THERE was no redemption for Rangers in Elgin.

Desperate to atone for last week’s shameful home loss to Annan Athletic, it took a Lee McCulloch penalty to scrape the win that takes them 20 points clear at the top.

But the enduring images will be Neil Alexander’s injury-time booking for time-wasting and manager Ally McCoist pleading with referee David Somers to blow the full-time whistle.

On top of that, Ian Black saw red for two more moments of stupidity, though he will again claim he is being victimised.

Rangers at least started on the front foot.

Lee Wallace’s cross from deep found Fran Sandaza and his header brought out the best in Joe Malin, who tipped wide at full stretch.

Emilson Cribari missed an even better chance. Fraser Aird’s corner presented him with a free header and he should have done much better than nod tamely wide.

City strung a few passes together and man-mountain Paul Millar naturally won his aerial battles, but it was the visitors who continued to create the best chances.

Rangers rookie Robbie Crawford was desperately unlucky to see a thundering 25-yard strike clip the outside of the post, while Northern Ireland’s Andy Little blew the best opportunity for the opener with a wayward side-footed effort after Sandaza’s cut-back put it on a plate for Gers’ top scorer.

Little has been rivalled in the goal-grabbing stakes by McCulloch this term, but McCoist slotted his skipper into the defence.

Even with the ball at the other end of the pitch for much of the game, it was a move that paid dividends with veteran McCulloch using all of his experience to bark out orders and generally grab the previously dozy defence by the scruff of the neck.

There were horrified gasps from the Rangers contingent as they came within an inch of falling behind on 36 minutes when the lively Daniel Moore curled a free-kick just high and wide of the top left-hand corner.

Black had his weekly whine at the officials when he was accidentally caught by Nicolson’s arm.

True to form, Black naturally assumed he had been targeted yet again by another Third Division hatchet man and went down as if he had been shot.

Amazingly — without even the aid of a magic sponge — he was able to continue.

His mood did not improve after the interval when he was pulled up by referee Somers for a late lunge on Stuart Leslie.

He copped a booking for leaving his studs in and had to be hauled away from Somers by McCulloch.

By this point anxiety really had started to set in, with the common complaint from the Rangers bench that the players were too deep and too narrow in midfield.

Sandaza was left isolated and the ball bounced back off him on the few occasions it did find him.

When the going gets tough in these situations the suspicion is that a few of the Light Blues hide or revert to the risk-free pass.

Left-back Wallace at least takes responsibility and a surging run forward ended with a cut-back to Black, but his limp shot barely troubled Malin.

Little — who looks increasingly frustrated on the wing — did swing in one inviting cross that Sandaza completely missed at the back post, misjudging his diving header.

He was promptly hauled off, replaced by speedy winger Barrie McKay, with Little finally moving into a more central position.

With 18 minutes to go the breakthrough came, with Wallace again adopting the role of one-man team.

He took the ball for a run deep into the Elgin half and wouldn’t take no for an answer, wriggling his way free of the defence before being edged out by Sean Crighton and Jamie Duff.

To their astonishment ref Somers pointed straight to the spot and on first glance it looked soft.

To Somers’ credit, though, TV pictures proved he got the big call bang on and, in a week that saw the SFA’s refereeing fraternity hammered for the Edinburgh derby ghost goal, it’s important to point out when they get it right.

Crighton was booked for protesting before McCulloch took charge of the penalty, calmly sending Malin the wrong way before springing off to celebrate with the traveling support as much out of relief as any sense of merit.

The award let out-of-sorts Rangers off the hook.

McCoist will point to three more points taking them one step closer to clinching their initial target of promotion but he and his fans are entitled to ask for more than scraped 1-0 wins at Elgin — especially from under-achievers like Black.

The self-styled hardman was shown a second yellow card with four minutes to go for a needless, late clip on sub Gavin Morrison and responded with his trademark, ‘Why always me?’ look of contempt for the officials.

McCoist pleaded his innocence to fourth official Matt Northcroft but Black will not cut that sort of thing out of his game until people stop making excuses for him.

Keeper Alexander was booked for killing time while the Rangers bench cried for the whistle.

This is not how the lower-league adventure was supposed to be.