STEVEN WHITTAKER sealed victory for Rangers with a stunning strike then told Walter Smith he can be the answer to his problem left-back position. The ex-Hibs kid stepped in as a makeshift full-back when Sasa Papac pulled out with flu and the strength of his display suggests he has what it takes to make the position his own. Papac has been criticised as the weak link in Rangers' back four and boss Smith is expected to strengthen that position in the January transfer window. But the answer might be right under his nose as Whittaker's pace and driving runs down the flank, reminiscent of right-back Alan Hutton, offered more than Papac. And his second-half wonder strike that takes Rangers one point adrift of league leaders Celtic was the icing on the cake. Whittaker said: "Since my form dropped I've been waiting for my chance to get back into the team so I was delighted to fill in at left-back, even though it was a surprise. "It's not something I'm used to but I think it's a position I can adapt to. I'm just happy to be in the team and if that means playing at left-back I can put in a good performance there. It's something I would look forward to. "I played on the right side for Hibs but Alan Hutton is a top-class defender who has made that position his own. But I can do the exact same thing on the other side of the park even though I'll have to use my left foot more! "I'm better attacking from defensive positions so full-back suits my game better." A return to domestic duties after the rigours of Tuesday night in Stuttgart saw Smith revert to the more attacking 4-4-2 formation - and it paid off as early as the fourth minute. It was pretty simple stuff as Alan McGregor's punt forward was headed on by Kris Boyd for Jean-Claude Darcheville to chase and the Frenchman showed great pace and strength to storm beyond Ryan O'Leary and bear down on goal. His low clipped finish across keeper Alan Combe was as clinical as they come and it seemed Rangers would add to their lead as they piled on more pressure. Two former Killie favourites, Boyd and Steven Naismith, almost combined to deal their old club more misery. Lee McCulloch's ball forward found Boyd holding off Grant Murray with his back to goal and the hitman controlled with his chest before sweeping a clever square ball into the path of the overlapping Naismith. The midfield buzzbomb only had Combe standing in his way now but the experienced goalie did everything right to tighten the angle and Naisy's shot flashed across goal and wide. Ref Alan Freeland booked Carlos Cuellar in 24 minutes for an innocuous foul on Danny Invincibile. Rangers suffered a blow as Darcheville limped off after the half-hour, replaced by Charlie Adam, and much of the team's drive went with the Frenchman. Killie were forced into their own change in 38 minutes as Adam crashed heavily into the side of Rhian Dodds who went off clutching his stomach as Colin Nish entered the fray. The Rugby Park hitman is one of the hardest-working strikers in the SPL and almost got another gruelling shift off to the perfect start when he powered into space just before the break. But from a decent position just inside the box he couldn't get enough power on his shot to trouble McGregor. Rangers needed to get going again and after a quiet start to the second half they exploded to life in the 54th minute. Naismith's searching through ball down the left channel found Whittaker and the formerHibs kid cut neatly inside Simon Ford at the corner of the box to blast a stunning strike into the far top corner. Naismith then raked a shot wide from the edge of the area and Boyd had an effort ruled out for offside after he pounced on Adam's rebounded shot. Freeland wasn't having a good day and enraged the Rangers' fans when he snubbed a clear penalty claim as Murray bundled over Naismith. Then Kevin Thomson was booked for a strong challenge on Invincibile, despite taking the ball, before another spot-kick claim was ignored as Murray again looked guilty of fouling Adam in front of goal. Murray was booked with nine minutes left for a late lunge on Naismith and Nish followed him late on for dissent. REF WATCH ALAN FREELAND frustrated both sides with a poor display. He was inconsistent with his cards and wrong too many times, including two penalty shouts. Took pelters from fans. Rating: 3/10. | 
