PLAY-OFF SPECIAL

QOS 1 RANGERS 2

CALLED out for their ‘pick and mix’ attitude to the SPFL levy rules last week, Rangers took to turning into the play-off equivalent of toffee chews.

They were awfully hard to get through for the bulk of this fiercely contested and tight first leg, Stuart McCall finding a fix for the soft centre that so contributed to their previous Palmerston Park pains.

This grab for the goods of a priceless first-leg lead on the road was made by two players who have rarely been flavour of the month with Rangers supporters over the past three years.

Stevie Smith and Dean Shiels scored the goals as McCall’s men answered questions about their dubious resolve to setbacks by seeing off a frantic Queen of the South rally and second-half equaliser from Derek Lyle to prevail.

The first Rangers goal left a sour taste in the mouth for Queens. They believed they should have had a foul in the action that led to Smith striking with a brilliant 30-yard free-kick.

However, the visitors complained about ‘rugby tackling’ tactics at the corner from which Queens profited.

And besides that, the home side were unable to place their visitors under serious peril of a third successive defeat in Dumfries.

Rangers arrived desperate not to lose, would not have moaned about a draw — and managed to feel their way to a win.

The Ibrox men were far too easy to beat on both previous visits this term, losing 5-0 on aggregate and helping Queens to a seven-point haul over their more illustrious Championship opponents.

So the Dumfries side had been described as the worst play-off nightmare for Rangers in advance.

While this entertainment was not the stuff of dreams, it was not far away from how McCall would have envisaged it in his morning mind.

The manager’s revival met with its only reserve here — a comprehensive 3-0 defeat last month — and the Rangers boss was in no mood to suffer another loss as he set up to ensure the hosts toiled to enjoy a midfield foothold on the game.

Movement and pace killed Rangers on both previous visits and McCall sought to strangle that intent at birth with five men spread across the middle of the park and his experienced three centre-halves bidding to keep all the home side’s mischief in front of them.

Cammy Bell and Smith, in for Nicky Clark and playing for the first time since March 7 at Cowdenbeath, were the only two Rangers starters not to have experienced Palmerston this season.

Lee McCulloch, brought off the bench with Rangers leading 2-0 at Tynecastle last Saturday, and Bilel Mohsni both missed out after picking up training-ground knocks.

That meant three at the back as Smith and Richard Foster were deployed as wing-backs.

The excellent Andy Murdoch sat deepest in front of his backline and looked after the space where Danny Carmichael wanted to menace.

Sure, it may have been a different story had James Fowler’s men stung Rangers in 90 seconds. Lyle stole in behind Lee Wallace to glance a Carmichael cross low to Bell’s left. The keeper did well to gather at the first attempt.

But Rangers were not here to entertain the play-off TV audience and goaded Queens to be incredibly incisive to beat them.

Gavin Reilly, scorer i n both previous Queens wins over Rangers here, could not get Marius Zaliukas turning and Murdoch was immense in his disciplined role.

Rangers sent out a couple of warning shots early on. Haris Vuckic, playing just off Kenny Miller and niggling away at the Queens defenders all day, slipped past Mark Durnan before lifting his shot wide.

Shiels’ disguised near-post dig was well read by Zander Clark. Murdoch, on an extremely rare venture upfield, took over from Miller to let fly from 30 yards. Clark, again, repelled with minimal agitation.

Smith, just like Foster last week, was short on match fitness. His rust showed in the first half as it emerged that Lewis Kidd had the beating of him on a few occasions.

But Rangers kept the dangers in front of them and at bay — and the platform was laid for one successful first-half raid up the park.

Smith might have been short on zip, but his imagination and set-piece guile remained well intact despite the lay-off.

That was showcased a minute before the break when he fired Rangers in front in stunning fashion.

Vuckic cleverly won a cheap free-kick from Andy Dowie to tee up the opportunity, an act that the Queens players complained about all the way up the tunnel at half-time to referee Alan Muir.

Smith’s left-foot hit cleared the