East Fife 0-2 Rangers

Rangers took another step towards a second successive Petrofac Training Cup final as they eased to a 2-0 win over quarter-final opponents East Fife.Jon Daly and Ian Black netted to tee up a last-four clash with Alloa at the Indodrill Stadium.The memories of last year's humiliating loss to Raith Rovers in the Easter Road final are still painfully fresh in the minds of the Rangers players.But there was little chance of them suffering another embarrassment against Fife opposition as they cruised to victory with minimum fuss at New Bay View.Yet of the four trophies available to Rangers this season, the lower-league contest is last on boss Ally McCoist's list of priorities so it was no surprise he rested three of his top names for the trip to Methill.Kris Boyd scored his first league goal of the campaign as his side gained some measure of revenge for their Leith agony last year with a 6-1 drubbing of Raith. But he was dropped to the bench alongside Kenny Miller and Lewis Macleod.Instead, McCoist selected Daly and Nicky Clark in attack, while David Templeton was also promoted to the starting line-up which faced Gary Naysmith's men.McCoist's switch paid off as Daly finished off some clever play between Clark and Black with a tap-in opener after 29 minutes.A Lewis Barr trip on Clark 20 yards out then handed Black the chance to add the second from a set-piece 12 minutes into the second half.Rangers have League and Scottish Cup dates with St Johnstone and Dumbarton next week and will have to wait for the SPFL to set a date for their Alloa tie.There was a tentative start by the visitors as they toiled against the League Two minnows.The Light Blues - plagued by an inability to play with a threatening tempo under McCoist - were pedestrian again as they created just one serious chance before taking the lead.That opening came after 11 minutes when Daly headed down Fraser Aird's deep cross for Templeton five yards out. But before the winger could ram home, goalkeeper Allan Fleming had bravely dived at his feet to block.For all that they lacked in speed going forward, Rangers still had the quality to edge in front of their part-time opponents.They grabbed the lead as Black played in Clark down the right before darting to receive the striker's cut-back. The midfielder's shot looked to be heading in but Daly made sure as he turned the ball over on the line.The East Fife players complained the Irishman was offside as he slid the ball home, but referee George Salmond sanctioned the goal.The linesman's flag did come to the home team's rescue four minutes before half-time when Lee McCulloch slotted home from an Ian Black free-kick.The hosts had their chances, with an Allan Walker free-kick deflecting against Steve Simonsen's post just after Daly had scored, while Jon McShane wasted another chance near the end of the first half as he fired over from 12 yards.But a glancing Clark header which flew just wide from Black's inswinging free-kick 10 minutes into the second half was proof Rangers were not done yet.And they received a helping hand from Fleming as they doubled their lead when the goalkeeper let Black's 20-yard free-kick slip through his grasp and bounce into his net.The Fifers' number one looked suspect again as he opted to let Aird's cross fly past - only to see the ball crash off his crossbar.ends