RANGERS legend John Brown admitted he was relieved his old club avoided Celtic in the draw for the third round of the League Cup – but warned that St Johnstone would still give Mark Warburton’s side their first proper test of the season.

Brown has been impressed with how Rangers have begun the campaign with seven successive victories but felt that they would not have been quite ready for a rematch with their Old Firm rivals this early in the season.

Instead, it is the Perth side who will head to Ibrox on September 22 or 23 and Brown believes that will give the Rangers fans a chance to see how their team is shaping up.

He said: “I was just glad they didn’t draw Celtic because it allows the players to get to know each other. If Rangers can get through against St Johnstone then whether it was a semi-final or a final [against Celtic] they would have a lot more games under their belt and be better for that challenge because Celtic are the benchmark.

“St Johnstone will be their first big test. It’s a Premiership team who have been in the European qualifiers this season. And they are a side with an excellent manager in Tommy Wright.

“Middle to front they create a lot of chances. They’ve been leaking goals too, though. But I think the Rangers defence will be tested in a way that they haven’t been up until now, although Hibs did cause them some problems last Sunday.

“For instance, Steven Maclean, who was a young kid at Rangers, has developed into a great player for St Johnstone. His movement will cause the Rangers defence a lot of problems on the night. But the main thing for Rangers is that they’ve been drawn at home.”

After the disappointment of last season – when Rangers failed to win promotion amid ongoing boardroom unrest – Brown can understand why so many supporters are buoyant now.

“I think the fans are happy now because they feel as though they’ve got their club back,” he added. “All the focus is away from off-field stuff and on the management and his players. Mark’s brought in younger players for a little bit of money and the hope is to sell them on later down the line. But against St Johnstone we will find out if they can handle the step up – and hopefully they get through to face a tougher test in the next round.”