BOYD ended his long wait for a goal against Celtic when he helped fire Rangers to a lucrative victory in the final Old Firm derby of the season. The otherwise prolific striker had failed to bag a goal against Celtic in 15 previous attempts with both Kilmarnock and Rangers.

But his patience paid off when his strike . . . along with a superb Charlie Adam freekick . . . secured a win over their most fierce rivals, as well as second place in the league.

Rangers can now end what has been another disappointing season safe in the knowledge they at least have a crack at the Champions League to look forward to next term.

It was Boyd who broke the deadlock with 33 minutes gone, finally claiming his first ever goal against Celtic, and joy and relief were etched all over his face. Nacho Novo was the provider with a cheeky chip and, even though there was a suspicion of offside, the flag stayed down and Boyd struck a left-footed volley under Artur Boruc and into the back of the net.

Caldwell then received the first yellow card five minutes before the break for a late challenge on Kevin Thomson.

The first half ended with the sight of Celtic skipper Neil Lennon taunting the home fans by lifting an imaginary cup as he walked towards the tunnel. Shunsuke Nakamura should have had the ball in the back of the net for Celtic shortly after the restart but he rifled off the body of Allan McGregor, before Ugo Ehiogu cleared the danger off the line.

Instead, Rangers added to their lead after 55 minutes.

Adam had proved useful with free-kicks on several occasions and it was no surprise to see him step up when Barry Ferguson was felled. What was surprising was his decision to roll the ball low along the ground and into the back of the net, fooling the Celtic wall, who jumped in anticipatation of his usual flighted, curling effort.

In the final minutes Alan Hutton foolishly aimed a kick at Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and sparked a melee.

Hutton, Lee Naylor and Lennon were all booked, before Miller's name was also added to referee Craig Thomson's book for a foul on Hutton, ensuring a typical end to a fiery fixture.