How Derek McInnes needed this. How Rangers needed this. After a turbulent start to the new season, the new manager finally savoured his first taste of victory at the fifth time of asking.
A 5-1 hammering of St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup eased the pressure on McInnes and offered him shelter from the storm clouds which had been starting to gather over Ibrox.
This result alone won’t repair the damage of the Europa League exit at the hands of Jagiellonia Bialystok last midweek. Nor will it claw back the five-point gap Rangers have already afforded Celtic in the title race after only two matches in the Premiership.
But it’s a start. It buys McInnes some time and breeds some much-needed confidence heading into the Europa Conference League qualifier against Czech side Jablonec on Thursday.
What should please McInnes most of all is the fact his team looked so much more threatening at the top end of the pitch here.
Changing shape to a 4-3-3, there was a much better balance to the team. The fact that one of his new signings, James Penrice, played such a starring role was an added bonus.
Vanja Dragojevic scores an early contender for goal of the season with his shot from 25 yards
Defender James Penrice celebrates scoring on his Rangers debut against St Mirren at Ibrox
Djeidi Gassama scores for Rangers as they cruise into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals
Penrice was handed an immediate debut at left-back after joining on loan from AEK Athens, with the Ibrox side holding an option to buy the 27-year-old next summer.
On the basis of this early evidence, it is an option that is likely to be taken up. Penrice was excellent throughout, laying on the third goal for Djeidi Gassama with a superb assist before scoring the fourth himself.
In the end, it was a commanding victory for Rangers against a St Mirren side whose reign as Premier Sports Cup champions is now over.
Rangers were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, with Vanja Dragojevic scoring an early contender for goal of the season with a screamer from fully 25 yards.
There was a slight wobble midway through the match when St Mirren got it back to 2-1, but Rangers pulled clear and won with plenty to spare in the end.
McInnes now has to build on this. There is still a lot of work to be done, on and off the pitch, if Rangers are to enjoy a successful season both domestically and further afield in Europe.
The Conference League may not be the competition they had in mind at the start of the campaign, but they are in no position to be sniffy about it. It offers McInnes the chance to build momentum and to lay the foundations for the Europa League and Champions League endeavours further down the line in years to come.
The inclusion of Penrice was one of three changes from the Europa League exit against Jagiellonia, with Tochi Chukwuani and Dragojevic also coming into the starting line-up.
St Mirren, meanwhile, arrived in Govan in confident mood given their positive start to the new campaign under boss Craig McLeish. The Buddies had won their opening two league matches, as well as five of their opening six in all competitions.
The Paisley side, who won this competition in such thrilling fashion against Celtic at Hampden last December, would have had the scent of blood in their nostrils as they arrived at Ibrox.
It was the visitors who had the first sight of goal after only five minutes when Eseosa Sule turned Olwethu Makhanya inside out and fired just wide.
Rangers also had another good early chance of their own when Ryan Naderi laid the ball off for Dragojevic, only for the Serbian midfielder to drag his shot wide of the target.
It would be an early sighter for Dragojevic, who, for the first time in his Rangers career, was playing in his preferred position in central midfield.
The opener arrived after only nine minutes and it owed to a mistake from St Mirren defender Jayden Richardson, who miscued a backpass and allowed Gassama to scamper in on goal.
Gassama’s shot was saved initially by Jacob Chapman, but Naderi bundled the ball home for his first Rangers goal since early April.
Rangers had made a bright an enterprising start — and it yielded further reward when they doubled their lead just 10 minutes later.
If the opening goal was scrappy, the second was anything but. St Mirren failed to properly clear their lines and the ball fell to Dragojevic 25 yards out. He controlled the ball on his chest before unleashing a thunderous, dipping volley with his right foot which flew into the top corner.
The technique and execution were sublime. Down on the touchline, McInnes let out a huge roar and punched the air.
The 4-3-3 system gave Rangers such a better balance and a far greater threat in attack. They were rampant, with Gassama almost making it 3-0 when he curled a shot off the underside of the bar.
There was, however, still cause for concern at the other end. As had been the case against Jagiellonia, Manny Fernandez was an accident waiting to happen. St Mirren preyed on him and his lackadaisical nature. Any notion of the likes of Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund being interested in him, as was reported a few months back, feels ludicrous now.
Rangers gifted St Mirren a way back into the match on the half-hour when Nico Raskin and Dragojevic had a mix-up in midfield, with Chris Mochrie picking up the scraps and driving forward. He still had plenty to do but the Saints midfielder picked his spot and drilled the ball in off the underside of the bar.
The goal spooked Rangers. For the next 10 or 15 minutes prior to half-time, they lost their way and looked vulnerable.
Whatever nerves may have been starting to build, a quickfire double shortly after the restart had a soothing effect on the Ibrox crowd.
A rapid counter-attack saw Penrice play an intelligent first-time pass into the path of Gassama, who slotted low past Saints keeper Chapman.
To cap an excellent debut, Penrice then got on the scoresheet by netting Rangers’ fourth, smashing home from inside the penalty area.
Fernandez gave away a penalty when he tripped Saints striker Sule, with Killian Phillips finding the net, but referee John Beaten ordered a retake due to apparently not blowing his whistle, and Ivor Pandur saved the second effort.
With the game now secure, Rangers were playing with freedom and McInnes could afford to make a new changes. A forgotten man in these parts after spending last season on loan in Cyprus, Ross McCausland came off the bench to lash home a fifth goal of the afternoon.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Rangers fans had a smile on their face as they headed for the exits. Whether or not that continues will depend on the ability of McInnes and his players to build on this performance and victory.
