Every word of Gio van Bronckhorst's Rangers press conference as he demands respect for referees

Half a session on the training pitch at Auchenhowie to prepare.

But no half measures at Hampden as his players dug out a 120-minute lung-buster to ensure Rangers’ season will go the full distance to the Scottish Cup Final.

Gio van Bronckhorst has revealed how he only had one shortened stint on the grass at the Rangers Training Centre to prepare for last weekend’s sensational semi final victory over Celtic.

Just three days after the energy-sapping Europa League quarter final victory over Braga the Dutchman watched his players go to extra time again and reach deep into their reserves to dump their greatest rivals at the national stadium.

He reckons it’s all about mentality. Now he’s urging his troops to dig even deeper and ensure last week’s shot in the arm for the season wasn’t for nothing.

Victory over Motherwell this afternoon will pile the pressure on Celtic ahead of the Hoops’ trip to Dingwall on Sunday.

With six days to recover from last week’s 240-minute marathon there will be no excuses at Fir Park - not even with his squad wearing thinner by the week.

A free midweek has given the Ibrox squad valuable time to prepare for not only Motherwell but next Thursday’s trip to face RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi final.

Get all the latest Rangers news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.

We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.

The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we've covered that in the last 24 hours.

To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.

And if you aren't already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Rangers Facebook