Rangers 2 - 1 St Mirren: Steven Whittaker on the spot for Rangers

SOMETIMES it's all about timing your run. There is nothing particularly scintillating, or indeed convincing, about Rangers right now, Nikica Jelavic apart. Yet, with this eked-out victory over St Mirren they not only moved to the top of the SPL but established their longest winning run in the league since last October.

It may be only a fortnight since Walter Smith's men lost at home to Dundee United. But their played four, won four record in the SPL subsequent to that has pushed the pressure back on to Celtic. One point ahead of their rivals, they have a chance to extend their lead to four points when they face Dundee United at Tannadice on Tuesday, 24 hours before Celtic claw back one of the two games in hand they will then have over the Ibrox side at Kilmarnock.

Of course, the Glasgow rivals go toe-to-toe at Ibrox in a week's time. If Rangers continue their current winning form on Tayside in two days' time they will be guaranteed to go into the final derby as league leaders. Smith was asked about the possible psychological edge offered by such a scenario. "I don't go for the psychological stuff. Everyone keeps going on about it but for me it's fairly simple: in our position we have to keep winning."

They kept up their winning run courtesy of a 51st-minute penalty won by Jelavic. Side on to John Potter, he pushed the ball beyond the St Mirren captain then attempted to spin past him, launching himself to the ground when contact was made. Referee Euan Norris was in no doubt and in turn Steven Whittaker made no mistake in confidently converting from the spot. Unlike his manager, the man who has been filling in at centre-back considered it would be "massive" in the psychological stakes to move four points in front of Celtic on Tuesday. "We want to stretch that gap a little bit and that puts pressure on them to get the points they need."

Rangers dealt with a degree of pressure yesterday in coming through against a St Mirren side who performed creditably and scored a cracker of an equaliser through Darren McGregor. It provided a pretty instant response to Sasa Papac's 33rd-minute opener, but they never looked like equalising for a second time in a strangely subdued second period. Rangers were happy to sit on what they had while Danny Lennon's men couldn't prevent them seeing out the win comfortably. The Paisley club's manager was, though, entitled to his assessment that his team had produced "a positive display" and "a very brave one" that showed they had the belief to compete in Glasgow - as they had with their 1-0 defeat at Celtic Park last time out.

That wasn't where the similarities between these two encounters ended.

Just as with last weekend, there were few indications early on at Ibrox that the home team were bursting to claim top spot in the table and that those in the stands were fixated with them doing so. There was little edge to a contest that initially meandered on without the crowd inside Ibrox appearing engaged at all. Of course, UEFA's latest investigation into the Rangers support's addiction to sectarian singing might have caused the home fans inside to feel it was better if they sat on their hands and said nothing. Or maybe they were presenting their team with a little taster of how performing in a library-style environment will feel next season...Aside from Jelavic causing the St Mirren backline to visibly quiver whenever the ball was played to him in the final third, the Paisley club looked largely untroubled for the first 25 minutes. Indeed, it took until the half hour mark approached for Smith's side to shake the crowd, and themselves, from their slumber. Deep-lying opponents were stretched to breaking point by quick movement that allowed Maurice Edu to slide a cross in from the right that eluded Steven Davis before Jelavic managed to pull it from behind him, only to scoop his effort over the bar.

The opportunity seemed to energise Rangers. In particular Davis who, three minutes later, mashed a dozy Paul McGowan to fairly wrest possession from him on the right flank. He then knocked over a cross that allowed Kyle Lafferty to shoot at goal. Paul Gallacher blocked, but when the ball dropped in front of him, Papac was on hand to turn it in.

St Mirren had offered no attacking threat whatsoever. Which made their quite brilliantly constructed and executed equaliser - "an absolutely fantastic goal" Lennon said proudly - seem straight out of left field. Except it was the right hand side of the field that centre-back McGregor played the ball to when he stepped up to the halfway line to begin a move he would finish with aplomb. Playing in Stephen Thompson, he in turn released Aaron Mooy who whipped in a cross from the right that McGregor leapt to meet, side-footing an immaculate volley past the helpless Allan McGregor. It was a moment of class far and away surpassing any other produced across the 90 minutes. But for Rangers right now it is not about the quality but the quantity of points they snaffle from each game. With all the other desperate developments to have befallen them in the past week, at least on the park the world hasn't seemed to be closing in on the club.

Attendance: 46,392

ST MIRREN

Gallacher

van Zanten

Potter

McGregor

Travner

Mooy

Thompson

Goodwin (71)

Cregg

McGowan

Dargo (79)

Subs used

Wardlaw (79)

McLean (71)