"THE journey" has taken something of an unplanned detour.

Rangers have done little in the way of long-term planning since being dispatched to the bottom tier of Scottish football in 2012 but one constant was a determination to reach the top division in three straight bounds. Following two fairly uncomplicated championship successes, the third leg of the trilogy has proven rather harder to complete. The title having long since eluded them, Rangers will now need to navigate a safe course through the play-offs if they are to make it to the SPFL Premiership in the shortest possible timeframe.

This extra mini-season - like the last 385 yards after the 26 miles of a marathon - will prove a test of both Rangers' mettle and their capabilities. To complete their mission Stuart McCall's side will need to progress through three two-legged ties, starting with a trip to Dumfries on Saturday to play a Queen of the South team who have already beaten them twice on their synthetic surface this season. After that Hibernian will provide the next hurdle, with Motherwell, in all likelihood, the final obstacle to overcome. These Premiership play-offs undoubtedly provide additional entertainment and excitement for neutrals - like a coda at the end of musical symphony - but for those involved it can be a thoroughly draining experience. James Keatings, the Hearts forward, went through it all with Hamilton Academical last season and, although it ended successfully with his team securing promotion, he does not envy those about to endure a tense few weeks.

"This year we did it in style by winning [the SPFL Championship] by quite a few points so the play-offs didn't really feature for us," he said, while tipping Queen of the South to emerge triumphant and join them in the Premiership next season. "But I know how those going into it will be feeling. They'll be tired, and mentally tired, and it will be tough. Really tough.

"Last season when we went into the play-offs we had a few injuries. I was injured myself and was trying to get back fit. It's hard at the end of the season when you're looking forward to getting your rest and you've then got another run of games. It's not easy as they are all high-pressure games. You're fighting for something. The Championship club will see the last game as their cup final. But the team from the Premiership are fighting for their lives and it's horrible if you lose it.

"The key to getting through the play-offs is your togetherness and team spirit. You need a good dressing room with everyone pushing each other on. You want competition on the training field and everyone fighting for it."

Rangers' final match of the regular season was like their campaign in miniature. They were impressive for long spells, stifling Hearts and scoring twice through Darren McGregor and Kenny Miller. It looked the perfect way to prepare for the play-offs only for a late defensive collapse to further highlight the frailties in their make-up. A tiring Richard Foster was taken off, the impressive McGregor shunted out to right-back to make way for Lee McCulloch, and suddenly Hearts, with nothing to play for, sensed a fresh opportunity. Two late goals from Genero Zeefuik ensured they would not pick up the Championship trophy on the back of a defeat. It is another wobble that will raise fresh doubts over Rangers' prospects going into the play-offs although Andy Murdoch remains quietly confident.

"Everyone has had a decent season so it is difficult to say," said the midfielder. "But I think we can do it. Hibs will be thinking the same, as will Queen of the South, so it will be a good competition. There is a lot of quality in the squad so we should have enough to get through the play-offs.

"Queen of the South are a good counter-attacking team and we've had a few difficult games against them. We need to take our first half performance here, which was really good, and apply that next Saturday. We've got to look forward to hopefully a few more games and getting good results."

Palmerston was the scene of two of Rangers' worst performances of the season, the Ibrox side going down 2-0 on the day it was announced Ally McCoist would be resigning, and then succumbing 3-0 last month to hand McCall his first defeat as manager. It would be only natural if that had left a mental scar but Murdoch insisted neither the pitch nor the ground hold any fears for them.

"No, it's a decent astroturf pitch," he insisted. "We've just gone there and been unable to get a good result. We need to switch on and do well. If we can win the two games coming up then we'll have plenty of momentum going into the next round."

Hearts will have no such worries. Winning the championship tape-to-tape meant the play-offs never really featured on their radar, and they can now enjoy their summer holidays and prepare for a return to the Premiership. Finally getting their hands on the trophy at full-time - once they had prised it from chairwoman Ann Budge's vice-like grip - was a special moment.

"A few weeks ago we won the title and wanted the cup there and then," added Keatings who hopes to remain at Tynecastle next season. "But obviously we weren't going to get it until the last game. We were just waiting and waiting. When it finally arrived it was just great for everyone to get their hands on it.

"That's two years in a row I've been promoted in two different ways. Both were amazing but this one was better because I got my hands on a medal which is what every player wants."