The League One outfit raced out to a two-goal lead in a first half which the away side struggled to gain a foothold in the contest.
A vastly improved second half display saw the deficit reduced through substitute Ben Hutton, but the equaliser proved elusive for Stevie Smith’s side despite a late siege of the Stenhousemuir goal.
It was a sun-soaked Ochilview Park to kick off the cup campaign for the young Gers, captained by young Aiden McCallion who has been a familiar face in the first-team set-up this year.
The hosts certainly didn’t lack in experience in their starting lineup and they were threatening the away side’s goal inside five minutes when Ross Taylor shimmied inside and forced Rydnn McGuire into a smart stop at his near post.
Indeed, it was one way traffic towards the Gers goal in the opening exchanges as Matthew Aitken was next to go close minutes later when he combined with Taylor and slammed into the side netting despite having the time and space to pick his target.
However, the hosts didn’t need to wait too long to break the deadlock as, less than 60 seconds later, Scott McGill opened the scoring with a fine finish into the bottom corner following a neat passage of play from the Warriors.
The League One outfit ought to have doubled their advantage moments later when goalscorer McGill pounced on a lapse in concentration in the Gers defensive ranks, but his attempted delivery across the face of goal was overhit in search of Taylor at the far post.
But one soon became two for Stenhousemuir when Taylor floated a searching free-kick into the penalty area which was bundled home by Archie Graham despite the defender not knowing too much about it.
It left the young Gers, who only arrived back from the NextGen Cup in Prague late yesterday evening, with an uphill battle, with very little to show from an attacking perspective in the opening half hour.
Yan Godik was called into action for the first time moments later when Calum Adamson released Chris Eadie through the heart of the Stenhousemuir backline, but the forward’s finish was tame and straight down the throat of the home side’s goalkeeper.
It at the very least gave Stevie Smith’s side something to get their teeth into as they endeavoured to reduce the arrears, although they were grateful down the opposite end when a stray pass in midfield left McGuire stranded outside of his penalty area and Taylor’s long-range strike fortunately trickled past the post.
Eadie’s strike, however, certainly didn’t lack in intent on the stroke of the half-time interval as he spun intelligently from a Jack Wyllie pass and unleashed a ferocious effort which sailed only inches over the crossbar.
The half-time break prompted a reshuffle in the Gers ranks as Ben Hutton and Blaine McClure replaced Wyllie and Burnside respectively.
Rangers began the second period with a sustained period on the front foot, winning a succession of free-kicks which they weren’t quite able to pose questions of Stenhousemuir’s organisation from.
Promising footwork from Lewis Stewart on the left-hand side almost engineered an opening for the visitors, although Graham was positioned perfectly at the near post to nod the winger’s delivery out for a corner.
The home side, using their full allocation of outfield substitutes, still retained a threat on the counter-attack as Rangers pushed forward. Taylor, who was a thorn in the away side all evening, came within a whisker of sliding home from close-range.
The Light Blues reduced the deficit with a quarter of an hour remaining when a delightful stood-up cross from McClure was met at the far post by Hutton, making his first appearance in the competition, who just beat Alex Smith to the punch.
It set up an intriguing final stanza, with substitute Max Cameron stinging the palms of Godik just moments after being introduced with a rasping half-volley.
Smith then steered a volley wide on the full stretch before time seemed to stand still when McClure’s effort from the edge of the penalty area deflected high into the air and onto the roof of Godik’s goal.
The young Gers weren’t not so much knocking on the door in the latter stages as taking it off its hinges as Hutton was next to go close when he rocketed an effort wide from 20 yards out.
The final offering from the away side arrived when Eadie raced in-behind in stoppage time, but the 18-year-old couldn't quite bring the ball into his vicinity as Godik collected and time ran out on the away side.
STENHOUSEMUIR: Godik, Simpson, Jamieson (Meechan, 45), Graham, O’Reilly, Aitken (Carrick, 63), Taylor, Anderson (Robson, 30), Ewen (Buchanan, 45), Whyte, McGill (Bilham, 45)
Subs not used: Jamieson
RANGERS: McGuire, Kerr, Wyllie (Hutton, 45), Campbell, Wark (Scott, 75), McCallion, Adamson (Fernie, 75), Burnside (McClure, 45), Stewart (Cameron, 79), Smith, Eadie
Subs not used: Thackray, Reid, Hynd, Christie
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