AFTER years of fearing about the future, Rangers fans saw a glimpse of it on Tuesday night and liked what they saw.

A pre-season fixture against Burnley may not be the biggest stage upon which to play or the toughest test on which to judge, but it was a platform upon which Rangers can build.

It was the first chance the Ibrox support have had to see Mark Warburton’s side in action since his appointment last month and the performance, if not the 1-0 defeat, gave them plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

The second game arrives this afternoon and is a far more realistic barometer of where Rangers are, and where they need to be, as they face a Hibernian outfit that will be their main competition for the Championship title this season.

The sight of a host of new players impressing on their debuts and the signs of the Warburton style being implemented gave the Light Blue legions hope and encouragement.

It is some time since fans have been this enthused ahead of a new campaign, and now Warburton and his players must live up to the expectation as they prepare to get down to business this afternoon.

“You look forward to it. The other night was fantastic,” Warburton said.“Our message to the players is: send the fans home happy, home and away.

“We have to set a standard for ourselves and maintain it every week. It’s not good enough to have one good performance then be inconsistent the following week.

“We’ve got to be high in our performance and recognise the levels we have to attain week in, week out. That’s really important, home and away.

“People tell me that it’s great to play at Ibrox, but at some of the away grounds it’s not so easy. I don’t think any game’s easy.

“The players on Tuesday night took a big jump up in quality of opposition. Burnley were playing Premier League football last season.

“But at home or away, they should pull the blue shirt on, enjoy the challenge and be the best they can be.”

It was not just the home crowd that was impressed by what they saw of Rangers on Tuesday evening, with Clarets boss Sean Dyche also speaking enthusiastically about Warburton’s side after a decent workout for both teams at Ibrox.

There is, of course, still work to do for Warburton and assistant David Weir as they rebuild a squad and implement a new philosophy after years of Light Blue strife.

Where so often last season the final whistle brought widespread boos and derision from the stands, there was a round of applause and appreciation for Warburton and his players come full-time on Tuesday.

Warburton said: “It was tremendous. To get over 20,000 for a friendly is quite staggering.

“It’s always good to talk to the opposition after a game, too, to find out what their staff think about it.

“Sean Dyche and his staff were very impressed with how we played in the first 25 to 30 minutes.

“We gave a sloppy goal away and we have to learn from that.

“But for the Rangers fans to be so supportive in a game like that and to applaud the team at the end was very welcoming.”

Having come through their Clarets clash unscathed and having made their mark on an impressed audience, a far greater examination awaits Rangers this afternoon.

A trip to Easter Road is the toughest tie Rangers could have been handed for Warburton’s competitive bow, but it presents a chance to put down an early marker of their talents and their intentions.

But Warburton insists it will matter little in the grand scheme of things and over the course of a campaign that will see his side set their sights on the second-tier title.

He said: “It’s come early. It’s game four in the preparation, but we’re going strong.

“We had a good team on Tuesday night and the squad got pitch time, which is good. I’m looking forward to it.

“Never in an arrogant or disrespectful way, but we’re Rangers Football Club and we have to look forward to every game and be the best we can be in every game.

“I wasn’t really bothered who we drew in the game, I’m just looking forward to it.”

It is not just the fact that this game is Warburton’s first as manager, or that it comes against Rangers’ main promotion rivals this season, that is intriguing ahead of kick-off.

The situation surrounding Scott Allan adds another layer of intrigue to the story after a week in which his future in Leith has hit the headlines.

Rangers have had two bids rejected by the Easter Road board for their key man and prized asset and are likely to go back to the table as they look to bring the midfielder to Ibrox this summer. Allan is central to Hibernian’s plans and could be at the heart of Rangers’ title bid, but he isn’t the only Capital star on the Ibrox agenda.

“Absolutely,” Warburton said when asked if he expected the 23-year-old to play this afternoon.

“He’s a Hibs player – unless he’s injured and we don’t know about it, but we’ll presume he’ll play.

“He’s a good player, a very talented player. There’s no doubt about that. He is a big influence for them, whether he plays wide on the left or comes inside.

“He’s a talented player, but they have other very good players as well. They are a good team and it would be wrong for us to focus all our attention on the one player, that’s for sure.”