ONE down and at least one more to come. Right now, that is all that matters for Steven Gerrard.

There will be few bold proclamations from within Ibrox about how far Rangers can progress in the Europa League this season. It is one game, one tie, at a time as this new-look Light Blues side attempt to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

An aggregate victory over FK Shkupi won’t go down as the most impressive or important win of the campaign for Gerrard and it will have been greeted with a sigh of relief as much as anything. It was job done.

Read more: Steven Gerrard: Rangers must sharpen up in front of goal after Shkupi blank​

Leading 2-0 after a workmanlike victory at Ibrox, Rangers got over the line in Macedonia. It was far from a classic, but it didn’t have to be as a goalless draw proved enough on the night.

When Osijek and Petrocub play the second leg of their first round clash on Thursday night, Gerrard can watch on knowing his side have done their bit rather than with a sense of what might have been.

The defeat to Progres Niederkorn last season got Rangers’ season off to the worst possible start and was the beginning of the end for Pedro Caixinha. Already a beleaguered and somewhat battered figure at that stage, it was a humiliation from which the Portuguese never recovered.

Few would have imagined then that Gerrard would be on the touchline when Rangers next entered continental competition and the 38-year-old will learn on the job in the coming weeks and months as he looks to take his side as far as possible and then mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title.

It is the success or failure of that particular endeavour that will define his first season in management but he couldn’t afford to get his campaign off to a similarly shambolic start.

Given his stature in the game, defeat to the Macedonian minnows would have caused even more of a shockwave than events in Luxembourg. History could not be allowed to repeat itself in the Arena Philip II.

Thankfully for Gerrard, and the travelling Gers support, it didn’t and the confidence the Englishman had in his players proved well founded on what was a low key if ultimately successful evening in Skopje.

Read more: Steven Gerrard: Rangers must sharpen up in front of goal after Shkupi blank​

Gerrard hinted at a different tactical approach from his side pre-match but made just one alteration to his line-up as Ryan Jack came in for the injured Scott Arfield. The former Aberdeen captain sat in beside Ross McCrorie, while Josh Windass was shifted from right to left and Jamie Murphy operated centrally behind Alfredo Morelos.

One goal, Gerrard believed, would be enough to kill the tie. Rangers had to finish what they had started, and preferably fairly quickly.

The Shkupi fans were in place long before kick-off and made themselves heard as the travelling Gers support filtered in at the other end. The vast yellow and red sections of empty seats separated them and Gerrard needed his players to show the gulf on the park.

The late penalty that James Tavernier converted at Ibrox last week gave Rangers a bit of breathing space ahead of their trip to a hot and humid national stadium but Gerrard’s side could afford to take nothing for granted and this showing was another indication of where they are, and how far they have to go.

A lack of killer touch in the final third denied them the chance to finish Shkupi off in the first game and Murphy, who opened the scoring at Ibrox, had two opportunities as he tried to convert a Morelos cross at the near post and then narrowly missed a teasing ball from Tavernier.

Shkupi had posed almost no threat during the first 90 minutes of this tie and there wasn’t exactly an onslaught second time around. Rangers may have struggled to assert themselves as the dominant force but there was little to worry them overall.

There were moments where the hosts threatened, but few when they looked like punishing Rangers. The same could perhaps be said of Gerrard’s side and Josh Windass was denied after he burst forward and unleashed a low shot that was parried by Suat Zendeli.

His opposite number, Allan McGregor, has been a virtual spectator in his two matches since returning to Rangers in the summer but he was involved early on this time out as he dealt with a defeflected a Ron Broja effort.

Read more: Steven Gerrard: Rangers must sharpen up in front of goal after Shkupi blank​

Strikes from Baze Ilijoksi and Kristijan Stojkovski had to be parried away to safety as Zekirija Ramadan’s side enjoyed a period of relative pressure. It was enough to keep their fans on the feet and keep them singing but an upset was never on the card.

The clock was against them and by the time referee Halil Umut Meler blew his whistle for half-time, Rangers could start to see the finishing line coming into sight.

They inched towards it as the minutes ticked on and there was little for the travelling Gers support to get excited about. A free-kick that Windass fired straight into the wall summed up Rangers’ night at that stage and was also his final contribution as Glenn Middleton entered the action.

Tavernier fared better with his effort as he curled the ball over the wall but keeper Zendeli was equal to it. Minutes later, Middleton came close as he found the side netting after being picked out by fellow substitute Ovie Ejaria.

The closing stages were seen out with ease. There was no drastic late pile forward required this time around for Rangers and they headed for home with a pat on the back rather than their heads bowed.

They had taken a step forward and a step into the next round. There will be further progress made but only time will tell if another hurdle can be overcome.