AT last, a successful Rangers takeover of sorts.
While several outstanding issues remain before Craig Whyte can complete his protracted bid to become the new king of Ibrox, on the field there was more definitive action from Walter Smith’s players who, at the second attempt, managed to overhaul Celtic at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
Having failed to do so on Saturday, when they stumbled to a surprise home defeat to Dundee United, this was only marginally more convincing from Rangers, but Smith will care little for the aesthetics of it all after emerging unscathed from a potentially hazardous fixture and move one point clear at the summit ahead of Celtic’s game against Hibernian tonight.
Rangers finished this match with shots raining in on Peter Enckelman’s goal but had they racked up any more than the two they scored it would have been a misrepresentation. In truth, until Steven Naismith drove in Rangers’ second after 83 minutes the outcome of the match remained in doubt. St Johnstone’s endeavour would ultimately count for nothing, however, as they slumped to a first home defeat since November 13.
Poor finishing again let Derek McInnes’ side down. They have now scored only one goal in their last eight league matches -- and that an own goal -- meaning the 4-1 licking Rangers suffered on their last visit to these parts was never likely to be repeated.
McInnes has set his side up to be resolute and tough to break down but, missing the perceptive touches of Jody Morris in midfield and with Collin Samuel also absent through injury, St Johnstone looked bereft of the sort of cutting edge that could have caused this makeshift Rangers defence problems. Their chances of a top half finish this season now hang by a thread.
It was all strangely flat. Perhaps it was the unusual 6pm kick off, the swirling wind, or the state of the undulating pitch, but neither side seemed able to get into any kind of rhythm as passes and crosses went astray with alarming regularity.
Rangers seemed to cope better with the conditions initially and grafted their way to a half-time lead. It would prove an opening period to forget for Danny Grainger, the St Johnstone full-back, who was at fault as Rangers went in front and continued to look cumbersome the longer the match wore on. It was little surprise when he was eventually hooked midway through the second half.
Kyle Lafferty is not everyone’s cup of tea as a centre forward but he was alert to the possibilities as Grainger shaped to head a pass back to his goalkeeper after 20 minutes. It was a botched effort, though, lacking sufficient weight, and Lafferty was on to it in a flash, rounding Enckelman before rolling the ball into the empty net.
It was only the second goal that St Johnstone had conceded in their last 10 home games, McInnes’ anguish compounded by the fact that the loss had been entirely avoidable.
This was a new challenge for St Johnstone -- how to regroup after falling a goal behind -- and a low trundler from Murray Davidson that took a deflection, causing Allan McGregor to scramble desperately across his goal to parry, briefly signalled their intent.
It was Rangers, though, who finished the half stronger. Gregg Wylde’s free kick from wide on the right was arrowed in to the penalty box and was met flush on the forehead by David Weir. The header beat Enckelman but struck the outside of the post and drifted out for a goal kick.
The second half proved to be more evenly matched as St Johnstone re-asserted themselves but, if it made for a more intriguing contest, there was little improvement in the general standard of the fare. As Rangers began to toil, the hosts crept ever closer to an equaliser. McGregor did well to palm away Kevin Moon’s dangerous cross, before Alan Maybury ventured forward from full-back to try his luck from distance. McGregor, though, was equal to his effort.
Better was to come from the goalkeeper as St Johnstone spurned their best chance of the night. Wylde badly misjudged a cross from the left from Liam Craig as the ball held up in the swirling wind, and Davidson pounced. The midfielder looked certain to score but McGregor thrust up a hand to repel his effort from about six yards out, before Jordan Robertson’s follow-up was bundled away for a corner.
Such profligacy would come back to haunt the home side when Rangers made sure of the victory with a second goal seven minutes from time. Naismith linked well with Nikica Jelavic before shooting low past Enckelman.
The concession seemed cruel on St Johnstone and they almost fell further behind minutes later when Jelavic cut inside to thunder a shot against the crossbar, with Naimsith heading the rebound narrowly wide.
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