Rangers secured their first win under caretaker manager Kenny McDowall after defeating Dumbarton 3-1 at Ibrox on Saturday.

Dumbarton took a shock lead through Andy Graham but Rangers scored twice through Jon Daly and Lee Wallace before the break to take the lead. Dean Shiels rounded the scoring off for Rangers late on in the second half.

Rangers started the game nervously and they were punished for it as Graham prodded home a Colin Nish header.

It was a deserved opener for the Sons and they should have extended their lead soon after but former Hibernian striker Nish headed his chance straight at Gers keeper Steve Simonsen.

Dumbarton were made to pay for missing that chance as Stevie Smith crossed into the box where Daly slotted the ball past Danny Rogers and into the goal to equalise.

Rangers extended their lead just before the half-time whistle thanks to a deflected shot by Lee Wallace from the edge of the box.

Into the second half, Rangers failed to kill the game off and Dumbarton pushed forward looking for a dramatic equaliser but as they piled pressure on Rangers’s goal they were caught on the break and Shiels sealed the points for McDowall’s side to close the gap on Hearts.

Despite the scoreline, Rangers struggled past Dumbarton and while off the field matters may be looking better than they have done in the past three years, on the field matters are still a worry.

Wallace and Nicky Law have been linked with a move to the English Championship, while Lewis MacLeod — Rangers’s best player this season — was sold for a mere £850,000 to Brentford. The standard of player at Ibrox is a worry for fans.

In a positive note for the club, former director Dave King, who was part of the Rangers boardroom under Sir David Murray and disgraced Craig Whyte before liquidation, purchased just under 12 million shares on Friday afternoon.

Rangers revealed just days before December’s AGM that the club needs £8 million worth of investment to last until the end of the season.