LEE McCULLOCH believes it is wrong to state that Rangers have been given a significant edge in the contest for the end-of-season play-off places as a result of the SPFL putting back their final league match by 24 hours for live television coverage.

Hibernian are one point behind the Ibrox club with three games to play in the race to finish second in the Championship and avoid being involved in three separate play-off ties in quick succession.

Their chief executive, Leeann Dempster, has already complained about the fact that Rangers' visit to champions Hearts on Sunday, May 3, will take place one day after her club has completed its fixtures with a visit to Falkirk and has urged the SPFL to find a way to uphold "the sporting integrity" of the competition.

Ann Budge, the owner of Hearts, has also accused the league's administrators of showing "total disregard" for supporters with the Rangers manager, Stuart McCall, admitting that he can understand why the decision to move his side's match to suit Sky Sports has sparked such anger from rival clubs.

McCulloch, however, does not share the view that Rangers have been given a helping hand by the likelihood that, should the matter of which team finishes runners-up still be live on the final weekend of the campaign, they will know exactly what result they need from their trip to Tynecastle.

"I would not say it is a major advantage, no," stated the Ibrox captain. "There are two ways of looking at it.

"There could be more pressure on you or less pressure on you. I've not really got an opinion on it. It's the same number of games left and the same number of points up for grabs."

McCulloch is more interested in taking advantage of the fact that Hibernian do not have a league match this weekend. Rangers will visit Dumbarton in the Championship shortly after the Edinburgh side meet Falkirk in the semi-finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup and believe that putting themselves four points clear in second place would be an important step.

"It is very important to go to Dumbarton, get the three points and put the pressure on them," he said. "It is a hard place to go to with the wind there, but we've been there before and done well and we will looking for a repeat.

"We need to focus on all three points and put the pressure on all the teams around us.

"It's hard, of course it is when you are under pressure. It's the same in any job.

"We know where we want to be come the end of the season, though."

Rangers' 1-1 midweek draw at Livingston took their recent run of form away from home to just one win from five matches, but McCulloch is refusing to allow that to prey on his mind ahead of tomorrow's journey to the Bet Butler Stadium.

"I'm not dwelling on the past," he said. "It was not the best of games for the neutral at Livingston, but we didn't get that wee bit of luck and a couple of half-chances that we would normally bury didn't work out for us.

"We are still in second, though, and it's still in our hands.

"Livingston made it difficult for us. The pitch was quite fiery, but, overall, we defended pretty well as a team and we restricted them to next to no chances.

"I thought we were probably a bit unlucky.

"It was hard for our midfielders and forwards," he said. "They had to take an extra touch here and there because the pitch wasn't so good.

That killed the game a wee bit."

McCulloch does not attempt to disguise the fact this has been a tortuous season at Ibrox, but he believes his much-maligned side is capable of concluding it by winning promotion.

"It would mean everything to everyone in the dressing room, myself included," he said. "We have had a change of manager twice this season, we have been through good spells and bad spells.

"It's been a rollercoaster season and what we know in the dressing room is that we've still got a chance to make it a positive season after everything that's happened."