Rangers started by missing a penalty and finished by having a man needlessly sent off in a defeat yesterday which leaves them perilously close to relegation from the Premier Division.

With the bottom three to go down, Rangers are now six points adrift of the safety of seventh spot and they know they must win at least two of their remaining three games to have any chance of avoiding the drop.

In a thrilling match at Southampton Oval, Wolves played most of the good football and deserved the three points which leave them in third place, just a point behind North Village.

All the Wolves goals came in the first half, two from striker Nakia Smith and one from Keemo Smith. Jason Raynor replied with a stunning strike for Rangers and Sheridan Ming made amends for missing an earlier spot kick by netting the home side's second.

Craig Darrell capped a miserable day for Rangers when he was sent off by referee Lyndon Raynor in injury time. After receiving his second yellow card for dissent, Darrell grabbed the flag from assistant referee Gregory Simons and threw it to the ground in a display of anger.

Things had started promisingly for Rangers, when they won a penalty awarded for handball against Jamel Warren in only the third minute. But Ming's effort from the spot was at a nice height for goalkeeper Hewvonne Brown to dive and parry away.

Five minutes later, Wolves went ahead when Nakia Smith side-stepped a defender and hit a right-footed 20-yard drive into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

The scorer of the first goal created the second in the 24th minute with a chipped pass which set up a race for the ball between Keemo Smith and Rangers goalkeeper Randy Darrell. Smith got there first to toe-poke home and it was 2-0.

Midfielder Jason Raynor pulled Rangers back into match with a cracking goal in the 29th minute. Antoine Tucker's long throw-in was headed clear to Raynor, who hit an unstoppable volley from fully 25 yards.

But the visitors restored their two-goal lead a minute before the interval.

Nakia Smith made a diagonal run to latch onto Mark Ray's lobbed through ball and his shot on the turn just had sufficient power to beat Darrell and creep inside the far post.

Two minutes after the break, Rangers grabbed their second goal when Janeiro Tucker's cross was pulled back by Nashon Smith for Ming to bundle in from close range.

Ming so nearly equalised in the 53rd minute, when he ran onto Nashon Smith's flick header and hammered a fierce shot which bounced down off the underside of the bar.

Sekai Waldron dived in bravely to head away the rebound and his consequent collision with the goal post was made more painful by the momentum of Janeiro Tucker who lunged in behind him. After four minutes of treatment the Wolves player was fit to resume.

Nakia Smith should have completed his hat-trick but blazed wide from 10 yards and Ray was unlucky not to add to Wolves' tally with a 20-yarder tipped wide by Randy Darrell.

Rangers: R.Darrell, R.Belboda, P.Brangman, A.Tucker, S.Simmons, J.Raynor, S.Ming, K.Tucker (O.Hart 73 mins), C.Darrell, J.Tucker, N.Smith (B.Harris 85 mins).

Wolves: H.Brown, T.Davis, S.Waldron, L.Simmons, J.Warren, R.Ebbin (J.Peniston 70 mins), A.Thomas, M.Ray, Nak.Smith, N.Webb, K.Smith (Nir.Smith 66 mins).

Men of the match: Ryan Belboda (Rangers); Torry Davis (Wolves) Referee: Lyndon Raynor Red card: Craig Darrell (Rangers) Yellow cards: A.Tucker, R.Belboda (Rangers); S.Waldron (Wolves).