MARK WARBURTON is determined to avoid the ‘awful feeling’ of Old Firm defeat as Rangers look to make amends for their Parkhead horror show.

The Light Blues crashed to a 5-1 loss against Celtic last month and are seven points adrift of Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Premiership title race after a poor start to the campaign.

Rangers have a chance to gain revenge at Hampden on Sunday as the Glasgow rivals go head-to-head for a place in the Betfred Cup final.

And the Gers boss reckons there will be no extra motivation required for his players as they bid for a repeat of their Hampden heroics last term.

Warburton said: “It had to be frank, we’d just got beat 5-1.

“I have to be very clear that I didn’t think it was fair reflection because of the sending off. We lost two centre halves in a heartbeat and suddenly our back line was Lee Wallace, Joey Barton and James Tavernier.

“But we’d still just been stuffed 5-1 so we had to sit there and say ‘what can we take from this game?’

“So it was a very heated discussion because the local boys know what it takes. They knew when they wake up the following morning what the papers, radio and TV shows were going to say. It’s hard.

“We couldn’t go out, why would we? They understood it and it was important to relay that message to the new boys coming in.

“You lose an Old Firm game 5-1 you’d better recognise what we have to do now because you don’t want to feel that way again.

“That was an awful feeling. That would fire up any player.

“If you have a poor performance with the ramifications to that level you remember it for a long, long time. I don’t want that feeling again.

“I’m sure somewhere down the line everyone gets the same feeling again but we’ve got to work hard here.”

After clinching one of the biggest wins of his managerial career against Celtic last season, Warburton experienced his toughest day as Gers boss at Parkhead in September.

Rangers were well beaten as Philippe Senderos saw red and the Hoops clinched a deserved win in Rodgers’ first taste of derby day.

And Warburton admits the aftermath was difficult to deal with as he came to terms with a heavy defeat that piled pressure on his shoulders.

He said: “I didn’t go out. I live 100 yards from Waitrose. I didn’t go out.

“My son was up for the game and I didn’t go out the door. Bear in mind it is an early kick off.

“I didn’t go out the door because it wasn’t right. I watched the game and you have to learn.

“He has been in football himself for a number of years so he understands the score. I am sure he found a place to go with his mates.

“The fact of the matter is that it wasn’t right. You have to understand the emotion of the city. I can’t sit here and talk to you guys about a different level of passion in Glasgow and then not recognise or appreciate it.

“Imagine me being seen going out that night. I could have been having a quiet glass of wine and a pasta but it wouldn’t have been right for me.”