WES Foderingham believes defeating Kilmarnock in a Scottish Cup replay at Rugby Park on Tuesday night will send out a clear message that promotion-chasing Rangers are capable of competing in the Premiership.

Foderingham and his team mates ground out a 0-0 draw with the side being managed on a temporary basis by their former captain Lee McCulloch in front of the Sky Sports cameras at Ibrox on Saturday.

They will compete for the chance to play against either Dundee or Dumbarton, who are also set to replay their last 16 tie at Dens Park, at home in the quarter-finals of the national knockout cup competition in Ayrshire next week.

The keeper, who has played for Rangers in all 32 of their competitive matches so far in the 2015/16 campaign, believes his side, currently five points clear at the top of the Championship, would hold its own in the top flight and can triumph.

Asked if beating Kilmarnock would be a declaration of intent for Rangers, he replied: "Yes, definitely. They are a Premiership side and a very good one as well. They gave us a difficult game here and I am sure it will be the same there. If we could win there it would be a massive statement."

Hibs, who are second in the Championship, drawing 2-2 with their Edinburgh rivals Hearts, currently third in the Premiership, at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup at the weekend has reinforced Foderingham’s view that the gap in quality between the first and second tiers isn’t great.

"I think we would do very well in the Premiership,” he said. “I don't see a massive difference between their sides and the teams that we play. I think on both occasions we have played top flight teams we have dominated the game.

“Obviously, against St Johnstone we didn't get the result and against Kilmarnock we just didn't get the goal. But we dominated the ball and if we put away a couple of our chances against them, it would have been different. Over the course of the two games we did very well.

"I think the Hearts v Hibs game just reiterated there isn't this massive gulf in class that everyone thinks there is. Hibs did well in that game and they have a big replay ahead of them too."

Having strengthened considerably in the January transfer window with the acquisitions of Chris Dagnall, Anthony Stokes and Kevin Thomson, Hibs are expected to pose the greatest threat to Rangers’ hopes of winning the Championship and promotion in the second half of the season.

Yet, Foderingham believes the arrival of Harry Forrester, Maciej Gostomski, Billy King and Michael O’Halloran at Rangers in recent weeks has given the league leaders a tangible lift and will increase their chances of success in the league.

Plus, contrary to what Alan Stubbs, the outspoken Hibs manager, has suggested on several occasions this term, he is unconcerned about what is happening elsewhere in the league.

“We just want to concentrate on ourselves,” he said. “I am sure Hibs will want to win every game, but if we do that and win every match then it doesn't matter what they do.

"I think we've be confident all season. We've always had belief as to the way we play and the squad. All we can concentrate on is playing well from now until the end of the season.

"We've said all along we will just concentrate on ourselves. It doesn't matter what anyone else does. We just need to go out there and play well and focus on winning.

"The new signings have helped freshen up the squad and competition for places is healthy, it keeps us on our toes and it helps us as the season draws in when you start picking up injuries. It definitely helps us by strengthening the squad."

Foderingham was speaking at Ibrox as he took up his role as one of Kick It Out’s Next 20 ambassadors and helped to deliver an anti-discrimination workshop to a group of local schoolchildren.

The 25-year-old revealed he had not been the victim of any racism since moving to Scotland in the summer – but he believes it is a serious issue in other countries and has called for greater punishments to be meted out to offenders.

“There’s definitely a problem in society and in football,” he said. “Campaigns and initiatives like Kick It Out help to eradicate it. There are cases in sport all the time.

There was a recent case in America with the former owner of the LA Clippers, Donald Sterling. He was given a lifetime ban and fined £2.5 million. I don’t think you will see punishments like that in football, but maybe tougher sanctions should be looked at.”

Foderingham also endorsed the anti-sectarianism work which Rangers continue to carry out. “I’m still new to that, but I know the club do a lot of work in the community and have done lots of work for many years and I fully support it,” he said.