CRISIS? What crisis? Rangers fans know a bleak situation when they see one, and this isn’t even close.

Having set the bar as high as they did in the opening weeks of the campaign, there was always going to come a point when Mark Warburton’s side couldn’t continue to surpass their achievements and continually improve. The winning run was never going to go on for the whole season, the goals were never going to arrive in batches of four or five each time they took to the field and the performances were never going to be as impressive week after week.

After storming out of the blocks and racing into an early lead in the Championship, Rangers now find themselves neck and neck with Hibernian in the title race. A defeat to Alan Stubbs’ side and draw with Livingston has seen their advantage eroded but, with a game in hand against Dumbarton to come on Tuesday evening, they are still in pole position.

Rangers have found the going tougher in recent weeks as teams have stifled their attacking intentions, Warburton’s side struggling to break down more defensive minded opposition as their possession hasn’t been converted into goals at the same rate it previously was.

It is a situation that was always expected to arrive at some stage, and one that striker Martyn Waghorn is confident Rangers can overcome.

“In the grand scheme of things it’s only one loss and one draw and yet it’s caught on that we are having a bit of a blip or a slump, or whatever,” he said. “It’s football, we’re not going to win every single game. It would have been nice to do that but teams are making it more difficult.

“The way they are sitting in, they are more compact and their defences are more difficult to break down and it is up to us to find ways to do that. It’s been a couple of tough games but it is one of those things; it was always going to happen.

“It is how we bounce back and maybe playing in the cup on Saturday is a bit of a distraction from the league, one game for one cup final. It is one of those things we are just going to have to deal with.”

Having dropped Championship points for only the second time last weekend, Rangers will take a break from league duty and switch their attentions to the Petrofac Training Cup this afternoon. Peterhead await the winners of the semi-final meeting with St Mirren as Warburton’s side look to take another step towards what they hope will be the first silverware of the season.

The chance to collect a medal is one that some players never get the opportunity to experience in their careers and Waghorn is determined to go all the way as he dreams of a Hampden triumph.

"To play at the Scottish National Stadium is something everyone wants to do. I'd love to be part of a team that picks up a trophy at Hampden,” he said. “It's what I want to do. I have come here to be successful. I've never even been to Hampden so it would be nice to go there for my first time in a final and win a trophy.

“Me and the rest of the boys are taking it very seriously. As a footballer you just want to win as many trophies as you can and to be a part of that at Rangers would be amazing."

There are a few players who could lay claim to the title of Rangers’ most impressive performer so far this season, and Waghorn, with 17 goals in 20 appearances, is certainly in the running. The 25-year-old is thankful for the contribution, on and off the park, of fellow forward Kenny Miller, though.

“He knows the club inside out and with the sheer size of the club and the way it is run, you sometimes need the presence of Kenny just to calm things down and put things into perspective, like the stuff about what's going on with the club in general,” he said. “He's been there and done it and he's great to talk to. You can talk to him about the game, tactics and the coaching side too.

“He loves a moan but it’s just his drive to win. I love that. He’s one of these that trains as he plays and always gives 100% and all credit to him.”