IT was the last thing Rangers needed at a time when they are coming under fire from all angles.

IT was the last thing Rangers needed at a time when they are coming under fire from all angles.

With some fans venting their fury at owner Sir David Murray over the cash crisis that is forcing manager Walter Smith to sell-off one of his leading players, there was no room for error at McDiarmid Park.

The chairman took his place in the main stand for the game and it's unlikely he failed to notice the large banner being held aloft in the away end calling for him to quit the club.

But that would have been nothing compared to what would have come his way today had Rangers crashed out of the Scottish Cup. Fortunately for him, Gers managed to avert disaster by securing a 2-0 victory over St Johnstone.

And it will now remain to be seen whether Smith will still have the same group of players at his disposal this weekend for the visit of Falkirk as he attempts to keep his team hot on the trail of SPL leaders Celtic.

For now though, Rangers can just enjoy the fact they have taken care of business at a time when they really had to. Many expected a possible upset as they went up against a Saints team that had gone 14 matches without defeat.

So assistant manager Ally McCoist was more than happy to emerge with a two-goal win which earned them another away tie in the fifth round, where Dick Campbell's Forfar lie in wait.

He said: "The result, of course, was always going to be the most important factor and we knew we were coming up to play a side that is leading the First Division and were unbeaten to 14 matches.

"So it was always going to be a very difficult tie. We had a couple of shaky moments in the first half but, it being a cup tie, the result was the most important thing. It's all about just getting into the next round of the competition.

"Allan McGregor had a couple of good saves during the first half when it was 0-0. He had to be on the top of his game and thankfully he was. We weathered the storm a little bit but then got the opening goal at a good time in the game.

"I thought we played better after the break and we managed to score a good goal to make it 2-0, so overall we're just pleased to have come through a difficult tie and into the next round."

Although Rangers managed to secure an away tie with Forfar - one that you would expect them to overcome with more ease than St Johnstone - it most certainly wasn't a display that would have filled the travelling fans with confidence.

There was a suggestion the recent speculation surrounding his future at the club could have distracted Kris Boyd as he made his first outing since he failed to agree a £3.8million move to Birmingham City.

It's unlikely any club considering the possibility of trying to lure him south of the border would have bothered to watch and judge him on the evidence of what he could do against lower league opposition.

And that's just as well for the big striker as he had a shocker. But he wasn't the only one of the key players linked with moves away from the club to fail to hit form in Perth.

Captain Barry Ferguson also struggled to get to grips with the game and Pedro Mendes, who improved slightly during the final 20 minutes, was also miles off his best.

Fortunately for Smith, however, goalkeeper McGregor was at the top of his game. He made a fantastic reaction save from Saints' Andy Jackson and a couple of other stops to deny the home side the lead.

At the other end, it was a blunder by Alan Main as he kicked the ball straight to Steven Davis which created the opportunity for Boyd to then cross for Kenny Miller to try and score.

The Scotland man failed to make any connection with the ball but defender Stuart McCaffrey was put off by his attempts and turned the ball into his own net to hand Gers an undeserved lead.

There was a slight improvement after the break, but it was never inspiring and there would have been a huge sigh of relief in the visiting dug-out when Nacho Novo tapped home after Davis set him up.

Now though, Rangers must focus on their next league game against Falkirk this weekend. Time will tell if any bids are tabled for their top players but McCoist says players aren't troubled by the speculation.

He said: "We just focus on the matches. I thought the boys worked hard and it's business as usual for us. We're now looking forward to playing at Ibrox on Saturday and hopefully gaining three points."

NEED TO KNOW

Was it a good game? No. Although his side safely progressed into the next round of the Homecoming Scottish Cup thanks to a 2-0 victory over the First Division leaders, it was anything but an impressive showing from Walter Smith's men.

Who scored the goals? All eyes were on Kris Boyd as he made his first appearance since his proposed £3.8m move to Birmingham fell through, but he failed to find the net against Saints.

Instead, Rangers took the lead just before half-time when Saints defender Stuart McCaffrey turned the ball into his own net after Kenny Miller's fluffed back heel caught him off guard. Sub Nacho Novo made sure of the victory when he converted a close-range effort laid on a plate to him by team-mate Steven Davis.

Rangers top man? Allan McGregor was the one shining light on a night when most of his team-mates failed to sparkle. The Ibrox goalkeeper pulled off an outstanding reaction save from Andy Jackson to deny Saints the opening goal. Newcastle United are believed to be looking at him closely and they'd have been impressed.

Saints best player? Jody Morris's impressive performance in the middle of the park left Barry Ferguson and Pedro Mendes in the shade.

And the ref? Dougie McDonald allowed play to flow as much as possible, but the whistler got one or two decisions wrong.

Who is up next? It's John Hughes' Falkirk at Ibrox for Rangers on Saturday.