Rob Kiernan admits that while he wasn't ready for his loan spell at Kilmarnock in 2010 his short time there helped accelerate his development.

The Rangers defender spent two months at Rugby Park in the second half of the 2009/10 campaign when he was just 19-years-old.

Now at the age of 25 he's a regular in the Rangers backline and says part of his progress was due to his tough learning curve in Ayrshire.

"I had good memories there and I like going back to see if there are any faces that were there at the same time," he said.

"I went there as a young boy, I probably wasn't quite ready. But I always say that when I've been on loan I've learned a lot more than I would have at my parent club.

"Training with the first team and playing reserve games is never the same, so I'd like to think I've improved a lot.

"I remember training with the likes of Conor Sammon and Kevin Kyle and I was a skinny kid so I was being pestered around.

"But when I look back on it now it probably leapfrogged me a little bit. There were boys at my parent club who were treading water, playing in reserve games but men's football is a different league."

Kiernan is set to face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup fifth round replay on Tuesday after his side draw 0-0 at Ibrox at the start of the month.

He was at Wigan when they clinched the FA Cup in 2013 but wasn't included in the squad for their day of glory at Wembley.

Having watched from the stands he soaked up the winning atmosphere and now wants to be a part of his own cup success.

"I was at Wembley, but I can't claim to be a part of it," he said. "It was a great experience and everyone wants to win things. It drives me on, I'd like that to be me going up there to collect something."