Rangers striker Kris Boyd has broken former Celtic forward Henrik Larsson’s SPL top scorer record of 158 goals. Boyd scored five goals in his side’s 7-1 home win over Dundee United on Wednesday night, making him the highest goalscorer in Scottish Premier League history with 160.
Boyd’s scored a first-half hat-trick against the Terrors which he completed within nine minutes in the opening period, with a 20th minute penalty setting him on his way. A long range effort then made it two in the 24th minute, before he completed his quick fire rout with a tap-in in the 29th minute.
The former Kilmarnock player wasn’t finished there though and smashed his way through the all-time record with goals in the 75th and 80th minutes of the game, before he was eventually substituted to a standing ovation a minute later.
It wasn’t the first time Boyd had scored five goals in a match, nor was it the first time he bagged five against Dundee United. He scored four in the first-half of a 5-2 win over the Terrors for Kilmarnock in 2004, before finishing the match as his team’s only goal scorer.
Coincidentally, Larsson set his record with a brace against Dundee United in his last ever SPL game in May 2004. Celtic left it late but Larsson’s double in the last 10 minutes of the game sealed an emotional Parkhead farewell. The Swede then also scored a brace in the Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline Athletic six days later.
Boyd made his debut in the league in May 2001, coming on for Kilmarnock as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Celtic at Rugby Park. He then scored his first senior goal in November against Motherwell. He scored 63 league goals for Killie before Rangers snapped him up in January 2006.
He marked his Rangers debut with a hat-trick in a 5-0 win against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup. By May 2007, he had scored 100 SPL goals, setting that personal record with his only goal against Celtic to date.
A move to English Premier League club Birmingham City was on the table in January this year, but the striker failed to agree personal terms with Alex McLeish’s team.
His continued goalscoring form will also be good news to new Scotland manager Craig Levein, who has tempted Boyd out of his self-imposed international exile. The striker – who has seven international goals from 15 games – withdrew himself from selection under previous boss George Burley after he was overlooked in his country’s 0-0 home draw with Norway.
