Rangers remain on course for a return to the Scottish top flight, having defeated Hibernian 2-0 in the first leg of their playoff semi-final clash this evening.
Liam Craig fired away the first shot of the tie inside the opening stages in an attempt to take the sting out of the intense atmosphere inside Ibrox, but Cammy Bell watched closely as it sailed wide of the post.
The contest remained end to end for large parts of the opening quarter, as Dominique Malonga saw his effort saved by Bell, just moments after Kenny Miller was denied up the other end of the field.
Neither side were able to truly trouble the opposition keeper until, just when the half appeared to be heading towards a goalless conclusion, Nicky Clark flicked home Richard Foster's pass to open the scoring for the Gers.
It was Stuart McCall's charges who started the better following the interval, coming close through Haris Vuckic's strike, which forced Mark Oxley into making a diving save.
Hibs enjoyed a spell of pressure when winning a few corners which caused danger, although Rangers, who finished three points behind Hibs in the regular league table, were soon two ahead.
Dean Shiels saw his initial shot blocked, yet Lee Wallace headed the ball through for Miller to poke beyond Oxley from a tight angle to put the hosts on their way to the final.
A vital Marius Zaliukas challenge in the closing stages ensured that Hibernian did not find a goal to take back to Easter Road for the reverse tie, as Rangers held out for the 2-0 win.
Motherwell await the winners of this fixture in the Premiership playoff final later this month.
Daniel Lewis
