START as you mean to go on.

It has been the message from day one of the Mark Warburton era at Ibrox and the mentality he will again look to instil in his squad ahead of the new Ladbrokes Championship campaign this week.

Wins over Hibernian and Peterhead have raised expectation and excitement levels amongst the Ibrox crowd, who will arrive in their numbers on Friday evening with their sights set on the first three points of the season.

Boss Warburton is keen for his side to lay down a marker of their title intentions in the opening stages of the race for promotion and faces a crucial few weeks in the dugout.

After the curtain-raiser against the Buddies, Rangers will also host Hibernian and travel to Alloa and Queen of the South on Championship duty before the end of August.

And Ibrox winger Tom Walsh is confident the Light Blues can get off to a flying start as they look to hit the ground running this term.

“It is not an easy start but we are confident and looking forward to it,” he told SportTimes. “We are Rangers and we have set our standards for the season. We are confident whoever we are playing against.

“We are looking forward to any challenge that comes our way and we will be up for it. We will look to perform well and hopefully that gets us the results that we need.

“The manager has brought in his style, new ideas and high standards. It has been really good to be part of so far.”

It is not just the Ibrox squad who have been impressed with the impact Warburton has made to date, and in such a short space of time.

The opening cup clashes in the last fortnight have given supporters a timely boost as they have seen fresh faces grab their chance to impress and old heads revitalised under the new management team.

It is a fresh, young and enthusiastic squad Warburton has at his disposal ahead of the Championship kick-off, and Walsh is confident the balance is just right this term.

He said: “It is a good mix we have got here. The younger players are buzzing to get their chance and there are older guys like Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace who can really help us along the way.

“It is a really good balance and hopefully that shows this season. The style we are playing, I think it really suits the squad of players we have here.”

The opening weeks of the Warburton era have been encouraging for Rangers, but also frustrating for Walsh as he waits for his chance to show what he can do.

The 19-year-old burst on to the scene last season as Stuart McCall looked to breathe fresh life into Rangers’ ultimately futile promotion bid.

The forward is the kind of player that should fit into the Warburton blueprint this term and Walsh is determined to make the most of any opportunity that arises.

He said: “I can only thank Stuart for giving me the opportunity and giving me the games. I owe him a lot.

“He liked me out wide and I might still play out wide. I probably prefer being in the middle of the park, but I like being wider as well because I can still attack and create.

“That is my game. If I can get on the ball in the middle or out wide, I am happy.

“I thank Stuart for giving me the opportunity and now I need to work hard to earn the same opportunities under the new manager.”

It may be Warburton who will have the final say on whether Walsh gets a chance to show what he can do, but the 52-year-old is not the only man the winger is trying to impress on the training field.

The return of Ibrox hero David Weir to the club as Warburton’s right-hand man was seen as a crucial move when the new management team was unveiled earlier this summer.

And Walsh is pleased to be working alongside the former Light Blues skipper as Warburton and Weir look to transform Rangers’ fortunes in the short and long term.

Walsh said: “The gaffer has got his way of playing the game and he and David work really well together. He knows the club inside out and that obviously helps from the gaffer’s point of view.

“From our perspective, he knows what it is like to play for Rangers and that is a massive help for us.

“Everyone has got huge respect for them, while we have all bought into the style of the play and want to maintain the standards he has set.

“He was captain of Rangers, captain of Scotland and played in England at the highest level for so many years. He is a legend and you can only look up to someone like that.

“You have to have the utmost respect for someone like that who has done so much in the game and you can only learn from him and the gaffer.”