Alan Cochrane @ Rugby Park
A goal less than 15 minutes from the end by half-time substitute Jean Claude Darcheville stifled Kilmarnock's comeback, and kept Rangers' 100% record intact here this afternoon. The first half had been a bit scrappy, and both goalkeepers had to pull off decent saves to keep the score-sheet clear after 45 minutes, but 2nd half substitutes played a big part in changing that.
Alan Combe had good stops from Cousin and Whittaker, and a tremendous instinctive save from a point blank Boyd volley, while Allan McGregor at the other end dived to touch over a Naismith rasper, and also had to beat out a Danny Invincibile drive from 30 yards just before the break.
One Frenchman replaced another at the break, as Walter Smith sent on Darcheville for Cousin, and the additional power of the replacement beside Boyd up front started to cause the Kilmarnock defence a lot more trouble. When Damarcus Beasley opened the scoring it was as the result of a lucky break of the ball more than good play, but that was caused by Rangers rachetting up the pressure, and the Killie defence eventually being overwhelmed. After Combe had to make another good save to stop Darcheville adding to the score, Jim Jefferies made a double substitution, bringing on Murray and Johnston for Locke and Hamill, and inside 10 minutes, Kilmarnock were level.
Steven Naismith collected a ball on the left inside his own half, made ground and held the ball up well until reinforcements arrived. His pass up the left to Nish was weighted perfectly, and when the ball was flicked in to the centre, Danny Invincibile controlled the cross before smacking it past McGregor. Killie now had no intention of settling for a point, and you could see that they fancied themselves to go on and win. Gary Wales almost did just that when he beat Cuellar but didn't get quite enough on his attempted lob, and Allan McGregor made a great save, diving back and to his right to thwart Killie. Then Naismith hit a cross-cum-shot which Wales pinged back to Johnston, only for the substitute to shoot just outside the post.
It was the lightening-quick Darcheville who won the game for the visitors though, when he outstripped the defence and scored well with a low shot.
Jim Jefferies was disappointed but not downhearted at the end, and while he said that Rangers are a good side with quality players, it says how far we have come that the players were very disappointed in the dressing room at the end. Invincibile made a good return and with Hay and Fowler still to come back, things do not look too bleak around Rugby Park at the moment.
Kilmarnock: Combe, Lilley, Wright, Ford, Naismith, Locke (Murray), Nish, Wales (Fernandez), Invincibile, O'Leary, Hamill (Johnston)
Rangers: McGregor, Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Papac, Whittaker, Ferguson, Thomson, Beasley (Novo), Boyd, Cousin (Darcheville)
