MARK Warburton had been hopeful a break from competitive action would revitalise his jaded players and ensure Rangers rediscovered the sort of form they had been displaying at the start of the season.

If anything, going a fortnight without a game had a detrimental affect on his Championship leaders; they performed way below the standards they are capable of against Livingston and could have no complaints about being held to a draw.

Dropping points for only the second time in the 2015/16 campaign allowed their nearest challengers Hibs, who have played one game more, to draw level with them on points at top of the Championship.

The difficulties the Ibrox club is now experiencing breaking down rivals who set up against them defensively and look to score on the counter attack is clearly becoming a problem.

“We lacked guile in the final third today,” said Warburton. “We huffed and puffed, but never showed any true class in a key area of the pitch. Livingston got men behind the ball and defended resiliently. We know teams are going to do that. We have to do better up front. We have to learn from today.

“Teams are putting eight, nine, ten men behind the ball. It is hard to break them down. We need to show better quality, whether it is a one against one, a ball falling at your feet or a header. Today it didn’t come for us. There is no lack of quality or character or desire or work ethic in the squad. We just have to show it.”

Jason Holt had put the visitors in front with his fifth goal of the season after 22 minutes. His strike, though, owed more to good fortune than an especially slick passage of play from his side.

The former Hearts man, who has, along with James Tavernier and Martyn Waghorn, been the most impressive of the players who Warburton brought in during the summer this season, was unconcerned with how it came about.

Livingston centre half Ben Gordon attempted to clear a cross from Rangers winger Barrie McKay out of his penalty box but only succeeded in playing the ball straight into the path of the advancing Holt.

The midfielder showed great composure and fine technique to curl a shot into the bottom right corner of the net. The large away support which had travelled through to West Lothian sensed another routine victory was imminent.

Yet, Livingston drew level six minutes into the season half after some fine play by Gordon. Rangers were guilty of standing off the defender as he advanced towards his goal and unleashed a shot.

Dominic Ball blocked it and the ball broke to Myles Hippolyte. The English striker, too, was given time and space to steady himself and get a shot away which Wes Foderingham was unable to get a hand to. “It was sloppy play by us,” admitted Warburton afterwards. “We backed off. We should have done better."

Warburton put on Kenny Miller for the disappointing Gedion Zelalem soon after that and Rangers certainly pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages of the game. Andy Halliday and Miller were both denied brilliantly by Marc MacCallum as the home team held on for a morale-boosting point.

“We rode our luck at times,” admitted Livingston manager Mark Burchill. “Rangers are a very good team with some fantastic players. But it is about staying in the game and then when you get the ball going and doing something with it. We managed to do that.”

Livingston had been heavily criticised for their excessively physical approach on the last occasion they played Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup quarter-final at Ibrox last month. Burchill was pleased they had put the controversy behind them and is hopeful his side can gain confidence from this showing and move up the second tier table.

“I thought it was absolute nonsense,” he said of the outcry that erupted after the cup encounter. “There was one ill-timed tackle after six seconds and there was a lot made of it. But the next day it was forgotten about. We have moved on. I have been saying from the start of the season this is a mid-table squad at worst. If we take our chances we can prove that.”