Preview: St Mirren v Rangers - Old Firm clash cast aside as Ally McCoist focuses on keeping Rangers in front

ALLY McCoist has branded today’s lunchtime assignment in Paisley as a “must win” for Rangers as they seek to guarantee they will go into 2012 as Scottish Premier League leaders.

Victory over St Mirren would ring-fence that status for the reigning champions, irrespective of the outcome of next Wednesday night’s Old Firm showdown at Celtic Park, and McCoist is at pains to ensure his players are not distracted from the immediate task at hand.

“They can’t be thinking about Celtic yet, absolutely not,” said the Rangers manager. “That’s the biggest thing for us this weekend. I’m certainly not thinking about the Celtic game yet and I won’t be until around 3pm on Christmas Eve when we are done and dusted in Paisley. Listen, we have to go and win this game on Saturday. We have to go and win it against a St Mirren team we have already dropped two points against in a draw at Ibrox earlier this season.

“Celtic can’t be in our minds and shouldn’t be. The Old Firm game is absolutely massive, of course it is, and I know there can be psychological factors around it. But the value of the three points on offer is exactly the same.

“I’m not trying to play down the game at Celtic Park at all, but first and foremost we need three points against St Mirren. Celtic can’t be in our minds right now and shouldn’t be.”

On the day they conceded a stoppage time equaliser to St Mirren in the 1-1 draw at Ibrox on 15 October, Rangers held a ten-point advantage over Celtic in the title race. That it has been cut to four points in recent weeks is as much down to the ragged form of McCoist’s men as they greatly improved consistency of Neil Lennon’s side.

Rangers’ away record in the SPL this season remains hugely impressive, however, with eight wins from their nine games so far, having conceded just two goals and suffered a solitary defeat. McCoist believes his players can expect to be fully stretched as they attempt to enhance that statistic at St Mirren Park.

“Looking back to when St Mirren came to Ibrox, in the cold light of day they probably deserved their point,” he added. “We didn’t take our chances after we went 1-0 up, St Mirren played well and so they maybe deserved the draw. There was certainly enough in that game for our players to realise this is a proper game they are facing on Saturday. But St Mirren is a place you like going to. The surface there is always very good, with it being a new stadium. You have to say St Mirren are knocking the ball about well and playing some really good stuff. They have had a couple of good results in their last two games, away at Aberdeen and Motherwell, so their record is pretty good.”

After last week’s shaky performance at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, when Rangers were fortunate to emerge with a 2-1 victory, McCoist is pleased to welcome Romanian international Dorin Goian back to the heart of his defence. There will also be a return to the side for Sone Aluko following his controversial two-match suspension. McCoist is hopeful the 22-year-old winger can pick up from where he left off before the ban and bring some tempo and creativity to Rangers in the attacking third of the pitch.

“Sone gives us another option and the irony is not lost on me that someone who came in and played just two games for us is the one everyone has been talking about,” said McCoist. “But the positive way I would look at that is the impact he made in those two games. He is a player who can come in and create, hopefully open up defences and make one or two chances for the boys. He is a player we will welcome back.

“I thought he would come in and be a good acquisition to the squad. I’m delighted with the way he has come in and played, in his two games, and the impact he’s made. I don’t want to sell him short by saying I’m a little surprised, I was always aware of the talent he had. But he looks to be enjoying being at Rangers and seems to be able to handle it fine.

“He’s a very confident boy, but in a manner that you really like. You can get an arrogance that is sometimes not too endearing, but he doesn’t have that at all. He has a confidence that is very appealing and a belief in his own ability which is very positive.” St Mirren manager Danny Lennon believes the gap between the Old Firm and the rest of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is closer than ever as they aim for the double against Rangers this season.

“That’s got to be a good thing for the overall quality and excitement of our national game,” he said. “We still have a very tiny budget in comparison to Rangers and Celtic but football, for me, is all about who plays best on the day.”

Rangers were left reeling when former striker Steven Thompson grabbed the equaliser deep into injury time to hand St Mirren a share of the points in the last meeting between the two clubs. As far as Lennon is concerned, a point is the least his side deserved for an impressive performance and he says they should take confidence from the display ahead of this encounter.

“We managed to match them at Ibrox in a very entertaining game. For me, we scored one of the best goals of the season, from our own box into their box in the closing seconds of the game. In that performance, we enjoyed the vast majority of the possession and that, together with that wonderful goal, gives us great encouragement,” he said,“Hopefully the quality football played will determine the winner. May the best team win on the day.”