There was a warm applause around Ibrox at the end. No drama. No catcalls. But my goodness, only the most myopic rangers supporters could have seen the red flags that were increased by this almighty struggle of a victory. Especially with regard to the defense.
Since League One Alloa could hardly rise in the field in the first phases, it is quite remarkable that this Premier Sports Cup Last-16-significant game was arranged alone when Home Replacing Findlay Curtis served an excellent finish to get it 4-2.
But not so remarkable, if the goals that gave the home eating in a much changed side to keep it so competitive. Flamin 'Nora.
To say that the men of Russell Martin continue to look at the back, is a cataclysmic understatement. At the moment you could turn them off against 11 dummies for training ground and there is a good chance that they would still find a way to admit.
One-up via Nedim Bajrami, the concession of an equalizer through a goal of Joe Rothwell halfway through the first half was just Bonkers. A disaster of errors on a straight slapstick.
After an attempt by Manny Fernandez and a James Tavernier penalty, a false sense of safety had created under the home support, the goal of Scott Taggart that made it 3-2 was just as easily admitted.
More fuel for the argument that defending against set pieces is a real Achilleshiel within this team. It was as if I took a baby from a baby.
So yes, Rangers are ready. They finally did the job, but it wasn't beautiful.
As far as anyone who took his way in the start XI for the play-off first-stage on Tuesday evening with Club Brugge? Hmmm, don't bet on it.
Nasser Djiga was the only survivor of the midweek visit to Viktoria Plzen, but nobody really noticed. Mikey Moore debuted his debut on the left wing and showed some nice details in the first half, in particular before he left.
Rothwell returned to midfield and was fine. Bajrami eventually played a major role in the destination of the game, but only a brave man would bet he took a start jersey in the big games.
Thelo Aasgaard also made his first performance after an injury and supplied a strong run that required a rescue from visiting keeper Liam McFarlane.
With Hamza Igamane not fit enough to start with games, Rangers certainly had better hope that Cyriel Dessers is fit again because it is impossible to continue with Danilo. He was anonymous here, did not score a goal in competitive action and does not look like a score.
As for those who play at Left-back, it will certainly not be Bailey Rice, who had a scorching time out of position. Jayden Meghoma is close to the signing of loan from Brentford, but with Jefte to Palmeiras and Ridvan Yilmaz tipped for a return to Turkey, more competition in that area of the park will certainly be required.
Rangers had the lion's share of the ball against Alloa, as you would expect. However, there was not enough consistent aggression in their game. Sometimes it felt like they tried to bore their opponents dead instead of blowing them away.
Moore, in all honesty, showed up well from the start. Within 10 minutes he had three for the purpose of different quality and played a role in setting up Bajrami for the opener.
Rothwell played a forward pass from midfield, Bajrami hit Moore on the wing and he fed it back to the Albanian. His curly effort from outside the area was destined to hit the net completely – eventually ended from the bottom of the bar.
At that time Alloa had hardly been able to get the ball out of their own half. They then realized that launching the ball and exerting an external element of pressure on this Rangers -Backlot will probably wear fruit.
In 24 minutes, after Steven Buchanan Liam Kelly tested, the visitors made it 1-1 thanks to the kind of defense that could only have become more comical if Benny Hill's theme had played about the Tannoy.
Buchanan felt rice and got the Byeline. Kelly burst his low shot, recovered his leg and fell to Luke Rankin. His shot was then blocked by Rothwell's arm on the way to goal, but it didn't matter. There were more chaos.
Stefan Scougall distributed an effort target, Max Aarons tried to start it clearly and only managed to hit the right of the nuts of the grounded Rothwell shooting it back in the other direction and exceeding the goal line.
Madness, really. Fortunately for Martin, Fernandez, who made his competitive debut, got Rangers in front and prevented the atmosphere to fall in something uncomfortably-for half an hour.
Oscar Cortes did not do much during the game, in accordance with the rest of his Ibrox career. However, he won a free kick on the right and that made the way free for Rothwell to send a fairly wonderful delivery in the heart of the area.
Fernandez grabbed his moment well-with an undisputed header from the area that McFarlane defeated.
That is when it should have become a procession, but it didn't. Kurtis Roberts tested Kelly with an ambitious effort from about 40 meters after another defensive mix and, after having filled in too much, Rice came out for Tavernier at the end of the opening 45.
The goal that Rangers offered finally welcomed the breathing space after a considerable start of the second period via the penalty spot at 67 minutes.
McFarlane parried a shot by Bajrami in the path of Cortes and it seemed that the Colombian would score until Alloa Cameron O'Donnell replaced from nothing to block.
It was so clear as the day that the ball had hit his hand, with the only surprise that it took so long for the VAR control that led to referee Daniel McFarlane went to the pitchside monitor and gave the prize.
Tavernier stepped up to break the penalty layer and hard from the inside of the right post of keeper McFarlane and that should have been. Only it wasn't.
After seeing Conor Sammon caught by Fernandez when he cleans on goal after an intercepted pass by Djiga, that old problem of being unable to deal with set pieces for an interesting last 10 minutes.
O'Donnell shot in a free kick from the right, David Devine Rose High on the rear pole and when his header came from the bottom of the crossbar, Taggart waited for the goal line to put it in the net.
It took Curtis, not long for Cortes, to arrange the nerves seconds from the end of the 90 Regulation when taking a pass from Kieran Dowell on the right side of the area and first placed it in the net of the distant pole.
A victory is a victory for a 'that, but the fact remains that Rangers must be better than this.