SHANE FERGUSON stepped up his bid to play a part in Rangers' promotion push as made his Light Blues bow against Celtic last night.

The winger made his first official appearance for the club in the Under-20 victory at Lennoxtown just days after he had a run out in a behind closed doors fixture.

Striker Calum Gallagher netted the only goal of the game to give Ian Durrant's side a 1-0 win over their Old Firm rivals and clinch the three points.

Ferguson has been out of action for over five months with a knee injury and only arrived in Glasgow last week - despite signing on the dotted line at Ibrox on transfer deadline day alongside four of his Newcastle United team-mates.

Boss Stuart McCall has spoken positively about Ferguson in recent days, praising his mental state and physical condition after such a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but it remains touch and go as to whether Rangers fans will ever see him in action for the first team.

The 23-year-old started the Old Firm clash at Celtic's Lennoxtown base and got 66 minutes under his belt as he took another step towards a potential first team debut.

Rangers have just two matches - at home to Falkirk and away to Hearts - left in the Championship this term as they look to clinch second place and move another step towards their Premiership return.

Ferguson's Toon team-mate Kevin Mbabu, who has yet to feature for McCall's side and is unlikely to do so this season, also played in the Old Firm triumph last night.

First team squad members Kyle Hutton, Fraser Aird and David Templeton were given a run out as they look to impress and win a starting berth for the final promotion push.

Victory over the Bairns this weekend will put Rangers within touching distance of second spot and ensure they avoid having to play a two-legged tie against Hibernian, Queen of the South or Peter Houston's side before the semi-final clash.

And the Light Blues will also save the SPFL a major fixture headache if they can claim all three points at Ibrox and end Falkirk's chances of reaching the Premiership this term.

At present, the dates for the two-legged play-off final have been set at May 28 and May 31 but they cannot be confirmed after Falkirk reached the Scottish Cup final on Saturday.

The side currently fifth in the Championship are due to play Inverness Caley Thistle at Hampden on May 30 and the SPFL will need to find alternative dates, and extend the campaign into June, if the Bairns win a shot at the club that finishes eleventh in the Premiership this term.

A decision on the schedule is likely to be held off until early next week, after Falkirk have made the trip to Ibrox and Queens have hosted Dumbarton as they look for the point required to ensure their place in the top four.