THE name Adrian Sprott can finally fade quietly away into the background. This result will not send shockwaves around world football in the manner that the midfielder’s famous winning goal at this venue in a Scottish Cup tie did back in January 1987 but perhaps the names of goal heroes David Templeton and Darren Lyon, both of them ironically formerly on the books at Rangers, will inspire a new generation of Hamilton supporters after the Lanarkshire side racked up their first win in Govan since that fateful day 30 years ago. In terms of league wins at this stadium, you had to go back a good deal further, back to 1926.

It almost goes without saying that a result of such historic proportions will also ratchet up the pressure on the Rangers board of directors as they hunt for a permanent replacement for Pedro Caixinha. This was supposed to be the day interim boss Graeme Murty triumphantly achieved in just three matches in charge what his Portuguese predecessor was unable to do in seven months but even such modest ambitions proved beyond this group of players.

Again Murty proved himself unafraid to make big decisions – he withdrew both Alfredo Morelos and Kenny Miller for Eduardo Herrera and Ryan Hardie with around 20 minutes to play as the Ibrox side chased an equaliser - but for the first time in a previously flawless audition Murty's players fluffed their lines.

We were early into the second half when Ross McCrorie, the poster boy for the Murty regime, tarnished an otherwise respectable display by presenting Templeton with a free run on Wes Foderingham, which the former Rangers star gobbled up by rounding the goalkeeper and stabbing in a finish which the backtracking Lee Hodson couldn’t keep out. Then it was the turn of Darren Lyon to write his name into history and milk the moment with the visiting supporters, finishing neatly after a barnstorming run and cross from Greg Docherty on the counter.

Now nine points back on Celtic, with two home wins out of seven in the league – and still unable to compile three back-to-back wins since the days of Mark Warburton last December – the day’s only saving grace for Ibrox fans was the fact Aberdeen and Hibs both also slipped up at home.

As much as the Accies deserved their moment for their organisation and work rate, Rangers had enough chances to win this game comfortably. Alfredo Morelos and Danny Wilson both hit the bar with headers from crosses, one in each half, with the stocky little Colombian particularly guilty of profligacy in front of goal on a number of other occasions. He somehow succeeded in sending a downward header down and over the bar from six yards, dragged a left foot shot wide, then blazed over in the second period when Miller played him through on goal.

Loud boos rang around Ibrox at the final whistle – from those supporters who still remained, and Miller typically articulated the fact that the fans of this club are used to better. “It is unacceptable,” said Miller. “That has been said in the dressing room, it is absolutely unacceptable. What has it been? 30 years. And it is another three points dropped at home. If you look at our home form in the league this year, it hasn’t been good enough. Whether Murts is first, second or 10th favourite for the job, we’ve let ourselves down with the result.”

Miller refused to put the defeat down to any uncertainty over the manager’s position and Murty too said he would do everything he could to put matters right – IF he is still in charge of first team matters on Monday morning. Prior to this one, with little headway apparently being made on the recruitment of reported targets such as Derek McInnes, and a recent surge of money for Alex McLeish, the mood music had suggested the interim manager’s chances of landing the job on a semi-permanent basis were increasing.

“It will or it won’t [affect my chances], I can’t really have a thought about that,” said Murty. “All that is just noise around our performance, and the performance didn’t give us the three points. All I can worry about is Monday, if I am still in post, the players learn their lessons from today, get a good week’s training in and go and try to put this right. I don’t expect anything to be honest, I will just react to the reality as I find it.

Martin Canning, injured when Alex Neil’s side made history by winning at Celtic Park in 2014, told his players to savour equalising the achievement of Adrian Sprott all those years ago, not least because it was a shot in the arm for the club's directors following the online fraud which saw the club robbed of a sizeable sum earlier in the season. "You do hear a lot about that Adrian Sprott goal, that is why it is such a fantastic result for the club," he said. "That was 30 years ago and it is still being talked about now. So it doesn't happen often."