Rangers recovered from going a goal down and having captain Michael Mols sent off to end a disappointing season on a high with victory at Dunfermline.

In what was ironically their most tenacious performance of an insipid and trophyless season, the 10 men stunned next week's Tennent's Scottish Cup finalists with three replies to Gary Dempsey's controversial free-kick opener.

Fernando Ricksen and Chris Burke both posted memorable strikes before the break and 17-year-old Ross McCormack marked his first start with a penalty.

Dempsey once again embarrassed stand-in goalkeeper Allan McGregor with a free-kick goal but the 10 men held on for the points.

The Irishman had already stamped his mark on the game with some fine creative play in midfield, the best example of which was a defence-splitting pass to set up Stevie Crawford in the box with an early chance he fired wastefully wide.

Then, in the 27th minute, the game took off at breakneck speed.

Alan Hutton, who had been moved from right-back to the centre of defence in the absence of Frank de Boer, felt he had been harshly penalised when referee Alan Freeland ruled he had controlled the ball with an arm right in front of the box.

A wall was quickly assembled but goalkeeper Allan McGregor, Stefan Klos' understudy, made the fateful decision of trying to readjust it from a position right on his left-hand post.

Dempsey was alive to the possibilities and as soon as the whistle went, curled the ball around the wall to the other side of the net, with McGregor not moving.

The Rangers players were furious they had not been given enough time to prepare and Mols was booked for leading the protests.

Three minutes later, on the half-hour mark, and it was all over for the striker, who was playing his final game for the club, when he clattered Dempsey from behind and was shown another yellow and an inevitable red followed.

It was the first time all season a Rangers player had been sent off.

The visitors had lost the plot and referee Freeland decided on warnings rather than further bookings when Ricksen - now the captain - and Stephen Hughes both fouled the Irishman.

But the 10 men eventually recovered their collective composure to go in at the break ahead.

Ricksen began the revolution in the 42nd minute by firing in an unstoppable 25-yard shot past Derek Stillie after Burke had cleverly laid the ball in his path.

It was the Dutchman's first goal of an indifferent campaign and the man who had set it up went one better in stoppage time by lofting the ball delightfully over the goalkeeper from a similar distance to mark the end of an impressive breakthrough season.

Injuries and fears about the plastic pitch had forced Rangers manager Alex McLeish to field one of the most inexperienced starting line-ups in the club's history, with 18-year-old Charlie Adam and McCormack making first starts.

A quickly-taken free-kick almost cost Rangers again just before the hour mark and they had McGregor to thank on this occasion.

Thinking the whistle had already gone, Zura Khizanishvili had handled the ball up in midfield to give away a free-kick which Brewster took quickly to send Crawford away down the right.

Barry Nicholson was on the end of the resulting cross but McGregor came off his line to make a fine block.

Nicholson's next contribution was to trip McCormack for a penalty the youngster converted himself with an assured finish in the 63rd minute.

His reward was a hug from McLeish as he was immediately replaced by Peter Lovenkrands.

The Pars were back in the match within three minutes however when Dempsey scored with another free-kick.

This time it had not been so deliberate as he curled in a low ball from the left. But McGregor appeared to have been distracted by the wrestling match between Brewster and Khizanishvili directly in front of him and allowed the ball to sneak in at the back post.

The Pars pressed forward and felt they should have had a penalty when substitute Sean Kilgannon played the ball off Stevie Hughes' arm.

A great chance even came Dempsey's way in stoppage time but this time McGregor denied him with a point blank save.

It was therefore a losing East End farewell for the departing Crawford, Stillie and Lee Bullen, who will at least have a medal from next week's cup final with Celtic to look forward to.

Teams

Dunfermline Stillie, Bullen, Skerla, Labonte, Byrne (Tod 70), Nicholson, Mason, Dempsey, Derek Young (Kilgannon 70), Crawford, Brewster (Clark 85).

Subs Not Used: Scott Y Thomson, Greenhill.

Booked: Byrne, Skerla.

Goals: Dempsey 27, 66.

Rangers McGregor, Hutton, Khizanishvili, Ross (MacKenzie 84), Vanoli, Ricksen, Hughes, Adam, Burke, Mols, McCormack (Lovenkrands 64), Lovenkrands (Davidson 82).

Subs Not Used: Robinson, Fetai.

Sent Off: Mols (31).

Booked: Mols.

Goals: Ricksen 42, Burke 45, McCormack 63 pen.

Att: 6,798

Ref: A Freeland (Scotland).