Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday: Ibrox crowd has been crucial to the success of Mark Warburton's side

The lifelong Light Blue knows better than most of those within Mark Warburton’s squad what Gers fans have been through in recent years, and he is determined to play his part in the recovery.

On Saturday, Halliday helped Warburton’s side to a 2-1 triumph against Queen of the South, their tenth successive Championship win as Rangers maintained their momentum and advantage at the top of the table.

Martyn Waghorn’s header completed the comeback for Rangers, after Jason Holt had scored to cancel out Derek Lyle’s opener and the Gers striker had missed a penalty, and sparked wild celebrations in the stands.

The new approach from Warburton’s side has won rave reviews as the Light Blues have swept past teams this term, but it was always going to test the mentality of the crowd when the going was tough and the pressure was on.

Where before Ibrox would have groaned and moaned in disapproval, the home crowd are encouraging the Gers to stick to their principles. Like it has on 14 out of 15 occasions this season, it proved productive.

The victory was a reward for their efforts, a vindication of their blue print as Rangers’ patience paid off and they added another crucial three points to their tally.

“We touched upon this at the start of the season, that the fans had to buy into the style of football we are trying to play,” Halliday said.

“When you are 1-1 with a minute to go and the defenders are passing it along the back, fans can often get on your back.

“But we feel that being patient, no matter what time in the game, is our best chance of opening a team up – instead of lumping an aimless ball into the box.

“We watched the analysis back today and we kept the ball really well in the last 10 minutes. With that much territory and possession, we felt we could break them down.

“We got the chance with the penalty and it was a huge disappointment to see it saved. But I have got nothing but praise for Waggy to then step up and attack the ball the way he did to win the game.

“We are thankful for the fans buying into that. They were patient with us and we got the result in the end.”

After surviving a Championship scare against Queens, Rangers will hope it is a far more straightforward evening when they host Livingston in the Petrofac Training Cup tonight.

A semi-final meeting with St Mirren is at stake for the teams that are separated by the length of the second tier standings as Warburton’s side look to send the Ibrox crowd home happy once again.

Defeats to Queen of the South and Alloa in this cup in recent seasons have been some of the worst results in Rangers’ recent history, but it is the final loss against Raith Rovers two seasons ago that has been their biggest disappointment in Scotland’s third knock-out competition.

Halliday was in the stands as John Baird hit the only goal of the game just three minutes from the end as Ally McCoist’s side suffered a shock defeat and he is determined there will finally be a reason for Rangers to celebrate as they eye the silverware at the fourth attempt.

“I was at Easter Road when Rangers lost to Raith in extra time,” he said.

“It was a sore one for the boys, because every game you play for Rangers you are expected to win. And none more so than a cup final.

“It was a massive disappointment for the players and the fans that day. This is another chance to put it right.

“I was there with friends. It’s always disappointing when Rangers lose. The most disappointed people would have been the players, because they were looking for a winner’s medal that none of them had before.

“As I say, it’s another chance to put that right and we are more determined than ever.

“At the same time we have the winning mentality that we want to win every game we play.

“It’s a case of getting back to business on Tuesday night and hopefully getting the result.”

Having entered the Challenge Cup as favourites in each of the last three seasons and emerged only embarrassed rather than victorious, Rangers will hope this is their final shot at the silverware.

It is the Championship title that is their main focus once again this term and they are already well on the way to finally clinching a return to the top flight.

That doesn’t mean they will treat other challenges lightly, though, as Warburton’s side look to add another win to their tally tonight.

Halliday said: "I don't think we hope to win it and I don't think we have to win it, I just think we want to win it.

“When you have the expectations of a club like Rangers then you are expected to win it. We have created a winning mentality here and every single game we go in to, we think we can win and we expect to win.

“I've never won the Petrofac Cup, I don't think anyone in the team has. So it's a new medal that we can hopefully add to our trophy cabinet, which will hopefully see a lot of medals in it in future years."