RANGERS manager Ally McCoist is delighted to see Dean Shiels making the most of his chance to impress in his team.

The Northern Irish frontman struggled to make an impact at the start of this season and found himself down the strikers' pecking order.

But with Kenny Miller and Nicky Clark both sidelined with injury and Jon Daly just back after a knee op, Shiels made the most of his opportunity to start in last midweek's 3-1 League Cup victory at Falkirk.

And he could feature again tonight against his former club Hibs at Ibrox.

McCoist said: "Dean did well for us at Falkirk and could have scored two or three goals in the first 15 minutes. He had two great chances and one was just offside.

"He worked really hard and got his goal, which put us in front.

"I'd said all along that Dean was just waiting for his chance. He has been training really well. Now he's taken his chance."

Gers go into tonight's Championship fixture determined to bounce back from their draw with Alloa on their last league outing as they set their sights on narrowing Hearts' six-point lead at the top of the table.

Alan Stubbs' side have toiled in the second tier and find themselves just two points above bottom club Cowdenbeath after their first six games.

Rangers needed extra- time to beat the Hibees 2-1 when the teams met earlier this season in the Petrofac Training Cup.

McCoist knows his side will be tested tonight.

He said: "Hibs played quite well against us that night, probably as well as any other team. They've since had a couple of good results and a couple of not-so-good results.

"So I'm sure it will be an extremely tough game for us tonight."