Neither side was inclined to relinquish their sense of duty here; these two teams were so diligent that intransigence emerged as the dominant influence and the game developed into a conflict of wills.

The fact a replay is now added to the league fixture and Co-operative Insurance Cup final involving the clubs in the coming six weeks seems a callous act. There was a grim formality about much of the play at St Mirren Park, so that defensive concerns were paramount and excellence or flair was allowed little headway.

Both sets of players appeared to be grateful at escaping from this Active Nation Scottish Cup fifth round tie with their role in the competition still intact. It was a game when small mercies were the most valuable of commodities.

For St Mirren, this meant remaining competitive – in both their previous games against Rangers this season they had conceded goals within the opening two minutes – and confronting any feeling of inferiority. “We’re very happy to run Rangers as close as that,” said Andy Millen, St Mirren’s assistant manager. “The last couple of times we’ve played them, we’ve not given ourselves a chance. Having that base to work from was the most pleasing thing for a group of players who worked extremely hard.”

The visitors could take solace from the return of Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, after double hernia and hamstring injuries respectively, although neither substitute looked likely to alleviate the obstinacy of their opponents.

Perhaps the most redeeming factor for the away side was the performance of Madjid Bougherra. Having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, where the Algerian centre-back was named in the team of the tournament, he brings an air of unpredictability that lights up his side.

Bougherra was conspicuous, mostly because of the intrepidness in his game. Four times in the opening half-hour, he loped up the right flank to deliver crosses into the penalty area, the last of which was preceded by the kind of jinking shuffle that wingers consider their unique expertise.

By allowing the adventurousness of his nature to sometimes take precedence, Bougherra alters the dynamic of a match and often this can prove decisive. The toll is the obligation of other players to be mindful of his impulsive behaviour, and perhaps occasional moments of rising alarm in Walter Smith, his manager.

“He likes a gallop forward now and again, you just see him up there,” remarked Lee McCulloch, the Rangers midfielder. “When he goes forward, I’ll usually sit in, until he eventually comes back. He’s got a trick, he’s got pace, he can put a ball in the box. He’s really good at breaking forward; he’s an overlapping centre-back, which I don’t think many teams have got. We’ve got to use that to our advantage.”

Rangers were unable to profit from Bougherra’s ingenuity, but then his resilience turned out to be crucial. When Michael Higdon reacted sharply in the penalty area to clip the ball over the head of Allan McGregor, it was Bougherra who headed the effort off the line. It is almost as though he has an insatiable appetite for being an occasion’s central character.

“Madjid has a stature and a presence,” said Ally McCoist, the Rangers assistant manager.

“He did two very good things, bordering on brilliant, on the right wing when he put a great ball across, and when he headed off the line. He is a player that any team would miss.”

The Algerian needed to be stoical, as he and Danny Wilson were accosted by the unambiguously physical approach of Higdon and Billy Mehmet. With David Weir suspended, the two Rangers centre-backs had to be unbowed. There was fierceness in many of the game’s collisions and if both sides claimed a draw to be fair, it was because every quality seemed to be shared equally.

On another surge forward during the second half, Bougherra almost created a clear chance for Steven Naismith with a beautifully conceived lob over the St Mirren defence, but Paul Gallagher raced from his line to gather the ball ahead of the Rangers striker.

Once Craig Dargo replaced Higdon, there was a greater urgency to St Mirren’s ambition and his darting runs were briefly unsettling for the Ibrox club.

The home side remain mindful that staying in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is their most pressing commitment and so there was no sense of triumph in this result. Gus MacPherson will have noted the greater security that a back three brought to his side against Hearts in the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final last Wednesday, and again in facing Rangers at the weekend.

He will consider such stability vital to the business of maintaining the club’s status. But his team is also pivotal to Rangers’ aspirations, as two of the three elements of the treble currently rest on fixtures between these sides. This perhaps explains the relief in McCoist afterwards.

“Positives? Obviously a clean sheet,” he said. “Negatives? I don’t think we created anything like we normally do, or should have done, but as the game went on it’s safe to say I was just pleased to still be in the Cup.”