FIVE games have come, gone and been won, now just 90 minutes remain for Rangers. The wait is almost over, the Premiership is in their sights.

A pre-season schedule that started in the aftermath of a Charleston thunderstorm will come to an end against Burnley on Saturday afternoon. It will then be time for the real action to start.

Victory over Stranraer on Monday evening was, as expected, straightforward for Mark Warburton’s side. Ahead after just three minutes through a Martyn Waghorn penalty, there was never any danger that the Gers would suffer their first defeat of the season.

When the striker netted his fourth goal of the campaign, capitalising on a slack pass from Mark McGuigan and finishing well from the edge of the area, the game was over as a contest just 15 minutes in.

It was a matter of how many Rangers would win by, the final tally of three once again less than they could have achieved given their dominance as they ensured they would end Group F in top spot. Now it is pole position in the Premiership that Warburton must set his sights on.

Having started out a run of four games in ten days by fielding the side that won the Championship against Motherwell, Warburton will now select his favoured line-up when Burnley visit Ibrox this weekend. It will be the final warm-up ahead of the visit of Hamilton Accies on Saturday, August 6 and Rangers will need to step it up once again when Sean Dyche brings his side north of the border for a second time.

Warburton has had reservations about the new Betfred Cup format for some time but he has used it to the best effect that he could.

That first game at Fir Park aside, none of their Group F matches have really tested Rangers and little has been learned in terms of how ready they are for a crack at the top flight. Their four outings have still proved useful, though, and those that got on the park at Ibrox will have benefited from the match minutes.

Warburton demanded further improvement from his side against Stranraer and saw another accomplished performance following the wins over Annan and East Stirlingshire in the last week.

The team that took to the field, in front of another impressive home crowd of just under 30,000, was arguably the strongest Warburton has picked in this competition as he again made several changes to ensure his squad get the required time on the park ahead of the big kick-off.

There may be little to choose between this squad and the one from last season in terms of numbers but there is a marked difference in the strength and quality. That has been evident throughout Rangers’ preparations for the new campaign and Warburton’s ranks were bolstered once again as Jordan Rossiter was listed for the first time.

The former Liverpool midfielder only returned to Auchenhowie in recent days after representing England at the Under-19 European Championships this summer and he would have been impressed with his first sighting of this new-look Gers side in action.

It would also have been daunting for the Scouser as he saw the competition he faces for a starting jersey this term, with Joey Barton, Niko Kranjcar and Andy Halliday all showing up well once again.

Halliday could have been marked out as one of last season’s stars that may have dropped out of the team this term but he has made the most of his outings so far. It is on his second term at Ibrox where he wants to be judged as a Rangers player, and he has got off to a positive start as he looks to see off the challenge of a host of summer arrivals.

The 24-year-old was moved forward and given more attacking responsibilities alongside the classy Kranjcar, with Barton left to read the game from a deeper role and keep Rangers ticking over as he kept the ball moving through wave after wave of attacks.

It was Kranjcar who would get Rangers off and running after the break, though, his first goal in Light Blue making it 3-0. Kranjcar has made a positive impression on Gers fans so far and he made sure they had something to cheer with a neat finish that found the corner of Cameron Belford’s net.

With the points secured and the game won, Warburton could use the final period of the game to hand a debut to Rossiter, give Joe Dodoo a home bow and Kenny Miller another run-out. As was the case in their previous three cup outings, the fitness and sharpness were almost as important as the victory.

Like in all of their games so far this term, the only thing that was missing for Warburton’s side was another couple of goals. Chances have been created and spurned but the Ibrox boss will be confident that they will eventually be converted as his bolstered attacking arsenal continue to get up to speed.

After a four-year wait, Rangers are now just 90 minutes away from taking to Scotland’s top flight once again. It will be the start of the biggest challenge of Warburton’s career, but a moment to savour for supporters after their climb back through the leagues.

They, and their manager, will hope the Betfred Cup has helped them ascend the first couple of rungs on the ladder that leads to Premiership summit.