JASON Holt felt both proud and privileged when he has handed the Rangers captaincy on the restart of the Premiership campaign in January.

He led by example, but a sixth yellow card of the season in Dingwall resulted in a suspension which meant losing the armband and his place in the team.

Greg Docherty has impressively stepped into the breach, but as Rangers seek to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals today with a win over Falkirk, Holt says he will be working overtime to win back his place.

“Any time you’re out of the team it’s tough and it’s difficult and frustrating,” the 25-year-old midfielder said. “But the only thing you can do is get the head down and work hard in training and try to impress the gaffer and get back into the team.

“I had been the captain and then I wasn’t playing which is difficult. Greg, who has taken my place, has done really well so I just have to bide my time.

“I’ve been in this position before when I’ve not been playing but I will just work hard and hopefully give the gaffer a headache. I think there is competition all over the park, not just in my position, which is healthy for the squad.

“But I want to get that shirt back and I’ll be working hard to do that. There are three of four central midfielders not playing at the moment and when they’re all fit they will be itching for an opportunity. You only get that if there is an injury or a suspension.

“When you look about, we’ve got Ryan Jack to come back – someone who’s got a Scotland cap and been about squads ¬– and Graham Dorrans, who has played in the Premier League and got many Scotland caps.

“They bring quality so if you’ve got the jersey you’ve got to make sure you do your best. If not – once everyone is fit – there are guys ready to take it.

“It just shows you that when these boys are back fit then Rangers will be even better.

“We’ve also got Lee Wallace and Ross McCrorie to come back in and they also add quality to the side.”

Holt has suffered big disappointments in the cup in each of the last two seasons as Rangers lost the 2016 final to Hibs, when they were 2-1 up, and then lost to Celtic in last season’s semis. But he reckons the old trophy is a real chance for success this season as Rangers have been building up momentum since the winter break with eight wins in nine games.

“The cup is a target for us and we go into Sunday’s game with a lot of confidence because we have been playing well recently,” Holt said. “There is nothing worse than losing a final and 2016 was tough to take. Everyone who was involved will probably say it has been their toughest day.

“Old Firm defeats are hard to take but since I have been at Rangers, losing the cup final is certainly up there. We did so well to get there by beating Celtic in the semi-final and to be in a winning position, and to throw it away the way we did was hard to take. It was difficult to dust yourself down and get back on with it.

“Hopefully we can get back to more cup finals and put that right. It makes you hungry to get back there and become a winner.”