afternoon with a 2-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic, on
an afternoon when the result was infinitely more
important than the performance, which to be honest was
nothing special.
Nevertheless the victory means that the Light Blues
move into second place in the title race, at least
until Monday when Hearts visit Falkirk.
On Remembrance Day, a one-minute was immaculately
observed, underlining why exactly the same should have
been held for Bobby Shearer on Wednesday.
Crisis-ridden Rangers, and under-fire Manager Paul Le
Guen made five changes after Wednesday's debacle with
Karl Svensson, Charlie Adam, Barry Ferguson, Lee
Martin and Dado Prso replacing Sasa Papac, Gavin Rae,
Thomas Buffel, Kris Boyd and Filip Sebo against a
visiting side containing former Ranger Greg Shields.
Making a less-than-welcome return to Ibrox (for the
first time in two seasons) was Referee Steve Conroy.
On a day of wild weather, there was a pathetic
travelling support from Fife - and it took some time
for the rest of the 48,218 crowd to warm to the
proceedings, Adam heading wide from an Alan Hutton
cross in fourteen minutes when he perhaps should have
done better.
Five minutes later Svensson's header from a Ferguson
corner was just wide as Rangers anxiously sought the
boost of an early goal.
The game's first controversial moment arrived in 28
minutes when Prso was barged off the ball by
Souleymane Bamba as he moved onto a Nacho Novo pass -
but to no-one's surprise the referee waved play on.
A less-than-memorable first-half ended goalless, and
within four minutes of the restart Rangers were denied
another penalty claim when Novo's shot from an Adam
corner appeared to be charged down by a defender's
hand.
Boyd was inches wide in 51 minutes with a header from
a Ferguson cross, yet the 'Pars' were not just here to
make up the numbers, underlined in 58 minutes when
Stevie Crawford's twenty-yard drive was beaten away by
Allan McGregor.
Sixty seconds later at the other end the deadlock
should have been broken when a flowing move down the
right by Prso and Novo split the visitors' defence,
the Spaniard's low cross weighted perfectly for
Ferguson who somehow struck his shot straight at
goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie with the net gaping.
Finally, to immense relief, the opening goal arrived
on the hour when Boyd turned on a Prso pass to net.
Suddenly a great weight was lifted from Light Blue
shoulders, and four minutes later Prso's header from
an Adam free-kick was inches wide.
Novo should have sealed the points in seventy minutes
when, virtually under the crossbar, he somehow headed
Adam's cross over.
Five minutes later Boyd found the net after Prso's
shot had been parried by McKenzie only for the goal to
be chalked off for offside, but immediately thereafter
it was 2-0 when Steven Smith netted from a tight angle
from a Prso lay-off. It was the youngster's first goal
for the club.
Ferguson was denied a third in 88 minutes when his
netbound shot from a Novo pass was headed off the line
by Bamba.
The win was an immense relief to all friends of
Rangers, and afterwards Le Guen observed:
"I am relieved at the win, but there's a long way to
go. The fans were behind us. It was very important to
win today. The players showed good commitment. This is
a start."
RANGERS McGregor; Hutton, Hemdani, Svensson, Smith;
Adam (Rae 87), Ferguson, Clement, Martin (Boyd 45);
Prso (Sebo 87), Novo
UNUSED SUBS Klos, Buffel, Papac, Ponroy
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC McKenzie; Labonte, Shields,
Bamba, S. Morrison (Woods 76); O. Morrison (Daquin
82), Simmons, Mason, Ross, Hamilton; Crawford
(Williamson 90)
UNUSED SUBS Paterson, Muirhead, Phinn, Muir
REFEREE Steve Conroy
Attendance 48,218