KENNY McDowall today tipped Rangers kid Andy Murdoch to go from strength to strength - despite being pitched straight into the Ibrox club's promotion battle.

McDowall handed the 20-year-old his first start for the Glasgow giants in the SPFL Championship match with Hibs 10 days ago.

The Gers slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox and were leapfrogged in the second-tier table - but the youngster's performance belied his tender years.

The midfielder deservedly retained his place in the starting line-up against Raith Rovers last Friday night, and once again more than justified his selection.

He netted his first goal in senior football at Stark's Park when he rifled a 30-yard shot into the top right-hand corner in the first half.

Rangers caretaker boss McDowall hasn't been at all surprised how the Murray Park youth graduate has performed since making the step up to the first team.

And he expects Murdoch to continue to play an important part as his side push for a play-off spot in the final weeks of the 2014/15 league campaign.

"This isn't an ideal situation for Andy to come into the team in," said McDowall, as he stepped up preparations for the league game against Falkirk at Westfield this Friday.

"There is a lot of speculation and uncertainty swirling around about the club. But he won't be worried about that in the slightest.

"He is just delighted to have been handed his opportunity and I am sure he is going to do his utmost to make sure he makes his mark.

"This is a kid who has been desperate to get his chance in the first team for some time and now he is getting it, so I don't think he will be complaining."

Murdoch has helped to form a completely new Rangers midfield in the last fortnight alongside Kyle Hutton, Nicky Law and Haris Vuckic.

That quartet have performed encouragingly in two outings for the Ibrox club despite their lack of game time together.

But McDowall believes the senior players in his side have a big part to play in ensuring Murdoch continues to impress in the weeks ahead - starting against Falkirk.

He said: "Andy is young, but we have a lot of senior players in the squad, guys like Kris Boyd, Lee McCulloch, Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace, who can help him.

"Andy is a fine player who can handle himself or he wouldn't have been promoted to the first team, but I am sure that certain situations will arise where he may need a hand.

"But we certainly do have players in the squad who can keep an eye on him and ensure he gets help if he needs it.

"Having said that, he isn't the type of boy to look for excuses. I am sure he will be able to take whatever is thrown at him in his stride."

Murdoch's wonder goal against Raith sent Rangers on their way to a result that meant they avoided suffering four defeats in a row for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Before the game at Kirkcaldy, they had lost to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final, Raith in the William Hill Scottish Cup and Hibs in the Championship in consecutive games.

The Hibees may have jumped back into second spot in the Championship with a 3-0 triumph over Dumbarton at Easter Road on Saturday.

However, the Light Blues have three games in hand on their capital rivals and the performance and result through in Fife were highly encouraging.

Rangers have lost twice to Hearts and three times to Hibs in the league this season, and many pundits feel they could struggle to win a place in the top flight via the play-offs.

The ongoing power struggle at the League One champions - where major shareholder Dave King is hoping to oust the board at an EGM on Friday week - hasn't helped matters.

Yet, McDowall has been greatly heartened by the displays of his side against both Hibs and Raith, and is concentrating fully on winning maximum points.

He said: "We were definitely feeling a bit sorry for ourselves after losing three games in succession. Our confidence had taken a bit of a battering.

"All we can do is go about our business in as professional a manner as possible and see where it takes us. We have to treat each game that comes along seriously.

"The game against Raith last Friday night was a tricky one for us - but no outing in this division is straightforward. Every game is demanding.

"However, the boys showed a lot of character to come through the match and get the result that we were looking for. I am sure their self-belief will have been boosted by it.

"We know what our objective is this season - and that is to go up to the Premiership. It doesn't matter how we do it, or whether it is via the play-offs. We just have to do it.

"There are a lot of good teams vying for a play-off spot at the moment, but we've just got to take one game at a time and try and get three points as they come along.

"We have another Friday night game this week, our third in a row, and that is something we are all looking forward to. Hopefully we can give the fans something to cheer about once again."