Bojan Miovski emphatically silenced his critics with a match-winning double, ending a prolonged goal drought to fire Rangers to a 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday night.
Miovski's Timely Return to Form
Prior to the match, the North Macedonian striker's place at Ibrox was under intense scrutiny. Having arrived for £4.2 million from Girona in the summer, Miovski had not scored in 11 consecutive games, with his last goal dating back to October 5 in a 1-1 draw at Falkirk. The barren run had led to questions over his ability to lead the line for the Glasgow giants.
All that changed in Ayrshire. Miovski broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark with an instinctive toe-poked finish. He then sealed the points nine minutes into the second half, receiving a pass from Nico Raskin in the box, deceiving Kilmarnock goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi with a clever look, and sliding a low, left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
"I was working really hard behind closed doors. I didn’t forget how to score goals," a relieved Miovski said post-match. "When you work hard, the goals will come. To score two, I hope to continue in this way." His tally for the season now stands at three league goals.
A Shift in Role and Rangers' Revival
Interestingly, Miovski's resurgence came while playing a slightly altered role. Typically a striker who plays on the last defender's shoulder, he dropped deeper against Kilmarnock, becoming more involved in the build-up play. This tactical tweak by manager Danny Rohl added fluency and a cutting edge that has been missing for much of the season.
The victory was rounded off by substitute Mikey Moore, the young Tottenham loanee, who added a third with a crisp finish late on. Rangers' performance underlined a significant improvement from the struggling side they had become under previous manager Russell Martin, with attacking metrics across the board now showing marked progress.
Rohl believes his team can haul themselves back into the title race during a crucial month featuring fixtures against Hearts, Hibs, Celtic, Motherwell, and Aberdeen twice. "If you win one game, you are (up) for the title race, you lose one game, you are not," Miovski cautioned, emphasising the need for consistency.
Pressure Mounts on Kilmarnock and Kettlewell
For Kilmarnock, the defeat extends a miserable run to two months without a win, heaping pressure on manager Stuart Kettlewell. The home stands were sparsely populated for the 8pm Saturday kick-off, and Kettlewell's frustrations boiled over, resulting in a red card from referee Kevin Clancy late in the game.
Killie were aggrieved by several decisions, including a non-penalty for a tug on David Watson and a first-half offside call against Bruce Anderson that replays showed was incorrect. Defender Robbie Deas did not mince his words after the final whistle: "It’s not been good enough... I’m sick and tired of making excuses. We need to start getting results."
The match was also marred by a pre-match pyro display from the travelling Rangers support, an act of "total stupidity" likely to land the club in hot water with the SPFL and potentially lead to reduced ticket allocations for future away games.
