MARTYN WAGHORN saw his ambitions of becoming a Hampden hero quashed by boss Mark Warburton as he missed out on the biggest occasion of his career against Celtic.

Now the Rangers striker is dreaming of Scottish Cup glory when the Light Blues look to lift their third silverware of the season on Saturday.

Waghorn had to watch on as Warburton’s side clinched the Championship crown, beat Peterhead in the Petrofac Training Cup and then saw off Celtic in the semi-finals.

He had returned to training just days before the Old Firm clash and repeatedly refused to rule himself out of action, but boss Warburton had the final say.

It was a bitter blow at the time, but it is a moment Waghorn is now thankful for after outings against St Mirren and Tottenham that have put him in contention for a start at the National Stadium.

Waghorn said: “Realistically I was nowhere near ready to play against Celtic. I had played in one or two non-contact sessions.

“But I knew that if I went into that match then I was going to be smashed!

“I was nowhere near ready and the gaffer knew what he was doing in line with the medical staff. I respect the decisions made by the professionals.

“I understood why I was being left out even if it’s hard to deal with. It was the right decision in the end.

“It was the most logical thing to do. I could have injured myself again just turning – not even a tackle.

“It might have been the most innocuous of things and I’d have been done.

“The extra few weeks I’ve had to recover has been perfect for me.

“I knew that my knee was fine but on a match day anything can happen so I’m really pleased with how it’s gone.

“I played 80 minutes versus Spurs and it was an end to end game. I was blowing for a bit in the first half.

“It was a good test. They were a young hungry side who played football the right way as you’d expect from a club like Spurs.”

Waghorn may not have played his part in the successes over Peterhead and Celtic but he was still very much involved in the celebrations as Rangers toasted two Hampden triumphs.

A third win would hand them a unique Treble this term and mark their return to European competition twelve months earlier than expected.

Victory over Alan Stubbs’ side this weekend would turn a good campaign into a great one and be another statement of intent from Rangers ahead of their top flight challenge next term.

As they gear up for the most significant 90 minutes of the campaign, Warburton and his players know they have a chance to write their names in the Ibrox history books this weekend.

And Waghorn is daring to dream of what could await the Light Blues when they set their sights on the silverware once again.

He said: “That (Europe) is a huge incentive. I came here to get promoted and win a couple of trophies.

“But the chance to win a treble and play in Europe in the second year is incredible.

“The opportunity to play in Europe does not come around too often.

“We have a job to do on Saturday and do it right, we have a chance. If we do things properly it should be a good day for us.

“That (visualisation) is a huge part of the game. How you are going to play the first ten minutes and settle in and settle down?

“I do visualise scoring goals and winning trophies and being successful.

“If you don’t you are not dreaming. You are not wishing or having hope.

“I love the game and a couple of days before the game I start visualising how I am going to play. Lifting the trophy would be good.”

While Hibernian head to Hampden on the back of a deflating defeat against Falkirk that saw them condemned to another campaign in the Championship, Rangers have their own doubters to silence in the coming days.

The Gers ended their time in the lower leagues with a run of four games without a win as they lost to Hibs and Livingston and drew with Alloa and St Mirren.

It is hardly the kind of form Warburton would have hoped for but Waghorn is confident the champions are back on track after the friendly win over Spurs last week.

He said: “I understand the perception that because we haven’t won in a while it will be hard to turn it on. But the game against Spurs showed we were right back on it.

“It’s only natural for there to be a dip after you win the league, a Cup and then a big game like Celtic.

“It’s disappointing not to get results, but the four day break after the last game suited us. The tempo and hunger was there against Spurs.

“We have reached some high numbers in the intensity training these last few days and distances covered have been fantastic. There has been a real good desire to finish the season off.”