Rangers 1 St Mirren 0

The Scottish Cup fifth-round replay between Rangers and St Mirren at Ibrox Stadium on Wednesday, February 17 2010.

The treble is still on for Rangers, but this was a dragging step in that direction as St Mirren again proved to be obstinate opponents in this Active Nation Scottish Cup fifth round replay at Ibrox.

It took the holders until three minutes from full time to force the issue, with Kris Boyd yet again demonstrating his value with a thrashing strike high into the net for his 22nd goal of the season to send Rangers into a quarter-final tie at home to Dundee United.

This may have been another stage in Rangers’ advance on a clean sweep of domestic honours but, like Celtic Park, Ibrox is not immune to the effects of the recession, combined with a chill night and a live television broadcast and the crowd of 31,086 was well down on Sunday’s attendance for the visit of Hibernian. Walter Smith’s team was also much changed from the team that ran up a

3-0 victory over the Easter Road side, with six changes to the line-up as the manager implemented what was effectively a rotation policy.

Steven Whittaker and Kenny Miller were benched while Sasa Papac, Lee McCulloch, Kevin Thomson and DaMarcus Beasley sat the game out. Their replacements were Kirk Broadfoot, Steven Smith, Steven Naismith, Maurice Edu, Kyle Lafferty and Nacho Novo.

St Mirren, meanwhile, reverted to the players who had drawn the tie which forced this replay with Chris Innes replacing Steve Robb.

In one respect, this contest did resemble the fare on view at Ibrox on Sunday, in that half-time arrived without any score, nor with any great prospect of one, which is presumably why the electronic scoreboards had been busy offering odds on which player would net first after the break for several minutes before the referee blew to end the first 45 minutes.

Boyd staked his claim to that distinction within two minutes of the restart when he stroked home from a cutback whipped in by Novo, but the suspicion of offside was confirmed by the nearside assistant’s flag. Boyd followed up with a vigorous crack from the edge of the box which was thwarted by a spectacularly fingertip save by Paul Gallacher.

These close calls were a product of the heightened tempo attained by both sides as the second period got under way and Allan McGregor was also menaced, first when Lee Mair headed just over from an Andy Dorman corner kick from the right and seconds later when Dorman delivered a cross from the other flank that was driven against the body of the diving goalkeeper by Michael Higdon.

All of which, alas, was flattery with intent to deceive and as the stalemate wore on into the closing stages both managers shuffled their pack in an attempt to force the issue. Kenny Miller was first off the bench to replace Novo and St Mirren responded by removing Jack Ross, who had taken a heavy knock, with Stephen O’Donnell.

Anxiety to avoid an unwelcome period of extra time began to animate Rangers and when Steven Davis burst into the box it took a full-stretch dive by Gallacher to parry the shot and get the benefit of the rebound.

With Madjid Bougherra operating as a supplementary forward Rangers pounded the Paisley defence so relentlessly in the final 10 minutes that there was an air of inevitability that the black and white rampart would be breached – and that the one to do it should be Boyd.

Match details

Rangers (4-4-2): McGregor; Broadfoot, Bougherra, Weir, Smith; Naismith, Davis, Edu, Lafferty; Novo (Miller 70), Boyd (Fleck 89). Subs: Alexander (g), Whittaker, Fleck, Wilson.

St Mirren (3-5-2): Gallacher; Innes, Potter, Mair; Ross (O’Donnell 72), Thomson, Murray (Carey 89), Dorman, Barron; Mehmet, Higdon (Dargo 81). Subs: Howard (g), Ramsay.

Referee: Iain Brines.

Kilmarnock 1 Falkirk 0

The Scottish Cup game between Kilmarnock and Falkirk at Rugby Park on Monday Jan 18, 2009.

New Kilmarnock manager Jimmy Calderwood left out three players from the side which capitulated to Motherwell on Saturday, with Danny Invincible and Mark Burchill not even listed on the bench, in an attempt to find a cure for their lack of potency.

With no money to spend, quite how Calderwood is expected to find the footballing equivalent of Viagra is difficult to imagine but an unexpected saviour arrived on Monday night in the shape of Manuel Pascali, who claimed the only goal with nine minutes remaining to claim a home tie against Inverness in the fifth round of the Active Nation Scottish Cup.

It was an eventful evening for the Italian, who started the match in midfield and then moved into the centre of defence before finding himself in the right place at the right time to provide a first home win since Oct 24.

One might have expected a tentative start to proceedings from the two sides currently propping up the rest of the SPL but both sets of players appeared committed from the first whistle to going through at the first attempt.

Cammy Bell, in the home goal, did well to hold long-range efforts from Jack Compton and Scott Arfield while Scotland striker Kevin Kyle ought to have done better than to lob limply into the arms of Robert Olejnik after the Dutchman had been caught off his line.

Bell produced an excellent reflex save to deflect a drive from Pele over the crossbar, atoning for his original error when he came for, and failed to collect, an inswinging corner from Compton.

Pascali picked up his mandatory caution for a cynical foul on Ryan Flynn just after the restart as the game degenerated into a war of attrition.

Kyle became Kilmarnock’s talisman when he arrived from Coventry City a year ago but he cut a forlorn figure again last night and was replaced before the hour by Mehdi Taouil.

Calderwood was then forced to make a change, when influential defender Frazer Wright limped off and Pascali retreated into the back four.

Fortunately for the home side, he was still prepared to move upfield. When Olejnik could only feebly punch Garry Hay’s corner out to Gavin Skelton the substitute unleashed a fierce drive which beat the goalkeeper but rebounded back out off the underside of the bar.

More by accident than design the ball struck the lurking Pascali on its way back out and, without his knowing a great deal about it, proceeded to spin over the line.

It was only Killie’s fifth goal in their last eleven matches but it served to lift, temporarily at least, the black cloud which has been hanging over Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock (4-4-2): Bell; Hamill, Ford, Wright (Skelton 64), Hay; Pascali, Fowler (Owens 81), Bryson, Sammon; Russell, Kyle (Taouil 59). Subs: Robinson (g), Kelly. Booked: Pascali.

Falkirk (4-4-2): Olejnik; McNamara, McLean, Pele, Twaddle; Flynn (Marceta 76), Arfield, Lima, Compton (O’Brien 65); Bullen, Moutinho. Subs: Andrews (g), Murdoch, Alston.

Referee: M Tumilty.