CRAIG GORDON is preparing himself for a rejuvenated Rangers to mount a serious challenge for next season's Ladbrokes Premiership crown.

His team-mate Erik Sviatchenko may have made his own thoughts clear on the likelihood of the Ibrox club capping their return to the top division with the title, but the Celtic goalkeeper was impressed with Mark Warburton's side on Sunday and did not see their performance in the semi-final of the William Hill Scottish Cup, decided by the most dramatic of penalty shoot-outs, as a flash in the pan.

Gordon believes both his own club and their rivals on the other side of Glasgow will strengthen in the summer, but, while Celtic should possess more financial muscle, the gap between the two clubs will not be what some had expected.

“I think they're a good team with a good way of playing, a good set-up, and are very well-organised," he said. "They'll probably strengthen. So will we and I think it looks as if it will be quite tight.

"It was a very bad result (on Sunday). We expected to play our own game and, in the first half, we didn't manage to do that at all. Rangers were the better team.

"I've not lost many penalty shoot-outs in my career. I think that's only the second one. It's disappointing, but we shouldn't have let it get that far."

Gordon made a half-hearted attempt to suggest Celtic carried some misfortune against their city rivals at Hampden, but insists they were, ultimately, the masters of their own downfall.

Deila's side should have been awarded a throw-in the run up the Barrie McKay's goal which put Rangers 2-1 ahead in extra-time, with referee Craig Thomson wrongly overruling his assistant, but the Scotland goalkeeper was not in the mood to go looking for excuses.

"They never really created a chance in the second half or extra-time," said Gordon. "The one chance they did have came from a throw-in that should have gone our way.

"The referee got involved in something when he couldn't see it. There were three players in front of him. The assistant made the correct decision and he overturned that, but we should have defended it better and it was a strike that, if he hit it another 100 times, he wouldn't put it in there. After that, we came back again and could possibly have won it at the end.

"I asked the ref why he made the decision and he felt it was the right call, but, when he can't see it, I don't know how he can. The fourth official is there too. It's all on that side. There were two officials looking at it and the ref got that wrong.

"However, that doesn't lose us the game. We can't get caught up in that. If we take our chances, it doesn't become a talking point. I don't want to lay the blame at his door when we were out there for 120 minutes.

"I'm not having a go there. We have to look at ourselves. We didn't lose because of one throw-in decision.We are to blame, not the referee."

Gordon admitted that this campaign has not gone as expected for Celtic, who, last summer, spoke of winning a domestic treble and making the Champions League group stages.

That feeling of optimism felt a long time ago to the supporters as they trudged away from the national stadium.

"I don't want to make any snap statements on the back of this defeat, but we wanted more from this season," said Gordon. "We set off at the start of the season looking for more trophies after a decent campaign.

"But I don't think the performances have been as good throughout the season, for different reasons.We have come up short in a big semi-final and that's the disappointing part.

"I can understand the fans anger. We are angry too. I am still struggling to put into words what happened. We have to look at ourselves. There is no point apportioning blame anywhere else."

Gordon knows what is coming next. The pressure on the club to change manager and signing policy is going to be unavoidable.

The supporters will not be sated by a fifth championship in a row. They demanded more and Sunday's defeat did feel like the end of the road for Deila and many of his players.

"There is going to pressure on all of us and criticism for everyone throughout the team, for everybody," said Gordon. "We have take to it over the next wee while and bounce back as quickly as we can.

"We are hurting and we have to now go and finish the season strongly and get the results we need. We wanted to win as much as possible this season. The league is the only one left so we have to go and get it wrapped up."