DEAN SHIELS is delighted Rangers took another step on the road to recovery as they booked their place in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden.

Mark Warburton’s side beat Old Firm rivals Celtic 5-4 on penalties after an enthralling encounter to set up a final showdown with Championship compatriots Hibernian next month.

It has been a memorable few weeks for the Light Blues as they clinched the second tier title and lifted the Petrofac Training Cup with victory over Peterhead last week.

READ MORE: Emotional Kenny Miller savours the celebrations as Rangers see off Celtic at Hampden

And they will now look to land a unique Treble when they return to the National Stadium for a third time with their sights set on the silverware.

Few outside of Ibrox would have expected the Gers to produce such a superb showing against the Premiership champions-elect but Shiels was thrilled as Warburton’s side emerged deserved winners on derby day.

He said: “It was a great day. We knew it was going to be difficult and it was a tough game but I thought we thoroughly deserved the win.

Glasgow Times:

“That is what the club deserved – to be in cup finals and winning big games at Hampden and thankfully we managed to do that.

“It has been a long road and for too long Celtic have looked down on us. Now I think they know that we are coming.

“It is right up there for me in my Rangers career. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

READ MORE: Emotional Kenny Miller savours the celebrations as Rangers see off Celtic at Hampden

“We are used to teams defending deep against us, we have had it all season.

“We have been used to trying to play through it. In extra-time, we had to dig in deep and show a lot of character.

“That is how we want to win games. We pass the ball and dictate play and we showed a bit of character as well to see us through.

Glasgow Times:

“The football out there did all the talking. We will let people talk about gaps. We will just concentrate on winning the cup final.”

With another Hampden date now booked, Rangers will look to end the league campaign on a high note in the coming weeks.

A trip to Easter Road is next on the agenda on Wednesday night before the Championship title party when Alloa visit Ibrox on Saturday.

READ MORE: Emotional Kenny Miller savours the celebrations as Rangers see off Celtic at Hampden

And Shiels is confident Warburton’s side won’t let the lure of Scottish Cup silverware distract them as they look to maintain their momentum this term.

He said: “It would be a great achievement but we have got a bit of work to do yet this season. We have got Hibs and Alloa next week.

“One thing is for sure, the manager will never let us slack up and let us take it easy. We will concentrate on that and then we will all look forward to the final.”