THE goals for Rangers at the start of the season were twofold. The coming weeks will shape how realistic both are.

Second place in the Premiership was the non-negotiable aim for Pedro Caixinha as he looked to overhaul Aberdeen and close the gap to Celtic in the top flight.

And the other ambition that the Light Blue legions had set their sights on was success in either the Betfred Cup or Scottish Cup.

Read more: Rangers defender James Tavernier backs brother Marcus to make a name for himself at Middlesbrough

The defeat to Hibernian at Hampden is as close as Rangers have come to adding some major silverware to the Ibrox trophy cabinet since they set out on the road to recovery five years ago.

Celtic proved too big a hurdle to overcome last term as Mark Warburton and Caixinha saw their dreams of cup glory ended by their Old Firm rivals at the respective semi-final stages.

Now Rangers are preparing to return to the National Stadium once again as they set their sights on another final.

The meeting with St Johnstone after the international break will be crucial to Rangers’ Premiership campaign.

Read more: Rangers announce Soccer Schools partnership with Indian Gameday Arts Academy​

But defender James Tavernier knows the semi-final against Motherwell is another significant afternoon for the Light Blues as they look to move within 90 minutes of a winners’ medal.

“There is only one reason why you move to a club of this size and that is trophies,” Tavernier told SportTimes.

“You walk past the Trophy Room and see the history this club has and you want to win as well. There is nothing worse than going through the whole season and you win nothing.

“It is definitely an aim to win trophies and we have got to put in a really good performance against Motherwell to take that next step.

“It is only when you start playing here and you look around that you understand the history and it all comes together.

Read more: Man City kid Aaron Nemane determined to make the most of Rangers loan switch​

“You have had some great days here, with the likes of Gazza and Laudrup, and we want to be a team that starts to bring silverware back to Ibrox.”

Rangers ensured they entered the international break on a high note as Caixinha’s side recorded a comfortable 4-1 win over Hamilton on Friday night.

With the trip to Toronto ahead of the Eusebio Cup clash against Benfica now cancelled, the Portuguese has had to redraw his plans for the top flight shutdown.

But Tavernier is confident the Gers can hit the ground running when they return to action at McDiarmid Park a week on Friday.

He said: “You always want to build momentum and that is key to the season.

Read more: Rangers defender James Tavernier backs brother Marcus to make a name for himself at Middlesbrough

“We have a break from the league now and hopefully we can be in good form and fitness for the games coming up.

“You learn [about each other] all the time, we spend most of the day at training and you see each other every day so you learn about each other every day. As a team, we have done activities outside of football and it has been a really good experience.”

It has been a mixed start to the campaign for Rangers as points have been dropped and performance levels have fluctuated.

But consistency will now need to be found in the coming weeks if the Light Blues are to ease the pressure on Caixinha’s shoulders.

Tavernier has been a familiar face in the new-look Gers side this term and the right-back hopes he can continue to play his part at both ends of the park.

Read more: Rangers announce Soccer Schools partnership with Indian Gameday Arts Academy​

He said: “I am always looking to improve. I am pleased with the way I have started the season but I always want to do better and get better throughout the season.

“I always take it game by game and I am working hard to put in good performances.

“It is a new team and I have started off with a few assists and a couple of goals this season. I am just looking to do the same and help the boys out in the final third.

“The more we play with each other, the more we train with each other, the better understanding we will get. That is only going to improve.

“The manager is using the strengths of myself and Waldo (Lee Wallace), and Declan (John) and Lee (Hodson), to attack up the lines.

“That is what our strengths are. It is great to have the manager backing that and we have got good support from the midfield.”