and unsatisfactory 1-0 win over Dunfermline Athletic
at East End Park this afternoon, an early Dado Prso
goal securing the points in a game that should have
been comfortably won early on.
The Ibrox men travelled to Fife for what will
hopefully be their final fixture on the detested
artificial turf, Manager Alex McLeish making two
changes from Tuesday's disaster at Ibrox with Thomas
Buffel and Barry Ferguson replacing Hamed Namouchi and
Alex Rae against a home side fielding former Ranger
Scott Wilson in central defence.
Ferguson, a welcome return following his unjustified
suspension, almost struck early when his second minute
left-foot shot following a Vignal corner was parried
by Dunfermline goalkeeper Derek Stillie.
The opening goal was merely delayed four minutes
however - another Vignal corner reaching Fernando
Ricksen at the far post, his cross being headed home
by Prso.
Rangers at this early stage of the proceedings were
well in command, although ten minutes later Darren
Young tested Ronald Waterreus with a 25-yard shot.
Nacho Novo has not been in the sharpest form recently,
aptly illustrated in 22 minutes when he seized on an
Iain Campbell passback only to shoot wide of the
target.
If that miss was bad enough, then worse was to follow
in what was threatening to be a re-run of the
astonishing series of wasted opportunities against
Dundee United - Buffel shooting wide nine minutes
later when presented with a golden opportunity by a
slide-rule pass from Ricksen.
Those misses almost came back to haunt Rangers -
Darren Young striking an upright from the edge of the
box in 38 minutes.
The narrow lead scarcely reflected the visitors'
first-half superiority, yet there was a growing unease
and nervousness apparent amongst both the Ibrox
players and their legions of fans.
Ferguson almost eased those nerves ten minutes into
the second-half with a twenty-yard shot from a Prso
cutback that whistled just over, then two minutes
later Stillie clawed away Prso's chip after the
Croatian had cleverly turned on the ball.
Referee Kenny Clark, who had had a quiet afternoon
thus far, made a bizarre double booking in 65 minutes
when he yellow carded both Iain Campbell and Dado Prso
following a tussle for possession. The free-kick had
been awarded to the visitors, so it was inexplicable
that he should book the Ranger.
A less than memorable second-half was slowly inching
towards the close, but Prso almost clinched the points
in 85 minutes with a glancing header from a cross from
substitute Shota Arveladze.
The game should certainly have been wrapped up in the
dying seconds when in a lightning break Arveladze
freed Vignal down the left only for the Frenchman to
shoot into the side-netting with both Ferguson and
Arveladze unmarked in the middle.
The final whistle brought immense relief to all
friends of Rangers - and afterwards Alex McLeish
reflected:
"We started well, were in Dunfermline's half all the
time, but couldn't capitalise on our chances. Nacho
Novo is out of luck, but he has an eye for space and
he'll score again. Dado Prso is an inspiration, a
team-man. Players like him, Ferguson and Ricksen are a
breed apart. Celtic have the points advantage, but we
have the chance to take it to the wire."
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC Stillie; Skerla, S. Wilson, Scott
M. Thomson, Campbell; Donnelly (Mehmet 62), Darren
Young, Mason, Derek Young; Hunt, Hristov (Christiansen
75)
UNUSED SUBS Langfield, Scullion, C. Wilson, McKeown,
Ross
RANGERS Waterreus; Ross, Malcolm, Kyrgiakos, Ball;
Buffel (Namouchi 78), Ricksen, Ferguson, Vignal; Prso,
Novo (Arveladze 59)
UNUSED SUBS McGregor, Thompson, Khizanishvili, Burke,
McCormack
REFEREE Kenny Clark
Attendance 8,266