Walter Smith tasks Rangers troops with claiming crown at Easter Road

Any slip by Celtic, whose game at Dundee United kicks-off two-and-a-quarter hours before the Hibernian v Rangers clash, will mean the Ibrox side will be gifted a second successive title. Should Neil Lennon's team win a fifth successive league fixture then it will be left to Rangers to secure the title through their own efforts at a stadium where the number of away fans will be restricted due to on-going building work.

Nearly 50,000 Rangers fans saw Rangers edge a step nearer the title yesterday afternoon with a 2-0 win over Hearts, who had Eggert Jonsson sent-off. Second-half goals from Kyle Lafferty and Kenny Miller, who struck for the 20th time this season from the penalty spot after Jonsson had pushed substitute Steven Naismith, kept Rangers on course to secure the championship this weekend.

The Ibrox side memorably won the title at Easter Road under Alex McLeish in 2005, after Celtic suffered a late collapse at Motherwell on the final day of the season.

It will be a more exclusive bash on Sunday should Rangers again celebrate at the ground, where the east stand was recently demolished.

"Obviously the main object of the exercise today was to get the three points," said Smith.

"We had a very slow start. The first half was as poor as we have been at home for a little while. Once we lifted the pace in the second-half and got the first goal with a little care we could have added a few more. We have only got two games at home after the split and you have to make sure you make the best of them. At one stage today it did not look as though we were going to do that. When you are looking to win a championship you always look to your own results first and foremost. That's what we will do – we will go to Easter Road hoping to get a win there. That's how we will approach the week."

Smith reflected on the difficulties which stem from being so far ahead for so long. The title coronation has been anticipated since early this year. Now Rangers are within a win of confirming it the manager felt compelled to highlight how hard it has been to keep racking up results. From about ten games to go people have been telling us we are going to win the league championship," he said. "That's a long spell when you consider most seasons we have been trying to catch Celtic.

"This season it's been turned round. Everyone thinks it is automatic that we will go and win the league, except the manager of course. I kept telling them that it's not quite as easy as that. But it's been difficult for everyone to handle. You just wish you can get it over with."

"People ask about nerves but my biggest fear is the lack of nerves," he added. "If we had been under pressure to win then this team has always reacted very well to being under pressure. That pressure has come off us a little bit and it's taken an edge away from our game."