HE has felt the pain, seen the suffering and lived through the darkest of times at Ibrox.

Now Lee Wallace hopes there will be a silver lining for Rangers as he looks to add at least one more winner’s medal to his collection this season.

There was never any doubt that Wallace would take home prizes for the Third Division and League One crowns in recent years but, after missing out on a hat-trick last term, the coming months could be far more successful for the Ibrox captain.

Mark Warburton’s side moved seven points clear in the Championship title race with victory over Dumbarton on Saturday and will tonight take a break from their pursuit of second tier glory to continue their chase for another trophy.

The League Cup third round tie with St Johnstone is arguably Rangers’ toughest examination of the campaign to date, but it is one many will expect them to pass with flying colours.

It will be a gauge of where Rangers, just a few weeks into the Warburton era, are in comparison to a side that are reliable top six finishers and themselves recent domestic cup winners.

Claiming the second tier crown is, of course, Rangers’ main aim this term and the only objective that must be achieved. Anything else is a bonus.

But that doesn’t diminish Wallace’s determination or appetite for success as he continues to strive towards a long-held ambition.

He said: “Winning cups was one of my main priorities when I first signed, albeit still in the top division back then.

“In my first press conference I mentioned the fact I was coming into a dressing room full of winners and I wanted to become one of them.

“Obviously I didn’t know what was about to happen. I don’t think anyone did at that period of time.

“Now we’re looking forward and hopefully this season can be that season. We’ve all got aspirations to do well.

“The squad is hungry, we’re not getting too carried away with the start we’ve made.

“When you look at the supporters and what they’ve gone through. What the club’s been through the last three or four years, there have been players who have suffered in that.

“But I think the fans more importantly have suffered. They are used to winning and watching teams lift trophies.

“It’s not happened for a few years and we’re hungry to do that for the supporters. We want to give them that return. This season I just hope that can be the case.”

Wallace is eager to give the Light Blue legions something to celebrate this season, but the Ibrox crowd have already left him with a memory he will cherish.

A giant banner of the captain was unfurled before the recent Championship win against Livingston as fans paid tribute to a player who has stood by the club through thick and thin and is recapturing his best form this term.

Wallace would set Warburton’s side on course for victory with a stunning long-range effort against the Lions and remains thankful for the gesture from those who chanted his name.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I was lucky enough to score the first goal that day, through a few bodies, then I had to applaud the fans for the banner because I was really taken aback by it.

“My girlfriend had let me know before the game that the banner was going to be there. She must have found out through one of the social media sites - I’m not into that stuff myself.

“When I saw it and I heard the crowd, it was just phenomenal. I never expected that in a million years, to be honest.

“The adrenaline I got from the goal and seeing that banner unfurled was superb. I can only thank the fans and it just drives me on and makes me hungrier for the team to give as much back to them as we can this season.”

Having extended their winning run to eleven matches at the Rock on Saturday, Rangers will now look to book their place in the League Cup fourth round this evening.

The Ibrox clash is the first time Warburton’s side have had a chance to pit their wits against Premiership opposition this term.

Rangers were 1-0 winners over the Saints last season but Wallace insists it is the here and now that matters for Warburton and his players.

He said: “We haven’t done much thinking on that. We wanted to try to put last season to the back of our minds and look forward.

“Our squad is much changed from then so it’s difficult to gauge between the two sides and look back on that game.

“We’ve recovered well from Dumbarton, analysed that game and quickly moved onto that one.

“All the focus is on us and how we approach the game. How we’ll try to be the best Rangers side we can be.

“He (Warburton) certainly asks but the level of detail we have in our analysis is great. There are a couple of players at St Johnstone who are due respect.

“We’ve looked at them in our meeting but the main part of it will be how we look to do better.”

* Rangers take on St Johnstone in the third-round tie of the Scottish League Cup at Ibrox tonight and supporters can pay at the gate in the Copland Stand (Rear) right up until the 7.15pm kick-off. Ticket prices are £18 for adults, £12 for concessions and £5 for juveniles.