on 30 July 2011, in a goalless draw against Motherwell at Rugby Park, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute. Shiels scored his first goal for Kilmarnock in a 2–1 away defeat to Inverness CT. He scored a penalty in a 1–0 win over Hearts, after Marius Zaliukas fouled Paul Heffernan. Shiels signed for Kilmarnock on a permanent basis in January 2012. Shiels scored the only goal of the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Ayrshire derby rivals Ayr United on 28 January. He also scored the winning goal in a game against Rangers at Ibrox on 18 February, in Rangers' first game after entering administration. On 18 March, he played in the 2012 Scottish League Cup Final, which Kilmarnock won after beating Celtic 1–0. Shiels was shortlisted for the SPFA Players' Player of the Year award, along with Jon Daly, Steven Davis and Charlie Mulgrew. Shiels rejected the offer of a new contract with Kilmarnock and left the club at the end of the season. Rangers Shiels signed for Rangers on 31 July 2012. Kilmarnock's chairman Michael Johnson believed Rangers had undermined Kilmarnock to get Shiels. Shiels vowed to help the club win a trophy that season and claimed he had turned down other clubs around Europe and could have played in the Champions League; instead, preferring to join Rangers. He scored a goal, as well as setting up two, in his first appearance, a Scottish League Cup tie against East Fife on 7 August. A week later he sustained an injury during a match which ruled him out for weeks. On 2 September 2012, Shiels scored his first league goal, as well as setting one up, in a 5–1 win over Elgin City. After scoring two in three games, he scored against Scottish Premier League side Motherwell in a Scottish League Cup tie. In the Scottish Cup, Shiels scored twice and made three assists as Rangers thrashed Alloa Athletic 7–0 on 3 November 2012. During the 2012–13 season he missed five months of the season due to a medial knee ligament injury. On the opening game of the 2013–14 season, Shiels scored as Rangers won 4–1 against Brechin City. He sustained another knee injury in October 2013. Two months after his return, Shiels scored a brace in a 2–0 win over East Fife on 11 January 2014. His lack of playing time led to transfer speculation, being linked to Partick