Rangers secured a narrow but crucial 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies in front of a record attendance of 5,895 at New Douglas Park this afternoon courtesy of a Barry Ferguson goal.
The home side went into today's game as the form side in the SPL, having won five out of their last six League fixtures.
Manager Walter Smith made two changes from one week ago with Maurice Edu and Kyle Lafferty replacing the injured Pedro Mendes and John Fleck.
Rangers almost made an early breakthrough when Steve Davis headed inches wide from a Kenny Miller cross in four minutes.
Nine minutes later Jamie McCarthy's drive from a tight angle from a Martin Canning pass was beaten out by Allan McGregor, then from the resultant Brian Easton corner Canning's header was touched over by the Ibrox goalkeeper.
It was an open game in these early stages - Miller breaking free on the right in seventeen minutes from a Kris Boyd pass only to see his angled shot touched over by home goalkeeper Tomas Cerny.
Easton saw his twenty-yard shot from a McCarthy pass flash over in 32 minutes - but the opening goal when it arrived two minutes later came at the other end, Ferguson drilling home a low shot from the edge of the box following a Steve Davis corner.
It was the Ibrox Captain's first goal of the season - and the first conceded by Accies on their own territory in a League game for three months.
Another Davis corner almost produced a second goal in 41 minutes - Boyd headed the ball goalwards, and Miller's back-header came back off the crossbar.
Rangers were in the ascendancy - and Ferguson almost made it two on the stroke of half-time with a surging run and twenty-yard shot that flashed just over.
Boyd had notched six goals in three previous matches against the Lanarkshire outfit - and he twice came close to adding to that tally, firstly in 56 minutes when his header from a Davis corner was too high, then on the hour his shot from the Ulsterman's cross was held by Cerny.
Davis was in outstanding form - testing Cerny with a 22-yard free-kick in seventy minutes that the goalkeeper held.
Two minutes later Steven Whittaker replaced Lafferty - and the Light Blues should have sealed the three points in 75 minutes when in a lightning break Davis released Boyd down the left, the striker's return pass being sclaffed wide by the Northern ireland International.
Six minutes later Steven Naismith substituted for Miller - and the youngster was the victim of an immediate assault by Alex Neil that forced Referee Craig Thomson to display a yellow card, also shown to Ferguson for remonstrating with the Accies defender..
In the midst of the melee David Weir was struck by a coin thrown from the home support.
Rangers played out time comfortable with their narrow lead - and at the final whistle a vital three points had been secured.
Afterwards walter Smith summarised:
"It was always going to be difficult here. The final pass let us down at times. We were excellent defensively but could have been more clinical at times.. Ferguson and Edu did extremely well. We have to win every week, as do Celtic."
HAMILTON ACCIES Cerny; McClenahan (Elebert 48), Neil, Swailes (Gibson 23), Canning (Deuchar 61), Easton; McGowan, McArthur, Mensing, McCarthy; Offiong
UNUSED SUBS Murdoch, Thomas, Lyle, Quinn
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Davis, Edu, Ferguson, Lafferty (Whittaker 72); Boyd, Miller (Naismith 81)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Beasley, Dailly, Aaron, Fleck
REFEREE Craig Thomson