THEY say revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, in bitingly-icy conditions, Rangers made sure that was what was on the menu.

It won't bring back the three points Rangers conceded the last time these teams met but it took Walter Smith's men just 11 minutes to ensure that there was no repeat. Clinical as you like at the outset, Kris Boyd netted the first in the fifth minute and Steve Davis followed up with the second six minutes later. But if there was a no-nonsense approach to their finishing at this stage, it was their failure to progress through the match in similar style which meant they were holding on at the end and probably quite happy to escape with the victory.

St Mirren, having struggled to get over the halfway line for large parts of the first half, finally unnerved their hosts with a Franco Miranda goal in the 81st minute. It was the Paisley side's first goal in over 400 minutes of SPL action and sensing that they could sneak something, they sounded the bugle and went all out for an equaliser in the final minutes.

It was a finish few would have predicted following those opening 11 minutes. On early evidence the referee would have been as well blowing the whistle there and then because there seemed no way back.

All that was left to ponder was how many more the home side could rattle in before the 90 minutes was up. It could have been a barrowload but a combination of wasteful finishing by Rangers as well as some dogged character from Gus MacPherson's team allowed them back into the match and prompted the late charge.

The visitors must have known that they would be in for a torrid time, though, and did well to weather the storm. Not only was there last month's defeat at Love Street for Rangers to avenge but the Ibrox side were also smarting from their midweek misfiring at Motherwell, which saw them drop a further two points behind Celtic in the title race.

St Mirren, on recent form, looked unlikely to be as troublesome a proposition at Ibrox. They had also lost their way since that Paisley clash at the beginning of October and have taken just one point from their past four matches, with goals the missing ingredient. None since they had defeated Hamilton, the only side below them in the league, and only eight in total for the season so far.

Those stats must have been comforting to Lee McCulloch. The midfielder who was often utilised up front by the Ibrox manager during the previous campaign made his maiden outing at centre-back in place of Brougherra.

With Sasa Papac failing a late fitness test, there was an unfamiliar look to the Rangers rearguard, which has been consistent in selection as well as performance. Steven Whittaker came in at left-back and for most of the match the revamped quartet strolled through the action. The danger was primarily at the other end of the pitch.

Boyd's opener was well worked between himself and his strike partner Kenny Miller. A long ball out of defence was nodded down by the former and the latter held it up before laying it off to the self-exiled Scotland striker, who drilled into the net to Mark Howard's left. It was a worrying sign of things to come for those in the opposition ranks. In the 11th minute the home side cut through wishy-washy St Mirren tackles and when it came to pulling the trigger it was Davis who burst through and thrashed it across the keeper and inside the far post.

Between those goals, St Mirren had had one opportunity but the glancing header went over the bar. And that, along with a Gary Brady effort, was all they could muster until Miranda popped up with nine minutes to go.

For most of the match it had seemed a case of damage limitation. They tried but they just could not get themselves into the play offensively as Rangers pegged them back.

The home side's ruthlessness was suddenly missing, though. Miller had a couple of chances – he forced an intervention from Will Haining, who made a great tackle in the box in the 23rd minute, and there was another in the 56th minute but Howard got out to block. But the biggest miss was the one which had presented itself minutes earlier. A poor backpass from Miranda and Miller was through and rounded the out-rushing keeper. He should have got the shot away quicker and by the time he did there was a defender guarding the goalline and he blasted it off target.

Boyd also had his moments of profligacy and it could have been costly as St Mirren began to find rhythm and confidence. They won several late free-kicks, the best of which forced a save from Allan McGregor. Had they managed that sooner it could have been different.

But, then again, if Rangers had continued the way they started, it would have been well beyond their means long before then.

MAN OF THE MATCH

In a Rangers midfield that wasn't quite firing on all cylinders, Steve Davis had an industrious game and got the vital second goal.

QUICK FACT

St Mirren had to upset the form book to break their duck. They had not scored in their previous four games and were up against a Rangers side who had conceded just five goals at home all term.

TALKING POINT

Lee McCulluch in his new role as centre back. Having spent most of his career in midfield or up front, he now says goalkeeper is the only position missing from his collection.