FALKIRK 1 RANGERS 3 RANGERS skipper Barry Ferguson hailed hotstop Allan McGregor as the best keeper in Scotland after two stunning saves killed off Falkirk's late fightback. The Ibrox goalie tipped a spectacular overhead kick by Graham Barrett over the bar then clawed away a certain own goal from team-mate Alan Hutton in a frantic closing spell. McGregor's heroics came with the game balanced at 2-1 after Pedro Moutinho pulled one back for the Bairns in 71 minutes. Gers were on easy street thanks to goals from Carlos Cuellar and Jean-Claude Darcheville but Moutinho's strike sparked a brave revival from John Hughes' men. And while supersub Kris Boyd steadied the nerves with an injury-time goal Ferguson insisted Rangers owed their first SPL away win since August to McGregor. And he reckons the keeper's troubled journey before finally making the No.1 shirt his own epitomises the strength of character throughout the side. He said: "Allan is the best goalkeeper about and has proved that in the last year. It's no surprise he makes those saves. "It's important to have a good goalie and we have the best one. Allan has done it the hard way, going out on loan and fighting hard to get the No.1 spot he deserves. "You need to have a strong character to come through from the youths at Rangers. "A few guys have broken into the team now. Alan Hutton has come on to a fantastic game while Charlie Adam has also done it the hard way by going on loan. "You need a strong character and patience to do that." McGregor's commanding influence will be crucial in Tuesday's Champions League clash in Stuttgart - and his contribution was vital in boosting confidence ahead of the trip. At the other end of the pitch injuries have stopped Walter Smith finding a settled front pairing. But yesterday he was at last able to play Darcheville and Daniel Cousin together. Both must have known this was an audition ahead of the Euro showdown. A fight for the single striker's berth in the 4-5-1 formation Smith will employ in the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium. And on this evidence that man will be Darcheville as his tireless running and link play was one of the few positives from a largely uninspiring team performance. It was Darcheville who sparked Rangers into action after a quiet opening 10 minutes. His cutback caused panic in the Bairns defence and Steven Thomson turned the ball towards his own net. Fortunately for the midfielder Tim Krul spared his blushes with a terrific reflex save. Cousin was slow to react amid the chaos and the rebound was hoofed clear before he could bundle it home. That was a huge let off for the home side and Darcheville was at the heart of it again when Rangers let Bairns off the hook once more in 16 minutes. The Frenchman raced forward and timed his pass perfectly for Ferguson but the Ibrox skipper clipped his shot wide under pressure from Dean Holden. Smith's men made it third time lucky in 19 minutes as Cuellar grabbed the opener. The Falkirk defence stood and watched DaMarcus Beasley's curling corner and the Spaniard stooped back to nod a looping header into Krul's top-right corner. Bairns boss Hughes was furious the stopper was given a free header, especially as Falkirk had largely contained Gers. But after Darren Barr copped the first booking for a cynical foul on Ferguson, Bairns hitman Carl Finnigan should have done better early in the second half. Cuellar failed to cut out a long ball and let the striker wriggle clear but Finnigan should have gone for goal instead of crossing and the chance was gone. Beasley earned a booking in 53 minutes for making the most of a challenge by Holden but within 60 seconds Gers extended their lead. Lee McCulloch skipped clear on the left as Gerard Aafjes slipped and his cutback was perfect for Darcheville to slot home from eight yards. That prompted an inspired switch on the Bairns bench with Russell Latapy making way for Moutinho to push three men up. Within six minutes the new attacking shape paid off. The goal came after Hutton was penalised for diving in with both feet on Arfield despite not making contact with the player. Barr knocked Holden's delivery back across goal and Moutinho pounced to sweep the ball past McGregor from six yards. After more changes - Steven Naismith for the anonymous Cousin and Michael Higdon for Finnigan - Falkirk were denied that sensational 75th-minute equaliser by McGregor. The second save from Hutton was Bairns' last hope before Boyd finished off Naismith's surging run from close range. REF WATCH CHARLIE RICHMOND took pelters from John Hughes and the Falkirk fans but most of it was unfounded. He called most of the big decisions correctly, was sensible with his cards and spotted DaMarcus Beasley's play-acting. Rating: 6/10. MATCH STATS 4 SHOTS ON 4 2 SHOTS OFF 2 2 OFFSIDE 3 21 FOULS 13 6 CORNES 5 2 BOOKINGS 2
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