But with the wind at their backs in the second half, Gerrard's team were finally able to get on the front foot and eventually swept Oran Kearney's struggling Saints aside in a 2-0 win.

Asked what had pleased him most after late goals from Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos sealed victory, the Rangers boss told RangersTV: "That the players stuck to the game plan, we didn't panic and we showed excellent patience.

"I think a couple of moments aside when they had a strike on our goal and had a couple of set-piece moments, I think besides that, we completely controlled a lot of the game and obviously created the better chances.

"I always had confidence and belief it would come. I obviously wanted it to come a bit earlier than it did, but credit to the players that they stuck to the game plan, they didn't change or panic, but eventually, we got our rewards.

"That is the pleasing thing. They didn't get frustrated or try and play differently or go individual – we stayed as a team, we kept passing it as a team and we kept creating some really good chances."

Eros Grezda came close just after half-time when he smashed the base of Craig Samson's post while the Buddies also survived somehow as Scott Arfield, Ovie Ejaria and Candeias all had goes at bundling the ball home amid a chaotic six-yard box scrap.

Gerrard added: "After the goal-line scramble, you were thinking if it was going to be one of those days, but I have to praise my players for sticking with it and eventually getting that breakthrough.

"It was thoroughly deserved, and I believe if the breakthrough had come a little earlier, we could have gone on to win even more comfortably than we did.

"But we will take 2-0, a clean sheet and a big three points for us."

The result ended Gers' three-game run without a win and the manager was pleased to see his men finally get some reward after three frustrating results against Spartak Moscow, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

He said: "The responsibility and the onus is on us to find a way. It's not easy – the first half at the weekend, the rain was coming in sideways with gale force winds, so you always felt it might be tough in the first 45.

"But I said to the players at half-time, St Mirren's chance of scoring against us, or beating us, had gone. I knew that at half-time and I knew once we turned around with the wind in our favour, I always had confidence it would be one-way traffic, and for the majority of the half, it was."

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