Rangers put Raith Rovers to the sword

Rangers have moved to the summit of the Scottish Championship following an emphatic 4-0 victory over Raith Rovers at Stark's Park on Friday evening.

The two sides were level on points prior to kickoff, but the win sees the Glasgow giants leap above their opponents and Hearts to the top of the table.

Ally McCoist's team were dominant from the off and opened the scoring on 16 minutes when Nicky Clark peeled off his marker to glance a flat Fraser Aird cross into the net.

Rovers keeper Ross Laidlaw palmed a Lewis Macleod curler wide of the post and saved a miscued Kris Boyd effort from close range before Black's deflected 22-yard strike left him with no chance.

Laidlaw was helpless again 90 seconds later, but this time due to the power and accuracy of Nicky Law's 39th-minute free kick, which put the Gers in complete command of the match at half time.

They would have extended their three-goal advantage had Laidlaw not reacted sharply to tip Boyd's 12-yard volley wide after the break, and Raith's number one was rightly spared a fourth conceded goal when the referee disallowed Macleod's effort for a heavy challenge on the home stopper.

A Rangers fourth did come before the final whistle as Lee McCulloch smashed home from the penalty spot for his fourth goal of the season, after substitute Grant Anderson had tripped Lee Wallace.