THE form of one and the signing of another will limit Andy Halliday’s chances to return to a midfield berth for Rangers this season.

But he is delighted to see Ryan Jack playing the best football of his Ibrox career and Steven Davis returning to his boyhood heroes as Steven Gerrard’s side bid for silverware success in the coming months.

It is at left-back where Halliday has made the majority of his 27 appearances – the latest of which he marked with a goal against Cowdenbeath on Wednesday night – for the Light Blues this term.

And he has been able to watch on as Jack has become an integral part of Gerrard’s plans and earned rave reviews from his manager and supporters throughout an impressive campaign.

Jack took home the Man of the Match award at Central Park as Lassana Coulibaly and Kyle Lafferty also found the net to fire Rangers into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

His goals against Celtic and Livingston in recent weeks have been crucial for Rangers, but Halliday reckons his all-round game has been raised once again.

“He has been excellent,” Halliday said of the former Aberdeen captain that recently signed a new deal at Ibrox until 2021. “I have been chomping at the bit for him to get that Scotland call-up and get more caps than he has had because, like the gaffer said, he has been very consistent this year and I think he has come on leaps and bounds.

“I thought at the start of the season he was excellent and then unfortunately he got the injury that kept him out for a few weeks. I think he is starting to find that form again and in the last two or three games he has been excellent.

“It is a difficult position, you do a lot of the dirty work that might got unseen. I am glad that Jacko is getting the recognition for his performances.”

The industry and ability to keep play ticking over that Jack provides in the middle of the park was crucial for Rangers in the first half of the season as they reached the Europa League group stages and kept up the pace in the title race.

But Gerrard needed a different option, an alternative skill set as he prepared for what could be a historic and memorable few months in the Premiership and Scottish Cup.

The return of Davis was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from supporters and Halliday is pleased to see the Northern Irishman back in Light Blue seven years after he moved to Southampton.

“He has obviously had the career that he has had for a reason,” Halliday said. “He is very tidy in tight areas and you can see his quality.

“He is someone you can give the ball into in any position on the field and you are confident he will keep it circulating, keep it moving. He is going to be a big player for us this year and obviously Jermain is another one as well.

“His quality is there for all to see and he was arguably the best player in that Rangers team.

“We are very happy to have him here to add to the quality that we have got.”

Neither Jack nor Davis had to be at their best at Central Park this week but their efforts were more than enough to help Rangers to a largely comfortable cup win.

With the game won at half-time, Gerrard’s side perhaps understandably dropped off after the break and there was little to warm the hearts of the supporters that braved the freezing conditions.

David Cox’s strike gave Cowdenbeath a glimmer of hope, but an upset was never on the cards as a largely changed Gers line-up clinched a fifth round berth.

“I think if it is an honest assessment of the game, we were poor in the second half,” Halliday said. “It was difficult and obviously the game was won at half-time.

“The pitch froze up in the second half and it was difficult, but that is no excuse. You could see that it was lacklustre and slack in the second half.

“Credit to Cowdenbeath, I thought they played well in the second half and made it difficult for us. But the most important thing for us was to get the win.

“It certainly wasn’t [an eye-opener] for me, I have played in this league! It is maybe a bit of a culture shock to some of the boys, but I am sure the boys will have played in stadiums like this before.

“It is not always 50,000 at Ibrox every week and when you do come to these places it is about dusting yourself down and getting the job done.”

The performance may not have been completely satisfactory for Gerrard but the result was all that really mattered in the end for Rangers.

The Ibrox boss made eight changes to the side and saw Coulibaly and Lafferty find the net after Halliday had broken the deadlock.

It wasn’t a classic, but it was good enough. Rangers will need to improve next time out, though.

“I think the majority of the boys that came in done well and got the job done,” Halliday said.

“The most important thing was getting through and I thought it was a professional job in the first half. We dealt with the conditions and got the early goal.

“Let’s be honest, we need to play a lot better than we did on Wednesday night if we are going to beat Kilmarnock.

“I think it was important that we stayed clear of injuries on Wednesday night, we have got a massive amount of games coming up again. It is a hectic schedule, it has been this season, but it is one that we have thrived on.

“We have got two chances left to get a trophy and this is one of them so we need to be at our best.”