MARK WARBURTON is confident his Rangers stars can shine on the Hampden stage as they look to add cup silverware to their Championship crown this term.

The Light Blue legions packed Ibrox on Tuesday night as Warburton’s side beat Dumbarton to confirm their status as second tier champions.

Another huge Gers support will make their way to the National Stadium tomorrow afternoon for the Petrofac Training Cup final against Peterhead.

And Warburton’s side will then be roared on by a sold-out section when they face Old Firm rivals Celtic for a place in the Scottish Cup final next Sunday.

Victory in both ties would cap a campaign to remember for Warburton and the Englishman hopes fans will have more reasons to celebrate in the coming days.

He said: “It is incredible. The support has been magnificent. You saw on Tuesday, there was a capacity Ibrox crowd.

“The level of support for the final on Sunday is staggering, so all credit to the fans again.

“We talk every week about [the responsibility] and we use it. The players recognise and it is important they know that following your team is not cheap, it is a big sacrifice.

“To have that number of fans coming here [on Sunday], and then the following week, after what we had on Tuesday night, is quite incredible.

“The players are aware of it and they have to thrive off that responsibility and enjoy it.

“When you come to a big club, you want to play in these type of games in front of those kind of crowds. So don’t crumble under it, just enjoy it.”

The Peterhead clash will be Rangers’ last chance to win the Challenge Cup as they get set to return to the Premiership later this year.

The Light Blues suffered shock defeats to Queen of the South, Raith Rovers and Alloa in the last three years as they struggled to win the lower league competition.

But Warburton insists there is no added pressure on his side to deliver the silverware at the final time of asking on The Journey.

He said: “What has happened in the past is irrelevant to us. I don’t mean that in a bad way but it doesn’t impact us.

“The current squad have not known anything other than this one year in the tournament. So far so good and we want to go and win it in style if we can do. But it is a tough opponent.

“Everyone thinks we are overwhelming favourites but Peterhead will be well prepared and they will be a tough test for us. If we play our normal game then we will do well. If we dip our standards we will get hurt.”

While Rangers will head to Hampden with their sights firmly set on the silverware tomorrow, the Peterhead tie is an ideal opportunity for them to get a first sight of the National Stadium before their Celtic showdown.

But Warburton insists he never thought about requesting permission to play on the much-maligned surface ahead of a huge double-header for the Gers.

He said: “No not at all, there is enough football on the pitch. At this time of year, look at all the National Stadiums with play-off games down south, knock-out games followed by internationals. So the strain on the pitch, all pitches, at this time of year is heavy.

“We won’t train on the pitch. To be honest, we had one home game this year where we trained at Ibrox.

“Didn’t enjoy it. It breaks our normal procedure, so coming here we have to get all the kit and equipment, it is stop start and never fluid.

“The key for us now is normality and consistency of how we prepare, so I would far rather, given the choice of training at Hampden or Murray Park, I will train at Murray Park.”