Barry Ferguson played his first game since May for Rangers as Walter Smith’s men crushed Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5-0 at home. Kris Boyd grabbed a hat trick, with Nacho Novo and Kenny Miller contributing one apiece as Rangers temporarily went to the top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference. Celtic play Hearts on Sunday.
Rangers dominated play in the first half, and with 30 minutes gone, had already raced to a 4-0 lead. Nacho Novo opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and Boyd helped himself to goals in the fourteenth and nineteenth minute before scoring his third from the spot in the 28th minute after Kenny Miller had been brought down by David Proctor. It was Boyd’s sixth Rangers hat trick.
When Miller added the fifth on the stroke of half time, fans feared the worst for Inverness, but to their credit they did not conceded any more in the second half. Pedro Mendes had a fine outing for Rangers, but this was a day that opposition keeper Michael Fraser would like to forget.
Caley manager Craig Brewster said
That was the worst 45 minutes I have seen from a Caley side
Ferguson made his long awaited comeback in the 56th minute when he replaced Kevin Thomson.