Boyd strike puts Rangers in sight of Celtic

Kris Boyd scored the only goal of the game as Rangers ended a difficult week with a 1-0 win away to Falkirk on Sunday as they closed the gap on Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic to three points.

Boyd struck in the ninth minute of the match but Rangers were unable to add to their tally against a team battling to avoid relegation and might have paid dearly when goalkeeper Neil Alexander dropped a cross in the closing stages.

This was Rangers's first match since captain Barry Ferguson and regular goalkeeper Allan McGregor were suspended for the gestures they made while on the bench for Scotland against Iceland that have cost the pair their international careers.

Boyd scored his 25th goal of the season when, with the first real attack of the game, Pedro Mendes released Nacho Novo on the left and his cutback found Boyd who made no mistake from close range.

Falkirk enjoyed plenty of possession but rarely threatened while Rangers only came close to scoring a second goal 10 minutes from time when Mendes shot high over the crossbar.