JERMAIN Defoe last night insisted Premiership leaders Rangers must make winning the Betfred Cup and ending their nine year wait to land a major piece of silverware a priority this season.

Defoe and his Ibrox team mates are currently 11 points clear of their 10-In-A-Row-chasing city rivals Celtic, who have played two games less, at the top of the league table.

And Steven Gerrard’s side are just a victory away from reaching the knockout rounds of the Europa League for the second season running.

However, Defoe, who is set to come back into the Rangers side for their second round game against Falkirk away tomorrow, believes they must still try to avenge their painful League Cup final defeat last year.

“We want to compete in every competition,” he said. “This is the first bit of silverware we can go for this season so of course we are going to try and do that.

“That’s why you come to Rangers as a player. You come here to win trophies. It’s as simple as that. Those are the demands from the fans, the club and the manager. It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s good pressure. You know that before you come here.

“I’m looking forward to the game and looking forward to the competition, especially with what happened last season. There is that extra incentive. We look forward to this game and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Defoe both won the League Cup during his time in England with Spurs – but he had to wait 10 years to pick up his winners’ medal because he had left for Portsmouth before the final.

“That was weird,” he said. “I played in all the rounds and was scoring goals up until the final. Juande Ramos came to Tottenham, I decided to leave and I went to Portsmouth under Harry Redknapp. They won the FA Cup, but I couldn’t play. I actually missed the final at Tottenham.

“I managed to get my medal years later. Of course it would be great to have played in the final, but I suppose even the lads on the bench who didn’t get to play got their medals. It was good because leading up to the final, I made a contribution. Hopefully this time round will be a lot different.”