Team news

Duo out for Gers Rangers will be without Kyle Lafferty and Steven Smith for their Clydesdale Bank Premier League game against St Mirren.

Both players are suffering from food poisoning and have been ruled out of the match at Ibrox.

Madjid Bougherra has failed to recover from a knee injury, meaning teenager Danny Wilson is set to make his home debut.

Steven Whittaker and Kevin Thomson are both expected to be fit for the game despite missing training on Friday morning, while Pedro Mendes, Kirk Broadfoot and Maurice Edu remain on the sidelines.

Rangers manager Walter Smith has compared Danny Wilson to a young David Narey and admits even he was surprised by how well the youngster handled his promotion to the first team.

Wilson made his senior debut in last week's Co-operative Insurance Cup win at Dundee and impressed enough to retain his place for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League game against Dundee United.

Smith then made the decision to hand the teenager his bow in the Champions League when he partnered David Weir in the heart of defence as Rangers earned a 1-1 draw with Unirea Urziceni in Bucharest on Wednesday.

Wilson stole the show with one of the top performances of the night and is now expected to make his first Ibrox appearance against St Mirren on Saturday.

For Smith, the comparisons with Narey are obvious. The defensive lynchpin of the successful Dundee United team of the 1980s, Narey was also just 17 when he made the breakthrough to senior football.

"I was surprised, not just by the way Danny Wilson played, but by how he handled the overall situation," admitted Smith.

"He didn't look fazed by it at all and there were no great signs of nervousness in the first few games he has had.

"I was fortunate at Dundee United to have David Narey and he is a similar type of player to him and has a similar attitude.

"If he can have as good a career as David Narey had, then we will all be happy." Looking ahead to the visit of St Mirren, Smith added: "I always think they play to a good level and I was surprised they were fighting relegation last season.

"I think Gus MacPherson could be doing with a bit of help in terms of a little bit of money spent to bring in one or two better players to help lift them again.

"That's the only thing that has been holding them back recently. He deserves great credit for the way he has handled his team over the last few seasons." Midfielder Steven Thomson is set to return for St Mirren following illness.

However Lee Mair is suspended following his red card in the 2-0 defeat by Hamilton last weekend.

St Mirren still have a lengthy injury list with Allan Johnston, Steven Robb (both groin), Craig Dargo (shoulder), Chris Smith, Tom Brighton and Mo Camara (all knee) out.

Saints boss Gus MacPherson has backed Andy Dorman to recover quickly from the blow of failing to make the Wales squad for next Saturday's friendly against Scotland.

Chester-born Dorman's international future has been the subject of speculation in Scotland after he became eligible for Wales last month under the new five-year school rule.

The 27-year-old has been one of the Premier League's top performers since joining Saints from New England Revolution in January 2008.

Wales assistant manager Roy Evans watched the midfielder score his 19th goal for the club during the recent 3-3 draw with Motherwell, but he has not done enough to force his way into John Toshack's squad.

Dorman, who moved to north Wales when he was one, has been careful not to talk up his prospects and MacPherson believes he will simply work even harder to impress Toshack.

The St Mirren boss said: "He has shown in this period what a level-headed boy he is because there has been a lot of speculation over the last four or five months, and he has just got on with it.

"He is a good professional. He plays the game the right way and I believe he will just get on with it and see the next few months as trying to impress that little bit more whenever he is watched by the Welsh FA." MacPherson believes his improving side can take something at Ibrox but accepts Celtic and Rangers will show their strength over the course of the season.

"The criticism has come from all angles this season but we've only played 10 games," he said. "If the criticism is still of that level after 30 games it will be an easier question to answer.

Rangers vs St Mirren

Last modified 17:12 07/11/09

Boyd is the boy for Rangers Kris Boyd showed why Rangers fans are desperate for him to remain at the club when his double secured a 2-1 victory over St Mirren and allowed the Scottish champions to reclaim second spot in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The striker netted in the opening minute and again in the second half at Ibrox to bring his tally for the season to seven goals and - despite a late consolation from Stephen O'Donnell - his brace ensured Rangers moved ahead of Hibernian with a game in hand.

Boyd may be tipped for a departure if cash-strapped Rangers offload key personnel in January but supporters made their feelings clear at this match with a banner declaring: "Boyd must stay, Boyd must play, home and away." He was drafted back into the team, along with Nacho Novo and John Fleck, following the midweek draw with Unirea Urziceni. There was also an Ibrox debut for 17-year-old Danny Wilson, who retained his place in the heart of defence after stealing the show in his maiden Champions League outing in Bucharest.

Kyle Lafferty and Steven Smith were both out with food poisoning and Kevin Thomson failed to make the squad after missing training on Friday, paving the way for youngsters Stephen Stirling and Kyle Hutton to be named on the bench.

Saints headed into the match without Lee Mair, who was suspended following his red card last week, but boosted by the return of Steven Thomson from illness.

Boyd had been given his usual spot on the bench for the Champions League clash on Wednesday night and made the most of his return to the first team when he fired Rangers into the lead with just 17 seconds on the clock.

Fleck's shot from the edge of the area was parried by Paul Gallacher straight to Novo, he touched on to Boyd and the striker could not have been better place to rifle home from inside the six-yard box.

Boyd then turned provider when he slipped a pass to Steven Naismith, who tried his luck with an angled drive but, this time, the goalkeeper dealt with the danger better and was able to smother.

At the other end, Allan McGregor was called into action to push a well-struck shot from Andy Dorman past his right-hand post, with the Saints man unleashing from 20 yards out.

Rangers should have doubled their advantage when Gallacher blocked a shot from distance from Fleck and Boyd pounced on the rebound but he was uncharacteristically off-target and lashed narrowly past the upright.

With Rangers failing to capitalise on their early lead, the visitors could have hauled themselves level again when Dorman picked out Garry Brady and his chip came off the inside of the post and back into play before being hastily scrambled to safety.

The Buddies were gaining in confidence and threatened again when Billy Mehmet cut inside from the left and drilled a low shot towards goal that McGregor did well to block.

Rangers then squandered a decent chance when Fleck's corner was inadvertently knocked on by Jack Ross to the feet of Lee McCulloch but he volleyed well over from close range to the groans of the home crowd who knew he should have done better.

Steven Whittaker was another who missed training and he was withdrawn at the interval for DaMarcus Beasley, with Steven Davis moving to right-back.

Rangers pressed for a second goal and a long ball from Davis intended for Boyd was intercepted by Hugh Murray and his clearance clipped the crossbar as the Paisley side breathed a sigh of relief.

But Gallacher was picking the ball out of the back of the net with 57 minutes gone. Beasley's pass found Novo and he rolled across the face of goal to where Boyd was waiting to stab home from close range.

The striker was then denied his hat-trick when he threw himself in front of a Davis cross only to see his header scrape the crossbar on the way over.

Keen to avoid any danger of a late fightback, Rangers peppered the Saints goal with chances in the closing stages in a bid to kill the game off.

Fleck turned and dispatched a powerful shot from the edge of the box that Gallacher managed to gather, before the goalkeeper punched a Boyd shot to safety.

Boyd then rattled a shot off the keeper's legs before Saints pulled a goal back with two minutes to go when substitute O'Donnell fired home amid claims of handball from furious Rangers players.