IT was supposed to be the start of a new era at Ibrox on Saturday. Instead, Rangers picked up where they left off.

The Light Blues are back where they started seven days ago but that doesn’t tell the story of the week. Once again, it hasn’t gone to script.

It did at least have a happy ending, however, as Ross County were between and Rangers reclaimed second spot in the Premiership standings.

Graeme Murty thought his chapter had been closed but he remains the main protagonist and at the heart of the drama after he took centre stage at Ibrox.

The 43-year-old had waved what he assumed was a fond farewell to the Light Blue legions at Pittodrie after leading his side to a 2-1 win over Aberdeen.

But here he was again, back in front of the home crowd and back on the front line as Owen Coyle’s side looked to add another twist to the tale.

When Craig Curran headed the Staggies in front after just ten minutes, the narrative looked like it would have to be rewritten. This wasn’t going to plan for Rangers.

The chorus of boos that rung around Ibrox at half-time summed up the afternoon so far for Murty and his players.

As the thermostat dropped, anger levels threatened to boil over as the Gers toiled on home soil once again and were left staring another costly defeat in the face.

The mood 45 minutes later was somewhat different, though. The cheers of celebrations were mixed with sighs of relief as Rangers survived a scare and County were left to ponder what might have been.

Murty has often been hesitant to accept the plaudits that have come his way in recent weeks but he had to take the credit here as his switches changed the course of the game.

He revealed after the match that there was no shouting and screaming inside the home dressing room at the break as he looked to encourage and cajole his players into action.

Few of the 48,000 that watched on from the stands would have castigated Murty if he had let rip at his players after an abject, lacklustre display in the first half. That is not his style, though.

Instead, he replaced Carlos Pena with Alfredo Morelos and tweaked the shape of his side. All he could do then was hope that it worked.

When Morelos spurned his first couple of chances, there was a feeling that it could turn out to be another one of those days for Rangers.

Within seconds, the Colombian had swept the ball beyond Scott Fox and, on and off the pitch, there was a belief once again.

For Morelos and Rangers, the goal just before the hour mark may prove to be one of the most important of the campaign.

It gave Murty’s side the platform upon which to build and eventually earn all three points as Danny Wilson nodded home with just seven minutes remaining.

And it was a key moment for the striker as he finally got his name on the score sheet after a barren run that stretched all the way back to the draw with Partick Thistle in September.

Morelos endeared himself to the Ibrox crowd with a run of eight goals in six matches earlier in the season but the frustration had been clear as he chalked off the games without finding the net.

He was forced off early during the defeat to Dundee and missed both clashes with Aberdeen as Murty’s side recorded two crucial Premiership triumphs.

His return to the team was timely and his ninth goal in Light Blue even more so as Rangers finally made in three wins on the spin this term.

The fact that a hat-trick of league victories is talked about tells its own story and says everything about how poor Rangers have been not just this term but since their return to the Premiership.

It is twelve months since Mark Warburton’s side beat Aberdeen, Hearts, Hamilton and Inverness to put together what remains the Gers’ best run of form in two seasons.

Now the challenge for Murty and his players is to match and surpass that minor feat as attentions turn to a run of fixtures that could define Rangers’ campaign, and the future of their interim manager.

A trip to Easter Road is next on the agenda for the Gers, while St Johnstone are the visitors on Saturday. In the final week of 2017, the games with Kilmarnock and Motherwell give Murty a chance to build some momentum heading into the second Old Firm clash of the season.

Only time will tell if those matches prove to be the last ones Murty takes charge of before he returns to the Auchenhowie Academy and takes up the task of moulding players capable of progressing into the first team once again.

Having already achieved something that Mark Warburton couldn’t do and taken a point from Celtic, he has now done something that Pedro Caixinha couldn’t and won three successive league matches.

One day, a new era will begin at Ibrox. In the meantime, Murty has a chance to ensure he is not a footnote in the story.