Early in the second half at Balmoor, the Peterhead midfielder Dean Cowie left Andrew Little in a crumpled heap.

As the Rangers player lay on the turf his team-mate, Ian Black, grimaced in frustration then shouted across, telling him to get to his feet and carry on. Black was clenching his fist and the message was clear: Rangers had to stand up to the challenge they faced.

Peterhead did not roughhouse their opponents – some of their football in the second half was measured, clever and effective – but they might have been guilty of too readily sitting off the visitors in the opening period. So Jim McInally reminded his players to be more assertive during the interval.

"Dean Cowie's a local boy, and I asked him at half-time how many fouls he committed and he said 'none'. I said, 'well you better start because that's what you're in the team for'," McInally grinned. "There was hardly a foul in the first half and it has to be competitive. If you let them play they'll hurt you; everyone did what they were good at in the second half."

There were other aggressive encounters, but it was the intent of the Peterhead forwards, compared to the distracted air of the Rangers defenders, that resulted in a deserved 2-1 lead for the home side, thanks to Rory McAllister's smart turn and crisp finish, then Scott McLaughlin's drive past Neil Alexander. The Rangers goalkeeper also threw himself to his left to brilliantly tip a McAllister shot away from the top corner, and the sense then was of Rangers being unaccustomed to their circumstances.

Ally McCoist has acknowledged that opponents will rise to the occasion of facing Rangers, so that every game will be played at the heightened intensity and with the lack of restraint of a cup tie. He is also adamant that his team can adopt a thoughtful, passing style, yet in the moment of crisis in this game he sent on Kevin Kyle and employed a direct approach. On turf too long for quick passing, the resourcefulness was critical.

Bookmakers had been cutting the odds of Rangers winning every league game this season, and of remaining unbeaten, but the reality is that many encounters will be awkward. McInally grumbled about a Glasgow journalist who described the Irn-Bru Third Division as the equivalent of the juniors, and it was clear that he felt his team's display, and the result, was making a point for all of the teams in the league. Rangers may not have made any assumptions about the outcome, but this was a reminder of the difficulties they will face.

"We were a sideshow, people were forgetting about us, but we were quietly confident we could get in about them," said McLaughlin. "Because we pushed up so high, we were able to create chances. They've got some good international players so they should be beating teams like us, but we can be proud of the way we performed. I hope we set the standard, so that people watched the game and can take heart from it. Rangers aren't used to coming to grounds like this, it might have been a wee shock for them, but I'm sure they'll adjust."

The question for McCoist is to what extent his team, or its approach, needs to be modified. He played three at the back, but the shape was not at fault for the goals conceded; individual errors were evident. None of Kirk Broadfoot, Dorin Goian or Carlos Bocanegra will consider their performances acceptable. The team also lacked pace on the flanks, where Little and Lee Wallace ground up and down ineffectively. Barrie McKay, who scored the opening goal after a series of sharp interchanges, was impressive, and Dean Shiels offered glimpses of creativity, but the team remains a work in progress, even at this level.

"You've got to earn the right to compete and in the second half there was a lot more desire for their front players to score than from ours to keep them out," said McCoist. "The overriding feeling would be disappointment in he way we defended."

One result does not set the tone for a season, and Rangers will have too much strength in depth to be unduly troubled in this campaign, particularly at Ibrox, but the journey back to the top flight will be littered with troublesome and dramatic moments.

ANALYSIS Ally McCoist's side must get used to days like this, writes Richard Wilson