Kris Boyd emerged from the shadows to become Rangers' hero as they ended
 gutsy Queen of the South's hopes of winning their first Scottish Cup 
final.<br><br>Boyd fired home a superb free-kick and DaMarcus Beasley slotted in a second as Rangers eased ahead by half-time.<br><br>However,
 the biggest shock in cup final history looked on the cards when Stevie 
Tosh forced the ball home and Jim Thomson headed in an equaliser.<br><br>But Boyd, so often left on the bench this season, rose to head the winner.<br><br>And
 Rangers, playing their 68th game of an arduous season, limped home to 
ensure their 32nd Scottish Cup final triumph - their first in five 
years.<br><br>Rangers manager Walter Smith had made four changes in an 
attempt to freshen up a side that were playing their fourth game in 
eight days.<br><br>Boyd, Beasley, Sasa Papac and Lee McCulloch came in for Christian Dailly, Steven Davis, Daniel Cousin and Charlie Adam.<br><br>Queens were reduced to 10 men within minutes when midfielder Ryan McCann had to go off for a couple of stitches in a head wound.<br><br>But
 he quickly returned as the Dumfries outfit, playing their first 
competitive match in four weeks after finishing fourth in the First 
Division, matched their more illustrious rivals for endevour and 
possession in the early stages.<br><br>Carlos Cuellar, who has been 
Scotland's outstanding player this season, exemplified the tired legs 
among the Rangers players with a couple of loose passes.<br><br>But the 
Glasgow side - who won the CIS Cup earlier in the season - steadied 
themselves and ought to have taken the lead with the first clear sight 
of goal after 24 minutes.<br><br>Boyd broke clear and clipped a neat 
ball into the path of Beasley, who curled his shot into the wrong side 
of the netting behind the post from the edge of the penalty box.<br><br>The
 same two combined again moments later, with the unmarked Boyd 
squandering a great opportunity by sending a diving header a few feet 
over from 10 yards.<br><br>However, he made no mistake and after 33 minutes, after Beasley won a foul following a Tosh challenge.<br><br>Barry Ferguson teed it up for Boyd to bullet his drive into the top corner from 22 yards and Rangers' steps visibly quickened.<br><br>But,
 despite their growing stranglehold on possession, Tosh broke through 
only for the diving Neil Alexander to save at the veteran midfielder's 
feet.<br><br>There were shouts for a penalty when Steven Whittaker blocked the path of Sean O'Connor.<br><br>But
 it was a collision between Queens players McCann and Jim Thomson inside
 the other box that enabled Rangers to stretch their lead.<br><br>It 
allowed Cuellar's header to the back post to fall for Beasley, whose 
side-footed effort from 12 yards slipped under goalkeeper Jamie 
MacDonald.<br><br>It looked like there would be no way back for Queens, 
but two goals within eight minutes after the break turned a thrilling 
game on its head.<br><br>O'Connor slipped clear of Cuellar in the box 
and the striker's drive into the six-yard box was punched home off the 
pelvis of Tosh.<br><br>A Boyd header was well held by MacDonald before 
Queens broke up the other end, where Thomson rose to head home a Bob 
Harris free-kick from 10 yards.<br><br>Rangers were looking nervous again and Cuellar's last-ditch tackle denied O'Connor at the front post.<br><br>But Boyd came to the rescue, heading home in a crowded penalty box from a Beasley corner after 72 minutes.<br><br>That
 appeared to knock the wind out of Queens' sails and Rangers went on to a
 victory that will go some way to making up for the disappointment of 
missing out on the Scottish Premier League title less than 48 hours 
earlier and defeat in the Uefa Cup final.<br>