WINNING ugly carries its own appeal.Ultimately the only aesthetic value for Mark Warburton, the Rangers manager, after this encounter at Dumbarton yesterday afternoon was the scoreline. A 2-1 win over Dumbarton maintains Rangers’ unblemished start to the season but for the first time in this campaign there were glimpses that the Ibrox side may not emphatically slay all before them this term.

With St Johnstone lying in wait for Tuesday night’s League Cup tie at Ibrox, it will be interesting to chart the progress that Rangers have made this season. Having successfully blazed a trail in the Championship they will get the chance to square up to Premiership opposition but on yesterday’s evidence they can still be considered a work in progress.

“It’s not about St Johnstone,” Warburton said, a little testily. “It’s about Rangers doing what we have to do and today we did that. We’ve hit the post with a free-kick and from Andy Halliday at the other end, we’ve missed a couple.

“We have to be brighter and move the ball quicker and that’s that thing about taking care. If we take more care of the ball in the final third then we will keep on hurting teams. If we are loose and slack in the final release then we are maybe not so effective, shall we say. We had a very good start and another win today but things don’t come easily to you, the message to the players is you have to go and get it.”

For an hour, Dumbarton were not just resilient and dogged but had the wherewithal to question their visitors. Had they showed a little more composure when they created three solid chances, they might have been the first team to put a spoke in the Warburton wheel.

As it was, by the time they tired in the second period they had nothing but heavy legs and red faces to show for that impressive first 45 minutes. Yet they contributed significantly to their own downfall.

Martyn Waghorn’s nine-minute brace is not one Dumbarton will wish to see again. The goal which finally punctured their resistance and proved to be their undoing was cheap. Waghorn was allowed to drive at Dumbarton before unleashing a 20-yard attempt that looked to have little menace in it. The ball swerved slightly but Mark Brown, the Dumbarton keeper, misjudged its trajectory and seemed to leap over the ball, allowing it to go under him and curl into the net.

It was a goal that knocked the stuffing out of Dumbarton and Rangers were quick to exploit the sense of dejection. Only nine minutes had elapsed since Rangers breaking the deadlock when Dumbarton’s task was compounded by Gregor Buchanan’s dismissal for a foul on Kenny Miller as the striker hared his way into the box. Mark Docherty’s slack backpass had enabled Miller to pounce, leaving Buchanan in the position where he had to try to take him down. Waghorn converted the penalty.

By then Rangers were on easy street, a state of affairs that belied an intriguing opening half. Dumbarton, disciplined and organised, did much of the chasing but when they did have the ball, they seemed determined to use it effectively. Willie Gibson was a particular source of trouble on the right flank with three good deliveries resulting in chances that the hosts ought to have capitalised on. His most inviting cross came when he skipped past James Tavernier to float a deep cross into the box for Garry Fleming to attack. His header cannoned off the inside of the post but it offered plenty of encouragement to a Dumbarton side intent on matching Rangers.

A well-worked short corner with Gibson again instrumental in its delivery gave defender Darren Barr the chance to power a header into the arms of Wes Foderingham while Eamonn Brophy also worked the Rangers goalkeeper with a free-kick that sailed straight into his arms.

It took until the latter stages of the opening half before Rangers were urged into being a little more direct. It was full-back Tavernier who took matters into his own hands as the opening period drew to a close when he unleashed a fierce drive that brought out an impressive fingertip save from Brown who, up until then, had little to do. The game reached the break with Tavernier thumping the post from a free-kick, the most threatening Rangers had been.

The miles Dumbarton put in during that stodgy opening half caught up with them after the break and Rangers’ possession eventually bore fruit. Waghorn’s quick brace effectively ended the game as a contest although Dumbarton pulled one back from the spot as the game drew to a close.Danny Wilson’s barge into Frazer Wright was bizarre given how little threat there was from the defender. Under referee Alan Muir’s gaze, Wilson sent Wright tumbling and from the resultant spot-kick Fleming pulled one back.

The bigger questions will be asked on Tuesday night.