Miller netted twice in the 3-0 win over Hibs at Easter Road yesterday which took Rangers three points clear of Celtic at the top of the SPL.

The Scotland striker's two-goal return yesterday doubled his tally for the campaign so far, as he looks to justify the faith Smith placed in him by bringing him back to Ibrox in the face of opposition from a sizeable section of the club's support.

"Kenny's performances have been really good this season," said Smith, "and if we play well and create opportunities, then he has shown in the past that he can score a number of goals. People talk about his goalscoring record, but he hasn't always played in teams who create a lot of chances. If he plays for a team with greater creation, and I'm hoping that will be the case with us, then he will score more goals."

So far, all of Miller's goals for Rangers have come against his former clubs, with yesterday's brace against Hibs following a similar return in the Old Firm match at Celtic Park at the end of August. "If we ever play Derby, then he will be the right man to play," smiled Smith as he reflected happily on his team's comprehensive victory at a venue where Rangers have often been troubled in recent seasons.

"It was a very satisfying win," added Smith, "because Easter Road has proved a very difficult place for us to come and get three points in the past.

"I felt we started the game very well, then after the half-hour stage Hibs came into the game a little bit. But we managed to get a 2-0 lead at half-time which I felt was a correct reflection of the play. We started slowly in the second half but fortunately it didn't cost us anything.

"We came back to control the last 25 minutes or so and I felt we should have added even more to the scoreline with Hibs committing more players forward. Madjid Bougherra's third goal came at a good time and killed the game off, although we didn't make the most of the breaks forward we made in the final stages."

Kris Boyd had to endure another afternoon confined to the substitutes' bench with Smith preferring Jean-Claude Darcheville as Miller's strike partner.

"I felt his pace could be a factor for us in the game," explained Smith. "You have to pick and choose the strikers you feel are best suited for the opposition you are playing. I felt Kenny and Jean-Claude were the best pairing today and it worked out for us.

"It worked out because we played well as a team and we might have got goals regardless of who the strikers were."

Hibernian manager Mixu Paatelainen had no complaints about the final outcome and was critical of his team at both ends of the pitch. "The way we started the game was really bad," said Paatelainen.

"We gave the ball away needlessly and that sets the tone. We were second best all over the pitch in the first 20 minutes.

"After that, we actually created three great chances to score but couldn't take them. Dean Shiels was one on one with the goalkeeper, he should have scored.

"The two goals we conceded in the first half were really poor. You need to be sharper physically and mentally against a striker like Kenny Miller. People say he is not a finisher, but he showed today how good a finisher he is. We didn't pass the ball well enough today and, all in all, I'm really disappointed in how we played."

Paatelainen took some consolation from the performance of Derek Riordan who lasted 87 minutes of his first starting appearance since returning to Hibs from Celtic last month.

"Derek will give us more, because he is not fully match fit yet, but the one positive for us today is that he got almost a full 90 minutes under his belt," said Paatelainen.