MARK WARBURTON reckons victory over Celtic would be another step in the right direction for Rangers as he bids to build for a bright Light Blue future.

It has been a mixed opening few weeks to the season for the Gers as they have fallen well off the pace in the Premiership title race.

But Warburton’s side have a chance to kick-start their campaign as they set their sights on a return to the National Stadium and the Betfred Cup silverware.

He said: “It is a semi-final at Hampden. It is a different venue as opposed to being at Ibrox or Parkhead so it is a different type of atmosphere.

“It is where we had the Petrofac last year and we had the semi-final. I am not saying [we are] familiar with the place but it certainly won’t be completely new with many of the squad.

“What we have to do is recognise that we are building here. We are building strong foundations for what we hope will be a very prosperous future. We hope this is another step on that journey.”

Rangers were beaten 5-1 when they made the trip to Parkhead last month but will now hope to secure a third win at Hampden on Warburton’s watch.

The Light Blues lifted the Petrofac Training Cup and beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup semis last term before losing the final to Hibernian.

And Warburton is keen to have more happy memories from his latest outing at the National Stadium.

He said: “I hope it suits us. There are areas to play in so you think offensively and with the ball there is more space to play in.

“Defensively there are more spaces to cover so it depends on what take you have.

“We know it is a good surface, it is a pitch that we have performed on and done well on before.

“We know what we face, we face a very good team in good form. But we have to keep getting better and better and deliver the type of performance that will deliver the result we are seeking.”