TWO priceless late goals allowed Rangers to secure a place in the William Hill Scottish Cup fifth round, but even in their very moment of triumph the Ibrox club were still left counting the cost.

A flare thrown by celebrating travelling fans congregated behind the goal caused severe, if localised, damage to Falkirk's new state-of-the-art playing surface, laid for the best part of half a million pounds this summer.

That will facilitate engineers flying in from Holland in the next few days in an attempt to get Tuesday night's Under-20 match with Celtic played or, failing that, Saturday's SPFL championship meeting with Raith Rovers.

While they declined to put a price tag on the work, it is likely to be at least a five-figure sum in addition to any potential SFA action and Rangers directors last night assured their hosts that they would stump up for the damages.

"I don't think Falkirk are too happy about it and rightly so," said Falkirk boss Gary Holt. "What can Rangers do about it? It is mindless people who come to football sometimes and just want to be disruptive, but you can't ban everyone who wants to come to the football."

The wild celebrations only emphasised how much of a crusade this year's Scottish Cup has become for this Ibrox side. The win was clearly merited on the balance of chances created, even if it was far more evenly poised when both sides had a full complement on the park.

Indeed, it only really became seriously skewed after the controversial dismissal of David McCracken for what was deemed a last-man challenge on Nicky Clark on the very edge of the box just before the hour.

Michael McGovern saved superbly from Lee McCulloch's resultant spot kick, but by the end the pressure on the home The game was in its 90th minute by the time Nicky Law guided in a loose ball following Ian Black's free-kick, and three minutes into injury-time before David Templeton ended a frustrating personal period by running on to Lewis MacLeod's clever pass and sweeping in a sweet left-foot finish.

It put a gloss on a performance which was hardly the brutal 5-0 rout which Aberdeen inflicted on the Bairns in the League Cup, but was strong enough to emphasise the club's newly improved fitness levels. Ally McCoist went off into the night saying they wouldn't be scared of anybody when the fifth- round draw is made tomorrow.

"I was never accepting it was going to be a replay because one thing the boys have worked hard on this year is their levels of fitness," said McCoist.

"We've got to be ready [for a Premiership side], because it could happen. One of the bookies make us second favourites, but the majority have still got Aberdeen, Dundee United and Motherwell ahead of us. Time will tell if we are good enough to beat opposition of that quality, but it is not something that scares us."

Holt refused to point the finger at referee Brian Colvin for the sending off which turned this into a different game, but his players had been hugely aggrieved at the decision. "I thought David came across and got a touch on the ball so I was in two minds whether to pick it up or not in case the referee deemed it a passback," said McGovern. "I obviously didn't think it was a sending off. They missed the penalty, but the sending off changed the game immensely."

These teams have now met four times in the cup competitions, with Rangers winning all four, since Mark Millar's late free-kick knocked Ally McCoist and co out of the League Cup back in September 2011, but there was still plenty to be proud of for the side sitting fourth in the league above the Ibrox side.

Millar, back on loan from Dundee United, Craig Sibbald and Connor McGrandles held their own in a feisty midfield battle with Ian Black, even if Falkirk had little answer to the rapier thrusts of Lee Wallace down the left or the height of Lee McCulloch and Jon Daly at set-plays.

McGovern saved well from Wallace early on, then saw substitute Fraser Aird's first touch rebound from the junction of cross and bar. Although Falkirk's best chance of a goal came and went when Rory Loy stayed on his feet when rounding Cammy Bell, their hopes of a replay eventually went up in smoke.