Rangers grateful for failed January move as Ibrox spared from boiling point ahead of Celtic visit

Thrown on late in the game to try to spare Rangers from a draw or worse at home to St Mirren, Miovksi waited until injury-time before making his mark.

Ivor Pandur launched a long ball, Ryan Naderi flicked it on and there was the striker outsprinting the defence before applying the deftest of finishes over Jacob Chapman. The Australian in the St Mirren goal had looked set to be the defining figure of the match after making save after save in the first half but there was little he could do about this one.

Off sprinted Miovski to the touchline to cuddle manager Derek McInnes like old pals, with the mood around Ibrox – that had threatened to boil over in frustration as a goalless draw loomed closer – completely altered in a flash.

With Celtic up next in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final, dropped points here would have done little for morale. Instead the preceding 90 minutes were all but forgotten about as players and supporters celebrated with gusto as Rangers won for a fourth match in succession.

The outcome was perhaps cruel on St Mirren who stemmed the Rangers’ threat and then started to produce opportunities of their own, one of which, from Fraser Taylor, really ought to have been scored. Chances like that don’t come around too often and where Taylor dallied, Miovski showed no hesitation.

McInnes had started both Naderi and Kevin Kelsy at the apex of his 4-4-2 shape although neither impressed. Badredine Bouanani, a deadline-day loan recruit from VfB Stuttgart, was also handed a debut and looked bright in the first half especially with his team on top.

Perhaps chastened by the memory of their 5-1 cuffing at this venue just a few weeks earlier, St Mirren were far more defensive-minded than has been the norm from them this season and needed to be. The visitors had a few brief first-half flurries – Calvin Ramsay blazed a chance over and there was a shout for a penalty for a Manny Fernandez tackle on Ismeal Kabia – but beyond that it was all Rangers.

The law of averages suggested the welter of pressure would eventually yield a goal but, for 91 minutes, St Mirren stood firm, thanks mainly to Chapman. One by one they lined up to test the Australian and all were found wanting. Naderi saw an early shot saved, same for a Nico Raskin header. Then came an impressive double stop, Chapman plunging low to keep out Djeidi Gassama’s low driven effort before springing up to also deny Bouanani.

The best of the lot was probably the one he didn’t expect, sticking up a hand to keep Ramsay’s volley from flying into his own net. Ibrox groaned in frustration.

Chapman couldn’t do it all on his own, of course. And when Naderi looked set to touch in James Penrice’s cross from right in front of goal, in slid Henry Fieldson to steer the ball out for a corner. It was relentless but somehow St Mirren were just about surviving. Thirteen shots for Rangers and no goals told its own half-time story.

McInnes had seen enough by the hour mark to realise it wasn’t working as Rangers’ chances slowed to a trickle. On came Kim Min-su and Findlay Curtis for Kelsy and Bouanani to see if some additional guile, rather than simply trying to bludgeon their way through, would prove a more effective strategy.

It was the visitors, though, who missed the most glaring scoring opportunity. Ryan Carr’s piercing pass sent Taylor running clear. If anything the midfielder had too much time to think and his tame shot was easily saved by Pandur. St Mirren would regret that.

Much of Rangers’ attacking threat had dissipated by this point and the home fans, not the most patient at the best of times, were not slow in letting the team know as passes went astray and attacks broke down. St Mirren, in fact, looked the side more likely to break the deadlock the longer the second half wore on only for poor decision-making in the box to let them down. Rangers, though, had one more chance and Miovski did not miss it.