Queen of the South 2 - 3 Rangers Sat 24/05/08

Kris Boyd (33)
DaMarcus Beasley (43)
Kris Boyd (72)

Kris Boyd was the Hampden hero once again as Rangers ended a rollercoaster season on a high note by claiming the Scottish Cup with a 3-2 win over Queen of the South.

The striker set the ball rolling with the opener before DaMarcus Beasley put his injury hell firmly behind him with a goal of his own.

Brave Queens hit back through Steve Tosh and captain Jim Thomson but Boyd had the final say when he grabbed the winner to ensure the silverware would be heading back to Ibrox.

Boyd also played a crucial role in the CIS Insurance Cup triumph in March, twice hauling Rangers back into the game before netting the decisive penalty in a shoot-out against Dundee United, and his double today allowed him to take his tally to 25 for the season.

Rangers finally appeared to have run out of legs in the last 10 days of the season, losing the UEFA Cup final to Zenit St Petersburg and then the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title to Celtic on Thursday night.

In contrast, this was Queens' first game since finishing fourth in the Irn-Bru First Division 28 days ago - and a whopping 42 days since their dramatic 4-3 win over Aberdeen in the semi-finals.

Rangers manager Walter Smith needed one final push from his players in their 68th, and final, game of what had been an exhausting campaign and they obliged to salvage a cup double from what has truly been a remarkable season.

Smith made four changes from the side who lost to Aberdeen midweek and the most notable of those was the inclusion of Beasley, the USA international making his first start since sustaining knee ligament damage in a Champions League game back in November.

Sasa Papac was also named in the starting XI after recovering from a thigh strain, as were Boyd and Lee McCulloch. Christian Dailly and Steven Davis were among the substitutes while Daniel Cousin and Charlie Adam were dropped from the squad altogether.

Tosh also tried his luck but his long-ranger was comfortably held by Neil Alexander in the Rangers goal.

At the other end a long, low shot from Kevin Thomson flashed wide of Jamie MacDonald's left-hand post before Rangers really began to impose themselves on the match.

Boyd released Beasley into the box and he looked set to leave the net bulging only to rifle into the side-netting instead.

The roles were then reversed when Boyd met a Beasley cross eight yards out only to nod just over when it looked so much easier to score.

The breakthrough came after 32 minutes. Tosh gave away a free-kick for a foul on Beasley 25 yards out and Barry Ferguson played the ball short to Boyd to lash into the top right corner of the net.

Rangers doubled their advantage three minutes before the break when Carlos Cuellar's header was missed by Thomson and Ryan McCann and broke kindly to Beasley to slide home from eight yards.

Just when Rangers must have thought their names were on the trophy, Gordon Chisholm's men pulled a goal back four minutes after the restart.

O'Connor skipped past Cuellar before cutting back into the path of Tosh to bundle home with his stomach from the edge of the six-yard box and provide hope of a dramatic fight-back.

That proved to be the case when the battling Dumfries club hauled themselves level with 53 minutes gone.

A Papac foul on McCann proved costly when Robert Harris punted the resultant free-kick into the box and skipper Thomson was on hand to direct a header past Alexander.

Rangers could have restored their lead when Jean-Claude Darcheville released Beasley and he layed off a pass to the feet of Ferguson but the skipper fired straight into the keeper's arms.

It was left to Boyd to come to the rescue and he rose above everyone else in the box to meet Beasley's corner and send a header looping over the Queens goalkeeper after 71 minutes.

The striker could have then added to his tally for the day but, this time, his header was held by MacDonald after Thomson had delivered a teasing ball from the right.

In the end, Boyd's brace proved to be just enough to allow Rangers to finish the season with a cup double.

• McCoist 'thrilled' as Gers lift Cup: Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist was 'thrilled' to see the club end the season on a high with their 3-2 victory over Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup final.

  Kris Boyd scored twice at Hampden and DaMarcus Beasley also found the net as Rangers fended off a determined comeback from Queens in the second half.

  Rangers were playing their 68th game of the season, less than 48 hours after seeing the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title go to Celtic, and 10 days after losing the UEFA Cup final.

  'It's been an incredible journey this season,' said McCoist.

  'I would have been bitterly disappointed if we had not won the cup today.

  'But we have won it and I'm thrilled for the players and the fans.'

  Former striker McCoist appreciated Boyd's lethal finishing, which made the difference between the teams.

  'That's what he does best,' McCoist told BBC1 Scotland.

  'Put the ball in front of him in the box and he'll score goals.'

  Boyd scored his first from 25 yards, but his second was a poacher's goal, heading home from five yards to put Rangers 3-2 up.

  McCoist hailed the effort by First Division side Queen of the South, who beat Aberdeen 4-3 in the semi-finals to reach their first Scottish Cup final.

  'They've been a credit to the First Division and to (manager) Gordon Chisholm,' said McCoist.

  'They've had a great season and it was a remarkable achievement getting to the cup final.

  'They did Dumfries proud today.'

  Boyd started the game and took advantage of the opportunity by firing Rangers ahead in the 33rd minute, and after Beasley doubled the lead they looked set to win convincingly.

  But Queens came back into the match with goals from Steve Tosh and Jim Thomson.

  Boyd grabbed the winner in the 72nd minute, and Boyd said: 'I'm just glad we've got over the finishing line.'

  He said: 'I don't think there was much left in us to go to extra-time.'

  Boyd also netted twice as substitute in the CIS Insurance Cup final, and hit the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Dundee United.

  He insisted Saturday's victory topped that achievement.

  'The Scottish Cup is the big cup in scotland and we're delighted to get that after the disappointment of Thursday night,' Boyd said.

  'We'll enjoy the moment and we'll be back fighting next year for the league.'

  Rangers defender David Weir, who turned 38 a fortnight ago, stressed he has no plans to retire after winning his second medal since coming to Ibrox in January 2007.

  He vowed to extend his career for 'as long as I can'.

  Weir added on BBC Radio Scotland: 'It's a great feeling this, it's what makes it all worthwhile.

  'I'll definitely play on.'

  Goalkeeper Neil Alexander had not expected to be so involved when he joined from Ipswich in January, taking on the role of Allan McGregor's deputy.

  But McGregor's injury blow last month ruled him out for the rest of the season and Alexander was thrust into the first team for a run of crucial games.

  'It's unbelievable,' he said after collecting his medal.

  'Since I signed it's been a fantastic journey for me.

  'It's been a fantastic end to a very difficult season. We've had so many games but this tops it all off.

  'It's been a long hard season and we're all looking forward to our holidays now.'

  Captain Barry Ferguson thought Rangers were well set to do the quadruple and admitted there was a tinge of disappointment at finishing the season as winners of just two competitions.

  He said: 'It's good, two cups out of four, but I thought we had the chance to win the four of them.

  'We're disappointed with that, but we'll take the two trophies and we'll carry on.

  'We'll be back stronger and I'm sure the manager will bring in a few players to strengthen us.

RANGERS: Alexander, Whittaker, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Ferguson, Thomson, Beasley (Davis 76), Darcheville (Fleck 86), Boyd, McCulloch,

Subs Not Used: Smith, Dailly, McMillan,

Ref: S Dougal

Man-of-the-match: Boyd

Attendance: 48,821