The marathon has now crystallised into a sprint for the line. After ten long months, the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title race will go to the final game and the victor will be decided on Thursday night as Rangers pushed the duel towards a potential photo-finish.

Rangers came up with the victory at Love Street that they required to draw level with Celtic at the top of the table on points after 37 games. And Walter Smith’s side managed to eat into some of the goal-difference cushion that Celtic possessed. Jean-Claude Darcheville scored twice, adding to Kris Boyd’s early opener, to secure the victory that Smith demanded. The Old Firm rivals are now locked on 86 points each, but Celtic have a superior goal difference of four.

The stage for the title drama will now move to Tannadice and Pittodrie. Celtic will head to Dundee United in the knowledge that if they match Rangers’ result, they will be champions for the third time in successive season. Some 90 miles up the northeast coast, Smith’s side will be bidding to outdo their rivals at Aberdeen.

Rangers came to Love Street searching for the points that would extend their title pursuit to the last day. Smith made four changes to the side that drew at Motherwell, one of which was self-inflicted, with Carlos Cuéllar suspended. The last time they came here, in early January, they could not even set foot on the pitch. The monsoons of early January forced the postponement of the fixture just 45 minutes before kick-off. The balmy May weather was not the only thing that had changed. So, too, had the perception of this contest.

In the winter, St Mirren were seen as an easy task as they kept one eye on the relegation struggle. Now, with Rangers involved in a title duel, the hosts assumed a different proposition.

The notable omission of Boyd in recent weeks from domestic duty, to mirror his European exile from the first-team, had irked many Rangers supporters. The striker was clearly eager to prove a point and it took him just four minutes to break the deadlock. Steve Davis made amends for a poor corner when the ball was returned to him, skipping past a tackle before clipping an angled pass to Kirk Broadfoot, whose ball across the face of the goal was met by the predatory Boyd at the back post and he stabbed in his 23rd goal of the season.

St Mirren ought to have been cowed by such an early setback. However, they regained control of the midfield contest and carved out two fine opportunities. Will Haining forced a save from Neil Alexander after Franco Miranda’s free kick picked him out and then Stephen McGinn headed narrowly over from a fine cross by David Barron, whose forays down the right were a feature of the hosts’ play.

Rangers operated a far more productive attacking policy which saw the lead doubled in the 24th minute as Darcheville seized on a mistake by Stephen O’Donnell just outside the box. The French striker was not closed down and he thrashed a raking shot past Chris Smith, the goalkeeper.

Rangers’ hunger to collect more goals was now evident but it became wrongly channelled. The tackling became ill-disciplined as they took risks to regain the ball and that brought a flare-up on the half-hour that saw four men booked and Steven Whittaker fortunate to remain on the Phil Gordon pitch. St Mirren had been awarded a foul near the right touchline when Kevin Thomson angrily kicked the ball into the body of the prone Hugh Murray, who launched himself at the Rangers midfield player in response. The fighting pair were soon joined by Billy Mehmet and Whittaker, with the latter slapping the St Mirren striker in the face. The equality of punishment, yellow cards for the quartet, was bizarre. Then, Barry Ferguson inflicted an over-the-top challenge on Miranda that drew criticism from Gus MacPherson, the St Mirren manager, as he quizzed the linesman about the Rangers captain’s escape from justice.

Rangers came close to scoring a third just before the interval. A fine move down the right saw Broadfoot release Davis, whose cross to Boyd was knocked down for Darcheville to conjure up an overhead kick that hit the post. St Mirren, though, were still keen to make an impact and Andy Dorman’s netbound shot was blocked by Broadfoot.

St Mirren reemerged after the interval with a greater sense of purpose and made things far tougher. Haining ought to have buried another opportunity from another Miranda free kick but failed to and then Murray wasted the follow-up.

The visitors, though, carved out far more chances. Novo was denied in the 52nd minute by the head of Haining, who diverted the striker’s curling shot over the bar. Novo then squandered a chance from Darcheville’s set-up with an ugly finish. Darcheville elected to take the next one himself, following David Weir’s knockdown from Ferguson, the striker stabbed a shot towards goal but Smith pawed the ball wide.

St Mirren introduced Jim Hamilton to aid Mehmet, who had laboured up front on his own. The latter enjoyed the greater freedom offered by the arrival of the substitute and came close to reducing the deficit in the 66th minute when Miranda whipped in another free kick from deep and Mehmet headed just wide.

Darcheville showed a greater degree of accuracy as he collected his second goal in the 68th minute. A long ball from Rangers’ own half found Boyd, who deftly laid it into the path of Ferguson for the captain to show great vision with a pass that was angled into the run of Darcheville. The Frenchman’s long run had not robbed him of his composure and he steered the ball under Smith.

St Mirren (4-5-1): M Howard – D Barron, W Haining, J Potter, F Miranda – H Murray, A Dorman, G Mason, S O’Donnell, S McGinn (sub: J Hamilton, 55) – B Mehmet. Substitutes not used: C Smith, C Dargo, R McCay, M Docherty, M McAusland, S Burns. Booked: Murray, Mehmet, Dorman, O’Donnell, Hamilton.

Rangers (4-3-3): N Alexander – K Broadfoot, C Dailly, D Weir, S Whittaker – S Davis, B Ferguson, K Thomson – N Novo (sub: D Beasley, 77), K Boyd, J C Darcheville (sub: D Cousin, 81). Substitutes not used: G Smith, A Faye, D Furman, J McMillan, J Fleck. Booked: Thomson, Whittaker, Weir.

Referee: C Thomson.