Rangers found themselves briefly navigating a tense atmosphere during the first half of Saturday’s Scottish Premiership encounter against St Johnstone at Ibrox.

With the visiting side pressing aggressively high up the pitch on a rare occasion, Derek McInnes’ men insisted on building play patiently from their own penalty area. However, the methodical approach did not initially sit well with every section of the home support, as audible murmurs of impatience echoed around the stands whenever Rangers invited pressure deep inside their own defensive third.

Derek McInnes applauds Ivor Pandur for calm feet in Rangers vs St Johnstone first half

Despite the uneasy atmosphere, goalkeeper Pandur displayed remarkable composure under direct heat from the Saints’ frontline.

Rather than caving to the crowd’s frustration by launching a long ball upfield, Pandur executed a crisp, ice-cool pass into the feet of Kevin Kelsy in the middle of the pitch. Kelsy turned sharply to feed Minsu Kim, who drove forward on a rapid counter-attack before setting up Badredine Bouanani, whose dangerous effort was ultimately denied.

The fluid attack perfectly validated the tactical blueprint, prompting a telling reaction from the manager on the touchline.

Witnessing his goalkeeper stick to principles under intense atmospheric pressure, McInnes immediately turned to applaud Pandur enthusiastically, signalling his absolute approval of the Croatian stopper’s composure and distribution.

The patience eventually paid dividends on the scoreboard before the interval. Rangers went into the half-time break with a 1-0 lead after Minsu Kim and Ryan Naderi combined brilliantly to set up a tap-in goal for Kevin Kelsy, who marked his return to the starting XI in place of Djeidi Gassama with a crucial opener.

While supporter anxiety is understandable given the demand for maximum points following last weekend’s dropped points at Dundee, Pandur’s bravery in possession illustrated the exact patience required to slice through high-pressing opposition.

As the second half gets underway, McInnes will hope that moments like Pandur’s ice-cool play and Kelsy’s goal will encourage the Ibrox faithful to maintain full backing for the team’s strategy as Rangers look to see out the victory.