THE milestone was Kris Boyd’s – the millstone is now hanging around the neck of Mark Warburton.
Former Rangers striker Boyd grabbed his 250th strike in British football at Rugby Park as serious questions emerge about the ability of the current Light Blues side to go the distance this season.
Reigning champions Celtic could move a point clear at the top of the table with a victory against Aberdeen tomorrow – and they still have a game in hand.
A win in the first Old Firm showdown of the season at Parkhead in a fortnight and Warburton will find himself under real pressure for the first time since he became Ibrox boss 16 months ago.
James Tavernier scored a stunning free-kick after 58 minutes to equalise Boyd’s first-half strike but Rangers could not even take advantage of Killie’s loss of Greg Taylor five minutes later.
The midfielder was shown a straight red by whistler Kevin Clancy for a shocking, over the ball lunge on Joey Barton, but his team-mates held on for a point their tenacity deserved.
Rangers were woeful in the first half and played too often at pedestrian pace.
The balance in their midfield – Joey Barton is a fine player but lacks dynamism – was out of kilter with the high tempo, quick passing style that became their hallmark last season.
This time, passes were knocked longer but with less accuracy and midfield runners are no longer committing beyond the strikers in the absence of Jason Holt, whose box to box endeavour is a huge miss.
Those tight, little triangles which drew in defenders and created space in behind are becoming more difficult to fashion against more wily opponents who drop deep, sit in and refuse to commit in forward areas unless they are confident at hitting on the counter.
Rangers improved the tempo at least after the break, but their play in the final third was still too frantic and lacked composure and creativity when they needed it most.
Although Jamie MacDonald made two brilliant stops to deny Barrie McKay as the visitors pushed desperately for the winner at the end.
The Ibrox men started brightly, even if their pre-match preparations were hampered with an injury to Danny Wilson in the warm up, which led to Clint Hill grabbing a start instead.
Kenny Miller fired into the side net after being sent racing into the box by Harry Forrester.
And Joey Barton and Lee Wallace combined to set up Joe Dodoo who was inches away from connecting with a cross but seemed to twist his knee and he was taken off on a stretcher as Joe Garner came on for his debut.
Rangers appeared to be caught cold by the sight of Dodoo being taken off as a raking diagonal on the restart found Greg Taylor on the left, who quickly crossed for Kris Boyd, standing in splendid isolation eight yards out.
However, the former Rangers striker slashed his shot, wide as Wes Foderingham scrambled to his left.
Gary Dicker had earlier fired a left-foot shot past the post and Boyd sent a raking drive from 25 yards wide of the post as the home side showed they would not be bystanders.
Garner almost made an immediate impact, volleying over from a Harry Forrester corner in 25 minutes.
But as the first half progressed Rangers were looking as ragged in terms of their playing style than at any time since Warburton became boss.
It was all a little frantic and scrappy as ball players from both sides, such as Barton, Jordan Rossiter and Gary Dicker, struggled to put their foot on the ball and dictate with any certainty.
But the game turned in 29 minutes with a goal for Killie they merited – and who else should net it, but Boyd.
It was Greg Kiltie who was the architect, bursting forward from midfield – and leaving Barton for dead – before sliding in an inch perfect pass for Boyd.
The old gunslinger had timed his run to perfection as he ran off the shoulder of Hill, in behind Rob Kiernan, and swivelled before firing a low shot across the helpless Foderingham and into the corner of the net from 16 yards.
James Tavernier, on a rare burst forward, combined brilliantly with Garner eight minutes before the break to scythe through the Killie rearguard for the first time.
But he fired wildly over when confronted with the whites of Jamie MacDonald’s eyes.
The frustrations for Rangers were obvious and Barton picked up his first booking in Scottish football for going in too heavily on Kiltie.
And although Rangers pushed hard for an equaliser before half-time, their play lacked quality, cohesion and invention.
Unsurprisingly, the Light Blues came out at the start of the second half with all guns blazing with the movement of Garner eye-catching in the final third.
He made loud claims for a penalty after 51 minutes as he went down in the box under a tangle of feet and a challenge by William Boyle, but referee Kevin Clancy was right to wave away appeals.
Garner wasn’t strong enough for once, but Rangers were finally showing some ambition as Barrie McKay cut inside from the left and fired over.
There was an inevitability about a Rangers equaliser, which duly arrived in 58 minutes.
And although it was an absolutely stunning strike from Tavernier, it was still tinged with controversy.
Kiltie was penalised by Clancy for a foul on McKay 30 yards out when he looked to have won the ball.
But the full-back wasn’t for hanging about to argue as he sent a spectacular set piece around the wall and into the MacDonald’s top left-hand corner.
Miller almost put Gers in front minutes later when he ran on to a fine pass from the goalscorer but his first touch was just too heavy as MacDonald ran out to smother the ball at his feet.
The momentum of the match had shifted in favour of the visitors who had finally found a pace and purpose.
Mind you, Killie did themselves no favours when they were reduced to 10 men following Taylor’s ugly lunge on Barton after 63 minutes.
Clancy had no hesitation in reaching for his red card and rightly so as the over the ball tackle was a leg breaker.
Barton was replaced shortly afterwards as Rangers continued to dominate possession in the final third but they toiled to test MacDonald seriously as Tavernier and Miller snatched at chances, volleying over the bar and wide when they should have found the target.
But MacDonald did come to Killie’s rescue on 77 minutes when he dived at full stretch to his right to paw away another free-kick from Tavernier as the 10 men hung on to the point by their fingertips.