DAVE KING insists Rangers should finish no worse than second in their first season back in the Premiership this term.

Mark Warburton’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Hamilton on Saturday as they blew the chance to get their campaign off to a winning start at Ibrox.

It was to prove a frustrating afternoon for the Gers after King unfurled the Championship flag in front of a capacity home crowd.

And the Light Blues chairman knows Warburton and his players have to be competing at the sharp end of the standings after clinching the second tier crown last term.

He said: “I felt very different at the end [of the game] than I did at the beginning. I arrived about an hour and a quarter early and the atmosphere was just phenomenal.

“When I spoke to my fellow directors, it was all about this being the day that we had all been waiting for.

“That was fantastic but I am obviously a bit disappointed with the result. It would have been really nice to get a win under our belt as well.

“The resources Celtic have got at this point in time are clearly very, very substantial relative to ours in terms of the footballing side.

“But Celtic have resources to compete in Europe. That is really what they are there to do.

“We are not competing in Europe this season so our standard this year is that we expect to compete with Celtic this season.

“Last season, I said the non-negotiable was winning the Championship. I would say this year we should at least come second.”

Many Gers fans are targeting the top flight title in the coming months after seeing Warburton recruit nine players to his squad over the summer in preparation for the big kick-off.

And King insists there is still money left in the Ibrox transfer kitty to allow the Englishman to add further strength and depth to his squad in the coming months.

He said: “Yes, to be practical, we have got a squad of players that consisted of a chunk of players who came up last season.

“While they did well last season they still have to be tested this year. We have added significantly to that.

“Obviously we are hoping that the level of success that Mark and Frank had last year in bringing players in who competed with repeat again this year.

“We can’t be certain. We will see how this season goes. I certainly anticipate the possibility of more signings before the end of this window.

“From a financial planning point of view, we have already catered for the fact that we will have to look at the position again in December and probably do some business in January as well.”