Lewis Stevenson feared he had blown his big chance to force his way into the Hibernian side with his first touch at Rangers last week.

But the young defender is now hoping he did enough in the remaining 32 minutes at Ibrox to earn his first competitive start under John Hughes on Saturday.

He said: "There's a lot of quality players who have been brought into the squad so you just have to realise sometimes you're not going to play and when you do get the chance you need to try to make the most of it."

Stevenson, 21, has been forced to bide his time since Hughes took charge of his boyhood idols this summer. But when things were going awry against Rangers last Saturday, the Hibs boss did not hesitate to throw him into the fray.

His 58th-minute introduction proved inspired with Hibs scoring five minutes later to secure a 1-1 draw to maintain their excellent start to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season.

"I was delighted to get the shout," said Stevenson, who had not kicked a ball in anger for Hughes until last weekend. "I had a horrendous first touch, I almost set up a goal for them.

"But, looking back, I enjoyed the experience, the first time I've played at Ibrox."

Despite having been part of Hibs' squad since 2005 and starting almost 70 times, Stevenson had never featured in an away game against Rangers.

He added: "You try not to think about anything apart from doing your job on the pitch. You've got time after to look back and think how you did. I just try to keep focused on the game and try to do the job I'm supposed to."