IT was a rousing display and fine win at Ibrox against one of their main rivals around this time last season which transformed Rangers’ fortunes and gave them the impetus they needed to claim the Ladbrokes Championship title.

Will the crucial victory over Aberdeen on Saturday now have the same sort of impact on their bid to finish as runners-up in the Premiership and secure a Europa League spot?

If Mark Warburton’s side can show the same belligerence and guile as they did in their 2-1 triumph over Derek McInnes’s team in their remaining top flight fixtures then they will not be far away from achieving their objective.

The failure of their Pittodrie rivals, who are five points behind with two games in hand, to perform in a big game in Glasgow for the second time in six days will also have given them renewed confidence.

Rangers had often been unconvincing, if not downright poor, in the build-up to the league match at the weekend and had been savaged, including by their own manager, for their inept showing in the 2-0 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle on Wednesday evening.

The encounter against Aberdeen, just as the meeting with Hibs had done some 12 months earlier, went a long way towards silencing their critics and suggested they have a very good chance of finishing as the best of the rest in the 2016/17 campaign.

It also proved they can learn from their mistakes, have the heart for the fight which lies ahead and are a far more versatile team than their many detractors give them credit for.

Warburton dropped James Tavernier, who had, and not for the first time, been at fault for the goals which they conceded three days earlier, to the bench and brought in his understudy Lee Hodson at right back.

Rangers looked far more solid defensively with Hodson on the park. Only a headed Andrew Considine goal for Aberdeen in injury-time prevented them from keeping a clean sheet.

Clint Hill, harshly sent off for a second bookable offence late on, and Rob Kiernan alongside Hodson both revelled in the raw intensity of a fixture in which there is never any love lost, either on the park or in the stands.

The home team also altered their tactics to combat the high-pressing game which Aberdeen, as Hearts had done so successfully earlier in the week, used in an attempt to disrupt their patient build-up play and switched to a more direct style when required.

Warburton has been castigated for his stubborn refusal to revert to a Plan B if Plan A is not working since arriving in Glasgow last year. This match showed that he can see the merits in using the long ball when a situation demands it.

Rangers, who won, and reclaimed second spot in the top flight table thanks to goals from Kenny Miller and Hodson in the second-half, remain very much a work in progress. Up front especially they still lack a cutting edge.

Michael O’Halloran, Barrie McKay, Harry Forrester and Martyn Waghorn are not currently performing consistently enough to be considered automatic selections. James Tavernier came on and played in a central role on Saturday and may, with his undoubted athleticism and ability going forward, be another option in midfield.

But the willingness of the home team to front up to opponents who have finished runners-up in the top flight in the last two seasons in a bad-tempered game which was often low and quality and high on needle augurs well for the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign.

Certainly, the Rangers supporters in the 50,003 crowd at the weekend were impressed with the desire showed by those in light blue jerseys and got emphatically behind their team. Having that sort of backing will be a huge help to them going forward.

If Rangers can avenge their defeat to Hearts in another huge game at Ibrox this Saturday then suddenly the outlook will be far brighter.

Aberdeen, who take on Kilmarnock at Pittodrie tomorrow evening in the first of their games in hand, rued the opportunity that Jayden Stockley, preferred to Adam Rooney up front, missed early in the second half.

The striker headed a Jonny Hayes cross wide of goal despite having time and space to steady himself and pick his spot. If he had converted, as he really should have, then it would have allowed the visitors to sit back and protect their lead and the final result could have been rather different.

But their overall display, as had been the case in the Betfred Cup final against Celtic at Hampden, was undeserving of a result. Lee Wallace fired wide after instigating an excellent attacking move in the first half and Joe Lewis denied Forrester with an exceptional save at 2-0. They could have lost by more.

The Aberdeen players were certainly not going to be bullied in any off-the-ball exchanges, of which there were many, and Ryan Jack was sent off after picking up a second yellow card his involvement in a shoving match in the Rangers box before the free-kick which Considine netted from.

Once again, though, McInnes’s men failed to show the necessary fight during open play. The lack of bite in midfield especially must be alarming for supporters who have grown accustomed to their side being the second best in the country and have enjoyed the credible if ill-fated challenges for the Scottish title their team has launched in the last two seasons.