Athletic 2-1 at East End Park last night to
sensationally reduce the gap in the title race to just
four points following Celtic's 2-3 home defeat at the
hands of Aberdeen.
Manager Alex McLeish made one change from Sunday's
debacle with Hamed Namouchi replacing Shota Arveladze
against a Pars' line-up that included three former
Rangers' players, namely Greg Shields, Scott Wilson
and Barry Nicholson.
It was a bitterly cold evening through in Fife, but
the hearts of the Light Blue legions received an
unexpected boost with the news that Celtic had
conceded two goals in the opening minutes at Parkhead.
Dunfermline were first to threaten - Simon Donnelly
(son of former Ranger Tom) testing Stefan Klos with a
snapshot from a Craig Brewster lay-off in four
minutes.
Six minutes later another Brewster lay-off offered
Nicholson an opening - his twenty-yard effort being
just wide of the target.
Rangers were taking time to settle on the artificial
surface, although Nacho Novo was inches wide with a
shot on the turn from a Dado Prso pass in eighteen
minutes.
Four minutes later the opening goal arrived - at the
other end. Craig Brewster it was who found the net
with a superb curling 25-yarder from Nicholson's pass.
Rangers hit back immediately - Novo's header from a
long through-ball being clawed away by home goalkeeper
Derek Stillie in 25 minutes.
Bob Malcolm and Fernando Ricksen were both putting in
a power of work in the Ibrox midfield - Malcolm twice
sending in powerful drives that were just too high -
the first in 33 minutes a left-foot shot from a Novo
pass from the edge of the box, the second five minutes
later from an even greater distance from a Ricksen
pass.
The Pars almost increased their lead in 42 minutes
when Lee Butler seized on a Malcolm error, advancing
towards goal only to see his drive held by Klos.
The visitors finished the half on top - both Marvin
Andrews and Dado Prso having shots blocked following a
Chris Burke corner.
The interval arrived with Rangers trailing by that one
goal however - and it had been a poor first-half for
the Ibrox men, who were visibly uncertain and uneasy
about the playing surface.
The second-half would prove to be a different story
however - Rangers resumed play full of determination
and resolve, and were level within two minutes when
Jean-Alain Boumsong headed home a Ricksen free-kick.
Suddenly it was all Rangers - Namouchi being denied by
Stillie in 51 minutes when his low shot from a Ricksen
pass was touched onto an upright by the goalkeeper.
The visitors poured forward in search of the lead -
and it came six minutes later via the penalty spot
when Ricksen moved onto a Prso flick to be clean
through on Stillie only to be upended by Andrius
Skerla.
It was a stonewall penalty - and should also have been
a red card for the Lithuanian defender, but Referee
John Underhill bottled the decision.
Nacho Novo nevertheless converted the spot-kick, after
much debate with Dado Prso over who should accept the
responsibility.
Skerla had no right to remain on the park - and just
to compound Underhill's error the defender made a
last-gasp saving tackle on Prso after the ball had
broken off Gregory Vignal into the Croatian's path.
Dunfermline were not yet a beaten team however -
Brewster's 75th minute flick from a Scott Thomson
cross being held by Klos.
Ricksen was by a distance the outstanding player
afield, his 81st minute free-kick finding Novo at the
far post only for Nacho to blast the ball wide.
Two minutes later Boumsong headed another Ricksen free
over as Rangers went all out to seal the three points,
but it was Stillie who kept home hopes alive in 87
minutes when he made a quite magnificent point-blank
save from a Prso header following a Vignal cross.
The scores were almost levelled sixty seconds later
when a ferocious Thomson volley was headed off the
line by Malcolm.
The final whistle soon afterwards confirmed a crucial
Rangers win, and afterwards McLeish reflected:
"The game should have been wrapped up earlier. We
started tentatively, trying to get to grips with the
Astroturf. There's a long season ahead - we must look
forward, not backwards."
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC Stillie; Shields, Wilson, Skerla,
Thomson; Derek Young, Mason (Tod 78), Nicholson,
Butler; Brewster, Donnelly (Mehmet 66)
UNUSED SUBS Langfield, Byrne, Labonte, Bradley,
Mehmet, Tod, Darren Young
RANGERS Klos; Khizanishvili, Boumsong, Andrews,
Vignal; Burke, Ricksen, Malcolm, Namouchi (Hughes 70);
Prso, Novo
UNUSED SUBS G. Smith, Arveladze, Thompson, McLean,
Davidson, Campbell
REFEREE John Underhill
Attendance 8,678