The joy, and the glory, was in the aftermath of this game.

Receiving the third division trophy brought a genuine sense of completion to what has been a difficult season for Rangers. When Ally McCoist addressed the crowd afterwards, he thanked the supporters for their loyalty. "You guys have shown a support without which this club would not have survived," he said.

There was an emphasis, too, on this only being the first stage of Rangers' journey back to the top flight. Supporters cast aside their grumblings about the accomplishment of some of the performances of this campaign, and there is a general acceptance that Rangers remain a work in progress. This occasion, though, was about accepting a moment of triumph for its own merits.

"I just wanted to win for the supporters," said McCoist. "Of course everyone is not happy with everything – me included. The most important thing is that we make progress. The support deserve unbelievable praise from everyone at this football club."

The intention was to dwell upon the moment. Supporters filled Ibrox with colour, noise, pride and the reassurance that almost 12 months on from a summer of uncertainty, the club is moving back towards the top flight. In the flag-waving, the singing, the sheer exuberance of the occasion, the home fans were essentially celebrating again the resilience of their club.

A little more than 50,000 attended the game, a remarkable show of commitment and faith, one that has become associated with Rangers' progress through the third division. The club sold 38,000 season tickets for this campaign, and needs to do the same again to continue the rebuilding process.

While the forensic examination by Pinsent Masons and Deloitte continues to investigate the links between Charles Green, Imran Ahmad and Craig Whyte, as well as the former pair's running of the club before they recently departed, the future remains unresolved. There is co-operation, of sorts, in the boardroom, but still claims that the £22 million raised in last December's IPO is dwindling, with less than £10m left in the bank, although the chairman, Malcolm Murray, the interim chief executive, Craig Mather, and the finance director, Brian Stockbridge, all insist otherwise. It was telling, though, that McCoist spoke afterwards about the need for Rangers-minded individuals to be heavily involved in the club at all levels.

"The club I respect more than any other would be Bayern Munich," McCoist said. "I would love us to get a similar type model. By that I mean a spine of people within the club who feel for the club.

"I am not saying all business people should have blue blood, but it is very healthy if you have got Sandy Jardine, John Greig, Walter Smith, people like that. Our club needs stability and people the fans can look up to and believe in. We have lacked all the things we have had for 140 years and we have to get back to that as soon as we can."

His words could be interpreted as a rallying call, but there was warmth, too, in the way McCoist and Mather embraced after the trophy presentation. The result of the forensic examination will be critical, to decisions in the boardroom, to season ticket sales, even to individuals considering buying significant tranches of shares to take control of the club. Yet these issues briefly slipped from prominence as Rangers crowned their season.

The performance often caused McCoist to be exasperated, but there was worth in the way Fraser Aird surged towards the back post to head Kyle Hutton's cross beyond Marc McCallum, the Berwick goalkeeper.

Andy Mitchell impressed again at left-back, but there were too many sideways passes and lack of forward momentum. Lewis Macleod, returning after four months out injured, reminded in cameos the attacking instincts and dynamism he can bring to the midfield.

"It is brilliant to see those young boys in there," said McCoist. "It is the first thing many of them have won. In front of 50,000-odd folk. Once you get a taste for it and I certainly hope they can go on and get more."

For Berwick, too, there was a sense of satisfaction, since they held on to their place in the play-offs.