It could be seen as symptomatic of how things are at Ibrox these days that even when Dean Shiels appeared to have marked his return to the first team with the winning goal, it immediately became a matter for internal dispute.

In fairness, there was a much needed light-heartedness to the way that emerged which was in keeping with the impact on the overall mood of the 58th minute goal for which the 29-year-old provided the momentum, if not necessarily the direction.

"Are you trying to say it was an og? Boydy's already been saying that," he said in mock protest, when asked whether he had merely provided an assist to a goal finished by Cowdenbeath defender Nat Wedderburn.

If so it would also be harsh on another team-mate who might be denied credit for having created the opportunity, as Shiels went on to point out.

"I've tried to put it in the area and it's gone in at the back post, but it was good movement by Kenny Miller and he's nodded it into my path well, but it was just about getting that first goal and getting three points."

Having made his first start since the 3-1 defeat to Hibs in September, Shiels also rightly noted that, such was unease within the stadium, it did not really matter who was responsible, just that it happened.

"It was relief. That's the exact word to describe how it felt to get the goal," he said. "It's been a tough week. That was a very bad result the other night, but in a way it was good to get another game so quickly to try to put that behind us and thankfully we got the win today to move on."

His contribution was certainly sufficient to justify his manager's pre-match expression of confidence that he would step up and take additional responsibility in the absence of the injured Lewis Macleod, and Ally McCoist could also take satisfaction from how his men bounced back from that horror Challenge Cup defeat to Alloa three days earlier.

"The most important thing was to win the game," he said. "We weren't brilliant, but we got a great reaction and the really pleasing thing is that the boys keep attempting to do the right things."

Both he and opposite number Jimmy Nicholl, who largely set aside his disappointment in defeat to offer what bordered on a supportive pep talk for his former team-mate, noted that the important thing for Rangers is that their players show the character to keep seeking involvement at every juncture.

They are doing so in an ever stranger atmosphere with attendances steadily dwindling while, for all that talk of protests during the game proved unfounded, the atmosphere generated by those who do turn up is one of general dissatisfaction and that could have become properly unpleasant had Darren McGregor not managed to get a head to a cross to thwart the one decent-looking chance the visitors created.

That cannot fail to affect those on the pitch, contributing to the fact that while there was no lack of overall dominance, there remains a disturbing lack of confidence in front of goal betrayed by a succession of badly miscued and mistimed shots, allied to a propensity to take one touch too many at clear-cut opportunities, as best illustrated by Kris Boyd's bewildering loss of form in front of goal. "It's understandable there's a nervousness," McCoist acknowledged, noting that Boyd, Miller, Shiels and Nicky Law had all spurned opportunities.

"Contrary to what a lot of people think, it's not an easy place to play when things aren't going well. There were nerves knocking about, but you must attempt to do the right things."

For Cowdenbeath the last couple of weeks have been about salvaging some self-respect, the memory of heavy defeats having accompanied them on those two trips, a 6-0 hammering at Falkirk and a 3-0 home defeat to Rangers having both been experienced in the previous few weeks.

Nicholl, who was dismissive of suggestions that Rangers have lost their fear factor, had been disappointed by his side's lack of fight at Falkirk and this time they offered even less in the way of creative support to skipper Sean Higgins's attempts to discomfort the opposition defence.

Yet they had stuck gamely to their task until being undone by a break of the ball a week ago and did so again, yesterday, until Miller used his head to find a way through them when he nodded the ball between two defenders and into Shiels' path to let him make that decisive contribution