They did, of course, but not without falling behind early and not without having to defend stoutly late on, the last minute being played with 10 men after Sasa Papac was given a second yellow card. Kilmarnock came with plenty of confidence and were in no way overawed by their experience. But Rangers deserved their victory. By some distance they were the better team, rescued by a second-half double from Kris Boyd, who went through merry hell before finally breaking his duck through a penalty and then adding a second courtesy of a deflection.

If ever there was a man in need of goals it was this one. He's been a dejected figure around these parts for an awfully long time, a player whose bit-part in Walter Smith's plans was getting bittier by the week. Yesterday was a mercy to him. And to all Rangers fans. In the beginning they were in great voice, saluting the inclusion of the quiet but promising Maurice Edu, a surprise debutant after Kevin Thomson injured himself in training, and generally carrying with them a happy-clappy air following their ransacking of Celtic Park a fortnight ago.

Kilmarnock didn't give a stuff about Rangers' feelgood post-Parkhead, though. They've started their season excellently and came into this neck and neck with Rangers at the top of the table, including four clean sheets out of four, a heady beginning for that old fox Jim Jefferies. And you could see why. The attitude of his team was terrific. They defended well and picked their moments to go forward. They may not have had all that many but then when you score with your first proper raid it always helps.

There were just eight minutes gone when Killie lit a fire under the collective backside of the Ibrox faithful. They did so in bizarre circumstances, a Mehdi Taouil corner being headed up and away by David Weir only to be sent looping back into the red zone by Garry Hay. As it descended from the clouds, Wright moved in, shoulder to shoulder with Allan McGregor. Clearly befuddled – or shoved illegally as the home fans would have it – McGregor lost track of the ball. It hit the floor at Wright's feet and, slightly shocked, he banged it into an empty net.

A freak goal it may have been but it stood and it was something Rangers were going to have to live with. Soon they would encounter another problem; namely, Killie's resoluteness. "Killie set out their stall the same way we did in Europe last season, making it awkward for the opposition," said Walter Smith.

Smith's team had most of the play after Wright scored, nearly all the opportunities and yet they couldn't break down the visitors' defence. They had a number of chances and half-chances. Edu played a beautifully perceptive ball through to DaMarcus Beasley but, terribly ring rusty, he got his legs in a knot and the moment passed.

After half an hour an incisive move begun by Madjid Bougherra and carried on into the Killie penalty area by the impressive Kenny Miller ended when Boyd failed to apply a touch to a ball that was asking to be spanked home. However frustrated Boyd was at that opportunity he was practically in need of counselling not long after. Again it was Miller who caused the scare, screaming in off the right and squaring to Boyd. His shot was well hit, low and true. The problem was that Alan Combe made a magnificent save, tipping away Boyd's drive for a corner. For good measure, Combe made another save seconds later, denying Bougherra this time.

We've seen a million of these types of games at Ibrox before. The away side takes an early lead and they try to keep the rampaging masses at bay for the rest of the afternoon. It's fair to say, not many survive to tell the tale of their victory against the odds and, as well as they were defending, as committed as they were, you really didn't fancy Killie's chances much. True, Ibrox was getting fractious. But on the field, Rangers were doing fine, creating plenty of holes, not panicking, showing reasonable patience in the pressure cooker. "I was disappointed with the score but not with the performance at that point," said Smith. "We were playing well. Combe had made some terrific saves."

The concern of the supporters was best illustrated by a little cameo just after the restart. Their old pal Boyd was at the centre of it again, going down in the Killie box under a challenge from Wright. Ibrox howled at the moon. Who they were howling at wasn't definitively clear for those within earshot, a gathering decked out in Rangers blue, seemed to see their very own Boyd as the chief villain. "Get on with it, you!" one cried. "If you'd pace a penalty wouldn't have come into it, Boyd!" roared another. To which, the only reply was, get off the fence, chaps, and tell us what you really think of him.

Ah, but there was a twist in the tale. A redemption song. Nacho Novo came on at the break for the anonymous Beasley and he won a penalty out of Manuel Pascali. "The boys say it was a bit soft," said Jefferies, unsurprisingly. Undaunted by all the sharpnel pumped into him from the grandstands, Boyd blasted past Combe for the leveller. Of course, there was more to come. Like the buses, along came a second Boyd goal within minutes following a swivel and a hit that beat Combe with the aid of a kindly deflection off Simon Ford.

Nothing for it now, Killie had to come out and play. Much of what they did was neat and tidy. There's plenty of football in this team. But there wasn't another goal. They had some half-decent moments – Danny Invincibile was prominent – but no breakthrough. "Our response was great," said Jefferies. "We didn't let Rangers run over the top of us. We made a wee bit of a fist of it." It has to be said that Miller and Charlie Adam had their moments as well but just as an equaliser wouldn't come for Killie a third would not come for Rangers. In the end, it didn't need to.

MAN OF THE MATCH
For sticking with it and refusing to bow his head, Kris Boyd. The guy has had a torrid time of late but he had the guts to take the penalty and deserved his second goal. Maybe better times ahead now

TALKING POINT
On this form you have to wonder why Alan Combe is not Scotland's third-choice goalkeeper. He had four clean sheets coming into this game and made some outstanding saves to keep Killie in it for so long.

QUICK FACT
Rangers had only three players in their starting line-up that appeared in the corresponding fixture last season – Allan McGregor, David Weir and Kris Boyd.

Maligned striker endears himself to Ibrox faithful with hard-earned brace of goals

JIM JEFFERIES must truly hate the sight of Kris Boyd. Given the scale of the damage the striker has done to his former club there was a certain inevitability about Boyd being selected for this game and hardly a surprise when he scored. Before yesterday he had registered nine goals against Killie. You can now make that 11.

He's going through some gloomy times, Boyd. Gone (for the moment) are the free-scoring days. Now he's just relieved to get a start. Against Celtic a fortnight ago he wasn't even selected for the bench, a measure of the new reality at Ibrox. But he hasn't gone away and yesterday was a reminder.

Was he annoyed at being taken off before he had a chance to complete a hat-trick? "No, I was tired. Some of the boys were still feeling the effects of travelling (for international games). DaMarcus Beasley has been around the world in seven days practically. I know I wasn't playing (he came on briefly in Macedonia) but you're still doing the travelling. I just want to build on these goals now. I know if I keep scoring I'll stay in the team. We're playing 4-4-2 now and I want to stay part of the two."

Walter Smith still intends to use Boyd sparingly. "He maybe doesn't get as many starts as he likes but it depends on the opposition we're up against," said the Rangers manager. Smith is not short of options in attack. He won't be short of numbers in midfield either when they're all fit. He said he didn't want to push Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley into the action today but he had little choice.

"It was a little bit unfair on both of them," said Smith. "It was a tough one for DaMarcus. He was tired. I wasn't intending on giving Mo Edu his debut but Kevin Thomson got injured. It's easy for someone like Pedro Mendes to adapt because he's experienced. Mo's only played at professional level for over a year. We wanted to work with him on the training ground before putting him in but he showed some good touches."

The day, though, was all about the touches that Boyd got. Two more that broke Killie yet again.