Edu on target for Gers

Kris Boyd set the ball rolling with the opener, before Edu opened his goalscoring account for the club just 24 hours after stating his intention to make the most of Ferguson's absence.

Saints managed to pull a goal back through Andy Dorman but the visitors held on for the three points to keep the pressure on Celtic at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

However, the win at St Mirren Park did come at a cost for Walter Smith's men, with DaMarcus Beasley and Sasa Papac both added to an already lengthy casualty list.

Rangers surged into the lead after just 12 minutes with their first real chance of the game. Pedro Mendes supplied a lovely pass to Papac, whose cut-back from the by-line fell to the feet of Boyd to rifle home from six yards.

Boyd should have added to his tally when Saints goalkeeper Mark Howard dropped the ball at Nacho Novo's feet and he teed up the shot but the striker's scuffed effort fell wide.

Rangers did manage to double their advantage after 19 minutes. Mendes supplied the corner and Edu rose above everyone else in the box, leaving his marker Stephen McGinn helpless, to power home a header and claim his first goal for the club.

Boyd claimed for a penalty shortly after the restart, claiming John Potter had handled a Christian Dailly cross in the box, but the pleas were ignored by referee Eddie Smith.

Instead, it was Saints who found the back of the net with 56 minutes gone to haul themselves right back into the game. Stephen McGinn started the move by slipping the ball through to Craig Dargo and he rolled it into the path of Dorman, who side-footed home in off the far post.

But Rangers managed to hold on for a win which was crucial as news of Celtic's emphatic 4-0 victory over Falkirk began to filter through.http://www.scotprem.com(Scottish Premier League's official website)