Smith joy at Jelavic form

28 February 2011 19:00

Rangers manager Walter Smith has paid tribute to Nikica Jelavic for his impressive comeback from injury after the striker took his tally of goals for the season into double figures.

The Croatian is showing signs of being back to his best following a spell of more than three months on the sidelines after suffering a serious ankle injury in October which required surgery. He netted a double as Rangers cruised to a 4-0 win over St Johnstone to close the gap on Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Celtic to five points with two games in hand.

He said: "It was obviously a problem for him and for us as well that we lost him. I felt we were signing someone who could get us a lot of goals and I think he has shown that he can do that."

He added: "The three months that he was out have been a major disruption to his season.

"It's always difficult for a player to come back in and gain the required sharpness.

"He's getting there and will probably be reaching his peak as the season is coming to a close.

"For ourselves, we are just happy that he is back in and scoring goals.

"He could have had a hat-trick in the last couple of home matches and we just need to hope he keeps that going."

Source: PA