The prelude to the match carried the intrigue.

Ally McCoist met David Somers, the new non-executive director and acting chairman, yesterday morning for the first time.

It was essentially an opportunity for the two men to become acquainted, but Somers would have been fully up to speed with the mood around Ibrox by the time of kick-off. Before the game, fans gathered outside the main door of the stadium and chanted "sack the board" while holding up protest banners.

Those chants were repeated sporadically during the game by the singing section in the Broomloan Road stand, while Paul Murray and Malcolm Murray, two of the nominee directors being put forward for election at the forthcoming annual general meeting, are believed to have addressed fan groups before the game.

"It was just a very brief chat," McCoist said of his meeting with Somers. "But it was encouraging. I was asking one or two questions about his hopes and plans and he was asking the same of myself. I am hopeful that we can have a successful working relationship.

"He knows the current problems at the club. He is very aware of what the club needs. He has a few appointments in mind that he will be making in the near future."

Dissent is rife, but some causes unite all at the club and the minute's silence before kick-off to mark Remembrance Sunday was an evocative moment. The first half fell into a familiar pattern. Rangers accumulated chances but could not covert any of them and it was the seventh consecutive game in which the team reached half-time without establishing a lead. In six of those encounters McCoist's team did not score before the break either. That must have been a cause of bewilderment for the manager, since his team had enough opportunities.

It was only Andrew Duncan's second start for Airdrie and the goalkeeper was sprightly enough. He smartly saved Jon Daly's header at his far post and Nicky Clark's effort from close range. Clark endured a frustrating afternoon, drawing two agile saves from Duncan after the interval and then seeing a header bounce off the crossbar.

By then though, the home side were able to more sanguine about missed chances. Airdrie could not hold out beyond the opening minute of the second half, although the goal was just reward for the way the home side took advantage of their opponents' cautious approach. Arnold Peralta delivered a cross that skimmed off the head of Darren McCormack, the Airdrie defender, and was sent beyond the goalkeeper by a powerful Daly header.

Once in front, Rangers grew more assured. David Templeton had mostly delivered an erratic display, but his run into the penalty area drew a foul from Gregor Buchanan, the Airdrie full-back. "It looked a bit soft," said Gary Bollan, the Airdrie manager. Lee MucCulloch converted the penalty decisively.

"On another day we would and should have scored a lot more goals," McCoist said. "But that's not a bad thing to be moaning about if you are winning and keeping a clean sheet. Credit has to go to the opposition who are setting up a bit differently to teams at the start of the campaign."