ANY sort of win was all that Rangers craved. It wouldn't dull the pain of the Kaunus debacle that seems to have brought the world crashing in on them, but three points would prevent the sky plunging towards their feet on the opening day of the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League. In the end, what they got was an any-sort-of-win of the scrawniest variety. They weren't good, they were just fortunate, a familiar recipe that took them a mighty long way last season but couldn't possibly be expected to do so again.

But then, who knows? The Ibrox side at least dug in when largely out-passed and second-best against impressive hosts. And the home team blew their monster chance, in part, because of excellence on their part with Allan McGregor saving a Michael Higdon penalty after 49 minutes.

Bairns manager John Hughes landed himself in lumber last season when he complained that his side were never awarded penalties – in fact they went the entire SPL season without one. Ain't it always the way: be careful what you wish for. Falkirk finally get a spot kick, on the first day of the new term and against Old Firm opposition no less, and Higdon is unable to capitalise.

There wasn't a person inside the stadium, including both sets of players and management, who couldn't see that the striker's tame side-foot pushed away by the Rangers goalkeeper was a potential turning point.

So it inevitably proved when, with 18 minutes remaining, and in what, in fairness, was probably the most incisive move of the encounter, Kris Boyd flicked the ball through to Kyle Lafferty as he bounded into space down the left channel of the box.

Although in a shooting position, the £3m Burnley buy cleverly opened up the Falkirk backline by providing a cut-back that allowed Andrius Velicka to sweep the ball into an unguarded net to bag a first goal for his new club.

It was difficult to say whether the relief palpable among those in Rangers colours on the field was greater than that which spread among the visiting supporters in the stands. Until that point, the greatest enjoyment these punters had derived from the afternoon came from the presence of the unavailable Carlos Cuellar and Nacho Novo among them.

The Rangers faithful won't be fooled by a victory that supplied breathing space and no more, even if Walter Smith found a surprising amount of good to say about his team's performance. The Rangers line-up looked a whole lot different from the one that was desperate in a defeat on Tuesday. This was not, however, the result of Smith taking out his wrath on any perceived guilty parties.

Changes were enforced, with Kenny Miller injured and David Weir and Novo suspended from the team that started in Lithuania. Poor Charlie Adam was the solitary player to be dropped for his part in the Champions League exit. Other failures on the evening, Christian Dailly and Steven Whittaker, were merely given different roles.

Predictably, Boyd featured in a 4-4-2. Those developments could suggest a willingness of Smith to bow to pressure and give in to the two principal demands of the club's apoplectic followers. The reality, however, is that Smith would have gone down these routes even if his team had won handsomely against Kaunas.

The Rangers manager could hardly have been accused of caution yesterday. As well as giving Algerian centre-back Madjid Bougherra his debut, he handed first competitive starts to Velicka and Lafferty.

Despite the Irishman being ear-marked for a frontline role, he was posted wide on the left of midfield. Until they combined for the goal, little or nothing was seen of the duo, but the infrequent ball possession of central midfield duo Lee McCulloch and Kevin Thomson hardly helped their cause.

Indeed, after appearing as if capable of producing a reaction to their European jettisoning across the opening 15 minutes, Rangers were often left chasing against a Falkirk team not as different as might have been expected considering Hughes' seven signings during the close season. Only two of these, Jackie McNamara and Lee Bullen, featured, with other notable arrivals Burton O'Brien and Neil McCann injured and most recent capture Stevie Lovell deemed not yet match-fit.

Rangers, meanwhile, seemed not yet fit for purpose as they allowed the home side to move both them and the ball around with deft, one-touch play. If teams can string together a couple of passes there can be a rush to hail them as stylish, but Hughes' side genuinely does produce football that is pleasing on the eye and manifestly craft-based. Yesterday, they did so until heavy-set, heavy-legged Higdon became involved to rob their play of any aesthetic.

After Boyd had been brilliantly tackled by Darren Barr when in one of those central positions from which he normally buries chances, Higdon made a mess of a precious opening with little more than quarter of an hour gone. He got himself into a scrap with Bougherra that led to him claiming for a penalty as the ball bobbled around the box before being thumped into his path by Scott Arfield. Caught unawares, he stuck out a leg but could only sclaff an effort wide with the goal gaping.

Higdon was unrepentant afterwards about fighting off Patrick Clegg – "I'm bigger than him," he smiled – for the honour to take a penalty that followed Whittaker catching Kevin McBride on the ankle as he turned him. The forward was unrepentant too about the miss, despite his lack of oomph allowing McGregor the chance to follow the flight of the ball.

Rangers had come closest to finding the net until that point. In the final 10 minutes of the first period they came alive with Barr blocking a netbound shot from Boyd before Dailly had a low drive cleared off the line only seconds later.

They experienced few scares once Velicka had put them in front, and since it was away form that became problematic for them towards the end of last season, they could claim that they have started encouragingly.

Man of the match

There were a few fine performers in the home side and Kevin McBride, Lee Bullen, Jackie McNamara and Gerard Aafjes could all be chuffed with their efforts. So too could John Stewart, who was constantly probing and driving at the Rangers defence.

QUICK FACT

Perhaps a win wasn't the best result for Rangers. Only once in the past six seasons has the team who have claimed the championship won their opening encounter.

TALKING POINT

With the Kris Boyd and Andrius Velicka combining for the decisive goal it will be interesting to see whether Rangers supporters' Mr Unpopular Kenny Miller is restored to the line-up when fit again.