IT is a situation Kyle Hutton is familiar with and one he can share with several of his team-mates this season.

But he insists it won't be one that will allow his focus to wane from the job in hand or lessen his determination between now and the end of the season.

That is when, like 11 others he shares a dressing room with, his contract with Rangers ends and he could head for the exit door once again.

His deal was allowed to expire at the end of Rangers' successful League One campaign before he signed on the dotted line for another 12 months ahead of their now doomed attempt at the Championship title.

With Kenny McDowall already signalling his intention to quit Ibrox as he serves his contractual notice, a period of significant change is approaching for the club in a football sense.

Any movement at boardroom level, which could occur within a couple of weeks as the EGM edges closer, will have a significant impact on the make-up of Rangers on the park and in the dugout.

But Hutton won't let the uncertainty over what may unfold in the coming weeks and months have a detrimental effect on the job in hand as McDowall and his players prepare for the visit of Hibernian tonight.

"We are solely focused on the football," he said. "All the other stuff that's going on, all that will take care of itself.

"We're in a position where we need to go out and put in performances, and win games.

"The boys are sticking together. But contract talks, all that stuff, comes at the end of the season.

"As players we can see what position we're in then. Right now we have a job to do and that's getting back up to the Premier League.

"I'll just do what I did last year. which is to keep working hard in every game I'm involved in.

"I need to show what I can do and play the best I can. I just need to do that and by the end of the season if I am here or elsewhere, that's the decision that will be made at the end of the season.

"Yes definitely [I want to be here]. If it comes to the end of the season and I get another contract then I'll definitely be here."

After spending most of the first half of the season out of the side, Hutton has been given a chance to impress in recent weeks.

He has been unable to halt Rangers' slide, however, with cup exits to Celtic and Raith Rovers on consecutive weekends the latest body blows a beleaguered team has had to take.

The Ibrox squad was given a fresh injection of talent on deadline day as five players - Remie Streete, Kevin Mbabu, Gael Bigirimana, Haris Vuckic and Shane Ferguson - penned loan deals from Newcastle.

But a furore has erupted over their arrival, and the revelation from boss McDowall that, if fit, all the Tyneside kids must play this term.

Only Vuckic, who marked his Gers bow with a goal against Rovers, is in line to face Hibs tonight and Hutton admits it is a difficult situation for the Light Blues squad.

He said: "We all need to be professional, but this is the situation we are in.

"It's hard not to lose the head but you just need keep concentrating and focused on being professional.

"We just concentrate on working hard in training, we leave that side [who is picking the team] out of it. It's just down to ourselves really and everybody being professional to prepare properly for every game.

"Whatever has happened with the Newcastle players is another matter, but if you are not playing - as I know from the start of the season - you can sort of get misled a wee bit.

"But you just need to focus, keeping being professional and keep working hard."

McDowall and his players may have been putting in the hours but their endeavours have not produced results.

It is a fight to finish second and emerge successfully through the play-offs that is top of Rangers' agenda between now and the end of the campaign, with the 19-point gap to Hearts surely too wide for this squad to bridge.

They are a team out of form, low on confidence and under fire from all angles, but Hutton insists they haven't given up the fight just yet.

He said: "It was a poor result but we came in this week, training well, and we're now fully focused on tomorrow's game.

"It's a big one so we need the three points. We're working hard in training but it's all about keeping your head, really.

"It's about keeping your focus and putting the Raith Rovers game out our heads as quickly as possible.

"The lads spoke to us and said we had to keep our heads up and keep going.

"We can't let our heads drop but that won't happen.

"It's a difficult time and losing to Raith Rovers was a big shock to us. We just need to keep going."