Nicky Clark's strike on the brink of half time has given Rangers a vital 1-0 lead at the break in the first leg of their Scottish Premiership playoff semi-final against Hibernian.

Liam Craig fired away the first shot of the tie inside the opening stages in an attempt to take the sting out of the intense atmosphere inside Ibrox, but Cammy Bell watched closely as it sailed wide of the post.

The contest remained end-to-end for large parts of the opening quarter, as Dominique Malonga saw his effort saved by Bell, just moments after Kenny Miller was denied up the other end of the field.

Neither side were able to truly trouble the opposition keeper until, just when the half appeared to be heading towards a goalless conclusion, Clark flicked home Richard Foster's pass to open the scoring for the Gers.