Rangers stay four points clear

Rangers stayed four points clear of arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League by beating bottom club Gretna 4-2 yesterday.

Daniel Cousin, Steve Naismith, Chris Burke and Kris Boyd shared the goals for Rangers, who lead with 62 points from 25 games.

Celtic kept up the chase by beating St Mirren 1-0 courtesy of an 87th-minute strike from Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura.

French striker Cousin put Rangers ahead in the 13th minute by latching onto a pass from skipper Barry Ferguson to round keeper Greg Fleming and scored with an angled shot.

Naismith hooked in the second from close range from a corner nine minutes later and Burke added the third on the hour following a run down the left by Frenchman Jean-Claude Darcheville.

Kenny Deuchar pulled one back for Gretna when he headed in from a corner in the 72nd minute and was on target again in the 89th, but Boyd had added Rangers' fourth a minute earlier.

Kilmarnock beat Aberdeen 3-1 in yesterday's other game with Craig Bryson grabbing a double.