Mark Warburton last night declared himself satisfied with Rangers' William Hill Scottish Cup Final preparations after watching his side beat a fringe Tottenham Hotspur outfit 4-3 in a behind-closed-doors friendly in London.
First-half goals from Dean Shiels and James Tavernier had the visitors 2-0 up at the interval before Spurs hit back after the break. But two more goals from Martyn Waghorn and Nicky Clark ensured Rangers travelled back north with a morale-boosting win.
The Ibrox side will go into the final against Hibernian on May 21 at Hampden without a competitive game for three weeks. But Warburton is fully convinced his players will be at the top of their game for the end-of-season showpiece and praised the club he had supported as a boy for providing a stern test in the build-up to the final.
He said: “Spurs were excellent hosts for us and their hospitality was superb. The playing surface for the match was outstanding and it was a really good test for us.
“We were really good in the first half and I was delighted with our intensity and tempo. We scored a couple and looked in good shape.
“In the second half, Spurs responded to our first half and posed us a different challenge, but I thought it was really beneficial for all the players and staff, and I am so thankful to Spurs for their warmth of welcome.
“They were a really technically gifted team, as all the Spurs teams are. It was a really good test for us and I am delighted with it.”
There was also another run-out and a goal for Waghorn as he continues to hone his match-sharpness.
Warburton added: "He did really well, but so did all of the boys that played today. We got good pitch time, and that was really, really pleasing for us."
Rangers are also using this period of downtime to map out a plan to keep active ahead of next season's scheduled SPFL two-week winter break in January
The manager told Rangers' official website: “From my point of view it’s about how we fill in these three weeks, and I we have to learn from it given we have a winter break coming up next season.
“We have to look at how best we use the time and what we can do. In general though, I am really, really pleased with the way in which our players have responded this time.
“We have to look at it though – Hibs have a very active game schedule – so we have to see what way best prepares our players – what’s right, what’s wrong and what best poses them a challenge.”
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