A second-half Sotirios Kyrgiakos goal gave Rangers a 1-0 win over safety-first Dunfermline in their Bank of Scotland Premier League clash at Ibrox.

The home side enjoyed almost total dominance in a one-sided affair but were denied by Pars goalkeeper Bryn Halliwell and their own lethargy for most of a turgid match.

However, the introduction of Peter Lovenkrands for Thomas Buffel after 67 minutes proved inspired, the Dane crossing three minutes later from the right to allow Kyrgiakos to head home his first SPL goal of the season.

The Light Blues remain hot on the heels of second-placed Hearts, who won at Falkirk to maintain their six-point lead over the Ibrox men.

But this was not a game for the purists. There was little on the Dunfermline teamsheet to suggest the Fifers would be going gung-ho in attack and the five defenders rigidly deployed promised a tough afternoon for the home side.

Indeed, the early stages were predictable, the whole Pars team filing back behind the ball inviting Rangers to break them down.

The first chance for the home side came in the 10th minute when, following a brief goalmouth scramble, Kris Boyd headed a Dado Prso overhead kick against the leg of Halliwell from close range.

That near miss failed to rouse the smaller than usual home support and neither did Boyd's header a minute later from Buffel's cross from the left, which sailed harmlessly over the bar.

The Govan men were getting closer and in the 12th minute Prso thundered a 25-yard drive which rebounded off the post before the waiting Boyd sent his angled shot wide of the target.

Then, in the 20th minute, the best move of the match involving Rangers defender Steven Smith and Prso ended with Barry Ferguson stumbling before hammering a shot from eight yards out against Halliwell.

The procession towards the Pars goal continued and Halliwell's next trick was to finger-tip a powerful Chris Burke volley from distance over the bar for a corner, which, again, came to nothing.

As the match wore on, the Ibrox players looked to be succumbing to the general depression surrounding proceedings and the opportunities began to dry up although

Light Blues defender Alan Hutton set up Buffel after a good run to the byline. Yet the Belgian's shot from 10 yards out was almost inevitably blocked by a Dunfermline shirt.

Barely a minute into the second half Dunfermline almost took the lead. Midfielder Lee Makel took an Andy Tod pass and set up Gary Mason 16 yards from goal but Klos, redundant most of the first half, was quick off his line to block.

Rangers raced up the park but Ferguson ended a spell of pressure when he carelessly blasted his left-footed shot from the edge of the box well over the bar.

Subsequently, the Ibrox men resumed their dominance and in the 57th minute Halliwell again came to the Pars' rescue when he spectacularly parried a Buffel drive from 10 yards out after Burke and Prso had combined to set the midfielder up at the back post.

The Fifers' first corner came on the hour mark to the cheers of their small band of fans but Kyrgiakos easily dealt with the danger, heading to safety.

When Prso delivered another fine cross from wide on the right the lacklustre Buffel simply flicked on aimlessly from close range instead of shooting, an act of folly which had the home fans growling for the first time in the match.

Then Boyd also missed a good chance when he headed a Buffel cross wide of the target from almost the middle of the goal seconds before Prso's header was knocked off the line by Pars substitute Jamie McCunnie, who had replaced Makel earlier.

However, in the 70th minute the home side eventually got the breakthrough.

Substitute Peter Lovenkrands, on three minutes earlier for Buffel, raced down the right and when he swung his cross into the six-yard box, Kyrgiakos dipped his head to neatly flick the ball in off the far post.

The sense of relief around Ibrox was palpable, the three points now secure and minutes later Halliwell was called upon again to deal with a Barry Ferguson free-kick from distance.

However, deep into injury time Klos had to tip over a vicious Tod volley from the edge of the penalty to keep the home side's lead intact.

Teams:

Rangers Klos, Hutton, Rodriguez, Kyrgiakos, Smith,Burke (Novo 85), Hemdani, Ferguson, Buffel (Lovenkrands 68),Prso, Kris Boyd.

Subs Not Used: Gallacher, Andrews, Gavin Rae, Murray, N'Guessan.

Goals: Kyrgiakos 70.

Dunfermline Halliwell, Labonte, Tod, Scott Wilson, Thomson,Shields, Ross (Tarachulski 84), Mason, Makel (McCunnie 58),Muirhead (Daquin 75), Donnelly.

Subs Not Used: Shaw, Andy Campbell, Iain Campbell, Phinn.

Booked: Scott Wilson.

Att: 49,017

Ref: B Winter (Scotland).