Raith Rovers completed a week of turmoil for Rangers by knocking them of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win at the fallen Glasgow giants’ Ibrox ground on Sunday.

For Raith it was another knockout success against second-tier rivals Rangers after their victory in the final of last year’s Scottish Challenge Cup — an event for the country’s lower league clubs.

Ryan Conroy, formerly of Rangers’ arch-rivals Celtic, gave Raith a 54th-minute lead with a curling free-kick before Haris Vukic, one of five players controversially on-loan from English Premier League club Newcastle, equalised for the home side eight minutes later.

However, Christian Nade scored Raith’s winner 15 minutes from time in the fifth round tie when he bundled the ball in after Rangers goalkeeper Steve Simonsen could not hold Jason Thomson’s hard-hit cross.

There were protests by spectators before the match calling for the board to be sacked — which followed Friday’s announcement that former director Dave King had gained sufficient shareholder approval for a March 4 meeting demanding the current board be removed.

Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall, who intends to stand down at the end of the season, was asked what message he had for irate supporters after Sunday’s loss.

“Just apologise that we have been knocked out of another cup,” he said.

“They come to watch their team and they pay good money, and it’s our job to get a win on the day and we have failed. So we apologise for that.”

Meanwhile all members of the current four-man board missed Sunday’s match after the club advised them not to attend on safety grounds.

“It is regrettable that the board of Rangers Football Club were not in attendance at today’s important Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers,” said a club statement issued Sunday.

“Given the events over the past few days and after advice from the club, the decision was made not to attend the game.

“The board has a duty of care to the fans, staff and stewards to ensure safety at the ground at all times and they believe this was the correct decision.”

Friday’s announcement of the March 4 vote came just a day after McDowall revealed he had been told by the board to play the five Newcastle loan players who arrived on transfer deadline day.

However, Rangers managing director Derek Llambias insisted subsequently that the board was not picking the team.

As events transpired, only Vukic and Remie Streete of the five Newcastle loanees were fit to start on Sunday.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley owns an 8.92 percent stake in Rangers and is being investigated by the Scottish Football Association over whether he has breached rules concerning dual interests.

McDowall stepped in after previous manager Ally McCoist resigned in December, but has already handed in his notice at Ibrox and will leave the club at the end of the season.

Rangers are currently second in the Scottish Championship, 19 points below leaders Hearts with three games in hand.

The record 54-times Scottish champions, Rangers have suffered a series of financial problems, with a liquidation crisis seeing them banished to the fourth tier of Scottish football in 2012 after going into administration before they started their climb back up the league ladder.

Sunday’s other cup tie saw top-flight Dundee United win 3-0 away to lower league Stranraer with all of their goals, one from Chris Erskine and two from Ryan Dow, coming in 10 first-half minutes.