HE got the ball, he scored a goal - well three, actually.

Kris Boyd was back doing what he does best at Ibrox on Monday night.

And now, with the first strikes of his second spell at Rangers to his name, there are sure to be plenty more to follow.

Boyd cut a frustrated figure during the Gers' first three competitive fixtures this term, the games against Hibernian, Hearts and Falkirk seeing Ally McCoist's side toil in the final third and their main goal threat starved of the service he thrives on.

The Petrofac Training Cup clash with Clyde on Monday night came at the ideal time for team and player, the visit of Barry Ferguson's League Two outfit the perfect chance to build confidence and hit the goal trail.

After waiting longer than they had expected to see Boyd score this season, the Light Blue legions rose to their feet to celebrate a clinical hat-trick from Scotland's most deadly marksman as the Gers eased to an 8-1 triumph.

Three games without a goal hardly constitutes a scoring drought but when your ratio is as prolific as Boyd's, the need to find the net increases with every passing minute or spurned chance.

"It was great to get off the mark again," Boyd said. "I didn't even score in pre-season, apart from my first game.

"You become frustrated, but I've shown over my career that I'm not going to hide if I have missed a couple of chances. I'll keep coming back for more.

"Monday was one of those nights where you keep going back. I've got a hat-trick and I should have got more, but I'm not going to complain about it.

"I always feel confident that I can score goals. For me it's a matter of getting myself into positions.

"It's something I have done all my career and I am not going to stop now. If people can find me I know I can score goals.

"Yes, I'll miss chances too, but that's part and parcel of being a striker, especially for the chances you usually get at this club.

"We've not created too much so far this season, but we created plenty on Monday, albeit against lesser opposition, but it shows you if we apply ourselves properly and get high up the pitch we can damage teams.

"It was a great first-half performance, and although we started sloppy in the second half, we finished it strong, although you are always disappointed to lose a goal."

Rangers' lack of guile and scoring nous had been the most alarming deficiency exposed during their first hours of competitive action this season as they struggled to overcome Hibernian and Falkirk and lost to Hearts at Ibrox.

Striker Kenny Miller spoke candidly about the Light Blues' creative issues in the wake of that defeat to the Jambos, while Boyd turned the spotlight on himself in the search for answers and goals.

They were not in short supply on Monday, Lee McCulloch and Lewis Macleod hitting doubles and Fraser Aird also netting, as McCoist's side ran out comfortable winners against the Bully Wee.

It was a more fluent and purposeful performance from the League One champions, and one that Boyd is eager to see replicated from now on.

He said: "It's always good to score, especially at this club. I was brought back to score and I hadn't done it, but with the games we've had, we had chances and we've not taken them.

"But I said the other day, I'm not going to sit and criticise my team-mates for not creating chances - I think our movement as strikers could have been better.

"We could have caused defences more problems than we have done.

"I thought Lee McCulloch was fantastic, breaking up play all over the pitch, but I thought Lewis Macleod was by far the man of the match.

"He took the game by the scruff of the neck, right from the first whistle and took it right to Clyde. He got another couple of goals and he was brilliant."

Boyd may have earned the scoring bragging rights with a well-taken hat-trick, leaving McCulloch and Macleod to fight it out for the strike of the night award, but there were positives right across the team for boss McCoist.

Aird was bright and positive down right flank while Nicky Clark also impressed, even if a goal did evade him.

With Miller sidelined with a hamstring injury, the striker made the most of his chance to shine, his partnership at the head of the attack showing early signs that it could be a promising one.

Boyd said of Clark: "I thought he was fantastic when he came in on Friday night and got his goal so deserved his chance.

"I thought he came in and did really well. He was brilliant and linked up well and I enjoyed playing with him."

While Rangers were able to celebrate their biggest win in several months and most accomplished performance of the season, it was to prove a sobering return to Ibrox for Light Blue legend Ferguson.

The Bully Wee were outclassed from start to finish, the only highlight Kevin Watt's superb late strike, but Boyd knows Rangers did what they had to do on the night.

He said: "It's always difficult when you are managing a part-time club coming to a team this size. It's difficult and I think a lot of their guys will have been working on the day as well.

"We knew we had to put on a performance. We know it's not been good enough in front of our fans and we started with a high tempo and got in their faces up the pitch and it was a joy to play."