THE last time Rangers lost a domestic match by this margin Kenny McDowall was an aspiring Celtic reserve- team coach and Alan Stubbs was featuring for the Parkhead side in Martin O'Neill's first Old Firm derby, which resulted in a 6-2 triumph in the East End of Glasgow back in 2000.

The Ibrox club's journey back through the divisions stumbled to a new nadir in Leith yesterday as the club's new caretaker manager was powerless to prevent an utterly dominant Hibernian side inflicting on them their fourth away defeat in a row, not to mention their fourth straight defeat in matches against their Championship rivals from Edinburgh.

It becomes their heaviest defeat at this venue for more than 100 years, or January 1912 to be exact, cutting the distance between Hibs and Rangers in the championship table to four points, and doing little to suggest the Ibrox club would prevail should these two teams renew hostilities in the play-offs.

The McDowall era began with the same starting XI witnessed at the end of the Ally McCoist period, but that was hardly a surprise when you consider that this is a man who took many of the first-team coaching sessions.

Indeed, his only ostensible alteration to the line-up saw Kyle Hutton take David Templeton's place on the bench, with Hibs similarly unchanged after recording back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Even at the ungodly hour of 12.15pm, the atmosphere fairly crackled as kick-off approached, Hibs fans taunting their visitors with a banner which read "New Club, Still Scotland's Shame", before an immaculately observed minute's silence in honour of the victims of the Glasgow bin-lorry tragedy.

But if Rangers supporters arrived at Easter Road buoyed by the news that a trio of the club's wealthier supporters, led by bus tycoon Douglas Park, had made a £6.5 million offer to ease the club's funding crisis, their optimism wouldn't last long.

After a nervy start from Hibs which betrayed all their issues playing in front of their home support, it took Scott Allan shrugging off an Ian Black challenge to get the hosts into their stride. Before long, Liam Craig was scampering down the left and curling over a cross which Lee McCulloch was unable to effectively clear. Instead, the ball rolled to the feet of David Gray and the right-back had an age to size up the situation before sweeping in a drive which was still rising as it hit the top corner.

It didn't take long for Hibs to double their money. The rampant Allan, a boyhood Rangers supporter whom the club passed over this summer, again had far too much time to pick Craig out at the far post. With Steve Simonsen left pawing at air, and precious little reaction from covering Rangers defenders, Jason Cummings could hardly miss from all of a yard.

Rangers were getting a pasting and it was all too much for Black, the pantomime villain for the home support, who was deservedly booked for taking out his frustrations on Allan.

He lasted just longer than the half-hour mark before McDowall took him off for fear of him being sent off, the player offering a sarcastic clap, presumably in the direction of the jeering Hibs fans, as he went off. The first chants of "Sack the board" then rang out from the visiting fans at around the same point.

The second substitution of the McDowall era saw Kris Boyd enter the fray at half-time for Fraser Aird, but while the veteran striker had scored a goal here which condemned Hibs to their trial by the play-offs last season, the second period was to offer nothing in the way of respite to the visiting fans.

Scott Robertson had shrugged off a nervy start to be an excellent performer for his side, and he got the goal his display merited. Nicking a typically loose pass in midfield, he latched on to Allan's clever reverse pass. One touch left the covering Richard Foster on his behind, and with a simple finish this game was done.

Jason Cummings fired narrowly wide after another piece of passing, movement and creativity which was beyond anything Rangers could come up with all day before another picture goal did make it four. Again Allan was at the heart of it, embarrassing Hutton in midfield, before dinking the ball to the far post, where Liam Craig's low right-foot volley found the bottom corner.

Nicky Clark and Nicky Law both worked half-chances, but Mark Oxley's goal remained intact, while behind it the bulk of the Rangers fans had long since filtered away into the afternoon.

In contrast, Hibs performed a mini lap of honour to mark their historic feat, and now have Saturday's Edinburgh derby to get their teeth into. The year of 2014 concludes with no end in sight for the Ibrox club's wanderings in the wilderness.