Rangers squeeze past St Mirren in narrow cup win

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GLASGOW, Feb 17, 2010 (AFP) - A late Kris Boyd goal sent Rangers into the last eight of the Scottish Cup as they clinched a narrow 1-0 win over St Mirren in their fifth round replay.

The first game ten days ago had finished goalless and the replay was heading the same way before Boyd netted his 22nd of the season in the 86th minute.

Rangers' Steven Naismith could have given his side the lead early on when he picked up Boyd's perfectly weighted reverse pass but he scuffed his shot wide of the post.

Spanish striker Nacho Novo also came close but he snatched at a half-chance which sailed harmlessly over the bar.

However, the Buddies rarely looked flustered and Michael Higdon should have done better with his header from Dorman's corner that he sent looping over the bar.

Centre-back Madjid Bougherra surprisingly provided some of Rangers' most potent attacking play and after some nice trickery on the right wing he sent in a cross that Boyd fired wide under pressure.

The Algerian was involved again minutes later when he picked out Naismith in the box only for the Scotland striker to hit his shot directly to at Mirren keeper Gallacher.

Rangers had the ball put in the net in the 48th minute only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Naismith found Novo on the right and he fired in a cross that hit off Boyd and past Gallacher but the flag was already up.

Gallacher then produced a superb one-handed save from Boyd's vicious volley

after Kyle Lafferty laid the ball off to the hit-man at the edge of the box.

As in the first-half, Dorman again found Higdon unmarked in the box from a corner but the forward headed over.

St Mirren were growing in confidence and McGregor had to race out his goal to save with his legs from Billy Mehmet after he raced into the box past left-back Steven Smith.

Kenny Miller replaced Novo and immediately set about trying to break the deadlock with a chipped shot from 20 yards but it didn't trouble Gallacher. Boyd ended the goal drought four minutes from time. Smith's long ball was flicked on by Kirk Broadfoot and Boyd held off his marker to fire a shot into the roof of the net past the oncoming keeper.

In their Scottish Premier League clash Hibernian missed the chance to close the gap on second-placed Celtic as doubles from Cillian Sheridan and Liam Craig condemned them to a 5-1 thrashing by St Johnstone.