up after half an hour when Alan Hutton's superb cross
found Boyd who headed past the helpless Combe from close range.
Soon afterwards
Naismith stung McGregor's palms with a rare Kilmarnock effort and just
before the interval he fired wide from eight yards.
Kilmarnock felt
aggrieved after 49 minutes when Rangers almost got a third goal.
Novo's shot was
saved brilliantly by Combe and Burke's follow-up shot was blocked on the
line by James Fowler.
Fowler lay
injured on the goal-line as play continued and Ferguson shot wide rather
than put the ball into touch.
Combe was booked
for his subsequent protests as the game threatened to boil over.
Kilmarnock were
awarded a penalty in 55 minutes when Hutton pushed Naismith in the back.
But Leven's
spot-kick was saved by McGregor and Rangers quickly punished Killie for
that miss.
In their next
attack, Novo was brushed off the ball by Fowler, and referee McDonald
pointed to the spot for a third time in the game.
Boyd took the
penalty and fired home to complete his hat-trick against his former
club.
Stephen
Naismith scrambled home a consolation for Kilmarnock with 13
minutes remaining.
Sandy's Match Pic's are
HERE
73
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