Bojan Miovski steps off the bench to score late winner as Rangers beat St Mirren

Back in the technical area after a two-game touchline suspension, Derek McInnes watched St Mirren’s Australian goalkeeper Jacob Chapman keep the home side at bay in the first half with a string of saves, albeit helped by some poor finishing.

Craig McLeish’s side, who lost 5-1 at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup last month, grew in confidence after the break and Fraser Taylor missed a great chance while the frustrated home support returned to the state of agitation which characterised the start of the season.

However, in the final seconds of normal time, Miovski, on for Djeidi Gassama, pounced in the box to grab the winner to make it four victories in a row.

The biggest tests of the domestic season to date for the Govan side come in the next two games.

Rangers host Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday followed by a league game at Celtic Park the following week, a brace of fixtures that will go a long way to shaping the Gers’ season but they will breathe easier after this win against the Buddies.

Rangers were dealt a massive blow in the build-up to the game with the confirmation that skipper Lawrence Shankland is out for three to four months with a hamstring tear, joining Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti, out long term with an ACL injury, on the sidelines.

Striker Ryan Naderi, who came off the bench to score the winner against Motherwell at the weekend, paired up with new £9million-plus signing from Portland Timbers, Kevin Kelsy, while Algerian forward Badredine Bouanani, on loan from Bundesliga side Stuttgart, made his debut.

Saints centre-back Louis Jackson, 20, came in for his debut, replacing loanee Paul Nsio, ineligible to play against his parent club.

In a sprightly Gers start, Naderi headed a James Penrice cross over the bar before blasting a shot against Chapman with only the keeper to beat.

In the 17th minute Chapman produced a brilliant save from midfielder Nico Raskin’s close-range header from a Bouanani delivery and the corner came to nothing, before Buddies defender Henry Fieldson thwarted Naderi from another Penrice cross from the left.

Chapman then prevented a wayward clearance from Buddies defender Calvin Ramsay going past him before making a fine double save, first from a Gassama shot and then from Bouanani’s drive from the rebound and there were other goalmouth scares for the Buddies before the interval allowed some respite.

However, the visitors were immediately pushed back after the break as the Light Blues kept up their search for the opener.

On the hour mark, as the Ibrox side’s grip began to loosen, Kelsy was replaced by Kim Min-su with Bouanani making way for Findlay Curtis.

However, in the 65th minute a much-improved St Mirren should have taken the lead when midfielder Taylor escaped the Gers defence to run clear through on goal but his shot was blocked by Gers keeper Ivor Pandur, before the keeper made a decent save from Nikolas Agrafiotis’s shot on the turn.

As tension levels rose in the stands, Miovski, down the pecking order at Rangers, and Cammy Devlin came on for Gassama and Raskin but it was the Paisley side who looked the more likely to grab the first goal and in the 80th minute former Gers man Declan John screwed a shot just past the far post.

However, as the clock touched 90 minutes Miovski raced on to a Naderi flick and lofted the ball over Chapman and suddenly everything at Ibrox looked so much better.