THERE was no more tossing and turning for Paul le Guen, the Rangers manager, last night as his side’s second-half transformation proved too much for Dunfermline Athletic in this CIS Insurance Cup third-round tie.

The French manager let it slip that he hardly slept a wink on Sunday night after his side’s lacklustre defeat at Easter Road by Hibernian. In fact, Le Guen admitted he rested far more easily on the sand dunes of the Sahara desert in the summer after putting himself through the rigours of the 150-mile Marathon des Sables as a personal challenge.

His team conquered one of the own last night after an abject first-half display was turned around in the second period courtesy of an own goal from Souleymane Bamba and a powerful drive from Kris Boyd.

With the small matter of an Old Firm game on the horizon, it came as little surprise that Le Guen took the opportunity to to rest several key players. But saying that, few among the away support expected as many as eight changes in the starting line-up that lost away to Hibernian on Sunday.

Dado Prso was ruled out through injury while Barry Ferguson, the captain, was rested with the trip to Celtic Park in mind. Karl Svensson, the Sweden international, dropped to the bench with Sasa Papac, the new signing from Austria Vienna, drafted in for his first start alongside Alan Hutton, Boyd, Charlie Adam, Brahim Hemdani, Libor Sionko, Gavin Rae and, most surprisingly of all, Nacho Novo. Only a few weeks ago at the same ground on league duty, the Spanish striker had been sitting with the Rangers support signing autographs and having his picture.

While not quite reaching Defcom 1 on the panic scale, Le Guen’s selection policy and results had come under scrutiny for the first time after a series of dropped points and indifferent performances both at home and abroad.

And those in the away end who arrived late due to the traffic congestion were unlikely to be impressed with his fringe players either as the visitors struggled to impose themselves against a Dunfermline side that packed the midfield and harried at every chance.

The normally prolific Boyd, who averages around one goal per game for Rangers, was unfortunate with a downward header from Chris Burke’s cross that found the woodwork.

Then Jim Hamilton, playing against one of the few Scottish top-flight clubs he hasn’t yet played for, was equally unlucky when his powerful header from Stephen Simmons’ corner flashed just wide of the top corner with Allan McGregor, the Rangers third-choice goalkeeper, well beaten.

Not that the start to the second half was much of an improvement from either side. Novo looked lively within two minutes of the restart when his pace took him away from three defenders, but Adam’s cross from the left wing caused little consternation in the Dunfermline rearguard. Soon after, an off-colour Boyd headed over from eight yards.

Le Guen had by now clearly seen enough as he replaced Sionko by Lee Martin, the winger on loan from Manchester United. Boyd wasted two further chances inside two minutes of each other as Phil McGuire blocked his 12-yard shot and then he headed wide from a good position at the far post.

But finally the procession towards the Dunfermline goal paid dividends after 64 minutes. Martin’s deep pass fell into the path of Hutton on the far side of the box. His drive across goal was sliced into his own near post netting by Bamba as his desperate clearance went badly wrong.

And within ten minutes it was 2-0. Finally, Boyd got the goal he had been craving all night when he crashed a spectacular effort from 25 yards past Dorus de Vries, the Dunfermline goalkeeper.

DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC (3-5-2): D De Vries — S Wilson, P McGuire, S Bamba — G Shields, G Mason, D Young, S Simmons (sub: S Muirhead, 62min), A Labonte —

F Daquin (sub: O Morrison, 62), J Hamilton. Substitutes not used: R McKenzie, A Tod, G Ross.

RANGERS (4-4-2): A McGregor —

A Hutton, B Hemdani, S Papac, S Smith — C Burke (sub: F Sebo, 78), G Rae, C Adam, L Sionko (sub: L Martin, 58) — N Novo (sub: T Buffel, 70), K Boyd. Substitutes not used: L Robinson, K Svensson.

Referee: M McCurry.

Six for Hibernian

IN LAST NIGHT’S other third-round ties, Hibernian continued their good form after beating Rangers at the weekend by thrashing Gretna 6-0 at Easter Road.

The Scottish League first division side — Tennent’s Scottish Cup finalists last season — succumbed to four first-half goals from Steven Fletcher, Scott Brown, Robert Jones, Dean Shiels (pictured), before Shiels added his second after the break and Abdessalam Benjelloun completed the rout.

There was some good news for Motherwell, the bottom club in the Bank of Scotland Premierleague, when Richie Foran scored a hat-trick as they won 3-0 away to Queen’s Park, the third division side who knocked out Aberdeen in the last round.