As David Murray celebrates 20 years at Rangers, Walter Smith is still in the dugout, with Ally McCoist alongside him, but the challenge presented by Aberdeen is not what it was in the chairman's early days. Jimmy Calderwood's side gave it their best shot at Ibrox yesterday, adopting a passing game that matched their opponents for long spells, but it still ended in defeat.

Nothing new there then. Goals by Jean-Claude Darcheville and Kris Boyd, both in the second half, extended to 32 the number of consecutive times Aberdeen have returned from Govan without a win. Not since September of 1991, shortly after they were pipped to the title by Rangers, have Aberdeen enjoyed success in these parts. While they have played worse, much worse, than they did here, the cheap goals they conceded at crucial junctures of the match were not the hallmark of a side rolling back the years.

Rangers, too, are a pale shadow of the men with whom Murray revolutionised Scottish football, but this was a sound enough performance in the circumstances. With Kevin Thomson, Steven Davis, Kenny Miller, Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papac all missing, they were understandably slow to settle, but after emerging from a difficult first half unscathed, a breakthrough early in the second proved to be the turning point. Scrappy though the goals were, Rangers worked hard for them.

Lee McCulloch had another decent game at centre-half, Pedro Mendes and Barry Ferguson confirmed their potential in central midfield, and the partnership of Darcheville and Boyd did what it was picked for. With Celtic briefly moving seven points clear earlier in the day, it was just what the doctor ordered, against a side more ambitious than most who visit Ibrox. "There is a perception that you just need to turn up, and you won't get much of a game, but it doesn't happen like that," said the Rangers manager, Walter Smith. "They played very well, and made us work hard."

All the same, it was another defeat for Aberdeen, another failure to lay the bogey they must be heartily sick of. No club should be going 17 years without a win here, never mind one of their standing. While all manner of modest sides have managed to pick off Rangers at least once during that time, the trek south from Pittodrie has been perpetually fruitless. With every passing visit, the names of Jess and Grant grow ever more significant, for it was they who scored in the club's last success here.

However imbalanced the fixture has appeared to be in recent years, it has maintained a competitive edge that continued yesterday. When Calderwood attended Dundee United's visit to Govan the other week, he was surprised to discover a spectacle much flatter than any his own team had been party to at the same venue. Against the usual backdrop of bitter references to Messrs Durrant, Simpson et al, the old rivalry was apparent once again, with Derek Young this time bearing the brunt of the abuse. When he fell to the floor, victim of a challenge by Mendes, there was precious little sympathy.

It was the same player who had Aberdeen's best chance of the match, just before half-time. Having evaded Kirk Broadfoot wide on the left, Sone Aluko picked out Young on the penalty spot, where the midfielder retained enough composure to test Allan McGregor. Under pressure, he brought the ball down with his chest, jabbed his right foot at it, and watched as the goalkeeper blocked with a low dive to his left.

"The Bears were getting a wee bit restless," said Calderwood, whose team had matched Rangers' possession and restricted their clear-cut chances. Boyd might have scored in the opening minute, when Mendes and Ferguson combined to send a ball over the top, but he allowed it to bounce once too often. Then, when Kyle Lafferty fed him a low pass from wide on the right, he curled rather a lazy effort high and wide. The closest Rangers came to scoring during that opening period was a header by Aberdeen's Lee Mair. When Charlie Adam delivered a diagonal free kick towards the six-yard box, the defender's attempt to clear the danger succeeded only in forcing Jamie Langfield to tip it over the top.

Rangers, though, emerged for the second half with renewed purpose. It was only a few seconds old when Mendes and Boyd combined to set up Darcheville in the box. With most, including the Aberdeen defence, anticipating an offside flag, the Frenchman thrashed a low shot towards the goalkeeper, who was out quick enough to block.

If that move was well enough crafted, the same could not be said of Darcheville's goal, which reared its ugly head four minutes later.

When Adam's deep corner was slammed into the six-yard area by Broadfoot, an old-fashioned scramble on the goal-line required an eternity to be resolved. First Boyd tried to drag the ball into space, but his shot was caught up in the congestion. Then, as Langfield prepared to take a dive at the loose ball, Darcheville beat him to it, sliding in powerfully enough to overcome any resistance.

And that, as is so often the case against Rangers, was just about that. Aberdeen responded with a flurry of enthusiasm all right, Zander Diamond forcing Mendes to head off the line, but there was no cause for alarm in the home side, who grabbed a second with 22 minutes left. It was a soft goal from Aberdeen's point of view, but one that showed yet again the sharpness of Boyd from close range. When Adam's corner was helped into the danger area by Lafferty, not altogether elegantly it has to be said, Rangers' free-scoring striker stooped to head it over the line from five yards. Struggling with a shin injury, Boyd was immediately substituted, his last touch – like most of his touches – a decisive one.


MAN OF THE MATCH

Quite why Pedro Mendes was so happy to swap Portsmouth and the Premiership for the SPL is anyone's guess, but who's complaining? He and Barry Ferguson make a formidable midfield partnership for Rangers.

QUICK FACT

If there is one bogey Aberdeen fans would give anything to lay, it is their continued failure to win at Ibrox. The Pittodrie side haven't triumphed here in 32 visits.

TALKING POINT

In the absence of the injured Kenny Miller, Jean Claude-Darcheville was given the nod over Nacho Novo, and duly took it with a goal. Does the Frenchman have a Scottish grandfather by any chance?


Adam shows belief to battle back from the bad times

IN FOOTBALL, courage isn't necessarily a striker's willingness to put the head in, or the continued participation of an injured defender. It can be the mental strength that enables a player to believe in himself, as Charlie Adam has been demonstrating with Rangers of late.

The midfielder has had his critics in the Ibrox stands, but he set up both goals in the defeat of Aberdeen yesterday, and it didn't go unnoticed by his manager.

"He has his Charlie Adam moments, but it never prevents him from taking part in the game," said Walter Smith. "Sometimes he does things that other players would not attempt, and when it comes off, it is great. He is working hard for the team just now. He gives us a good balance."

Adam, who swapped wings yesterday, occupying the left rather than the right of midfield, has kept faith in himself through a difficult period with Rangers, whose fans have grown frustrated with his idiosyncrasies.

"It's a tough place to play," he admits. "But you can't hide in front of 50,000 people. You have to be strong, mentally tough enough to keep trying things because they are going to come off. There's no point in hiding. You have to be big and brave enough to keep going. I will never hide. And I am lucky enough to have plenty encouragement from my team-mates."

With Kevin Thomson, Steven Davis, Kenny Miller, Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papa all missing yesterday, Adam felt Rangers had done well to remain only four points behind Celtic by close of play.

"We have lost three of our top players recently, players who have done really well in the last six months," he said. "Hopefully if we can get a couple of them back, we can go on a run and get back in the title race. The best is still to come."

Both Rangers' goals were the outcome of corners by Adam, the first converted by French striker Jean-Claude Darcheville, the second by Kris Boyd, who was then taken off with a shin injury. With DaMarcus Beasley also limping by the end of the match, the impression was that Rangers' injury worries are far from over.