Ask Rhys McCabe to run through the starting line-up and substitutes for any Scottish Championship side and the Airdrie player-manager would recite with relative ease.

Alter the question to outline the strengths and weaknesses of rival players for The New Saints ahead of the SPFL Trust Trophy this afternoon and the task is a little harder.

McCabe, 31, is thrilled simply at the opportunity to take on a different opposition - away from the rinse-and-repeat Scottish Championship fixture list - never mind have the opportunity to go home with silverware at full-time.

"No secret, I'm delighted," smirked McCabe speaking in a DTV club media interview. "You play teams four times a year, sometimes five or six depending on cup competitions so to play someone who you don't know first-hand is exciting.

“You don’t know how good or bad the team is in certain areas because you haven’t played them first-hand, so there’s that feeling of the unknown which is exciting.

“I’m looking forward to that unknown, and I’m confident in what we can bring to the game on Sunday - and likewise I imagine they’ll be the exact same."

That's not to say McCabe hasn't done his homework on Welsh champions TNS who are hunting a historic victory at the Falkirk Stadium to become the first non-Scottish club to win the trophy - and the small matter of their own quadruple ambitions this term.

"Normally you have the chance to go and take in a game, but we have not had the luxury to take the trip down to see how they get on in their league campaign," said McCabe.

"You have access to video footage of games, and I watched the game against Falkirk when they played them. In terms of our research, we have seen enough in terms of what we normally do.

“Preparations have gone well, the boys are in good spirits, and ultimately playing in a final, it's not something you often get to do.

"The boys are really looking forward to going out there and showcasing what they can do.

“We’re going to enjoy it, it’s an occasion. It's a final. The boys will be approaching it with the mentality that there's a chance to lift a trophy at the end of it.”

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Likewise, striker Nikolay Todorov - who scored in the semi-final win over Raith Rovers - is using the unknown quantity in opposition to fuel excitement over fear in the cup final

“It’s exciting. We’ve got to the final, but the job’s not done - we want to go and win it," said the Bulgarian forward.

"It’s a different opponent and it’s another opportunity to play against a team that is from a different division.

“We’ll see what their standard is - if they’re better or worse than us - it’ll only show on the final day.

"I think we need to look at it as an opportunity to go and face something that we’ve not faced.

“But we will stick to our principles and prepare the best we can for the game, and see who is the better team on the day.”

Todorov already has a winners medal in the competition from his time at Inverness.

However, the striker wasn't involved in a final as the coronavirus pandemic saw matches cancelled before Inverness and Raith Rovers were announced as joint winners of the 2019/20 iteration of the competition.

Therefore, Todorov is desperate to achieve a special result and pick up the trophy for the second time in his career as Airdrie face TNS in the final at the Falkirk Stadium.

He said: "It would be special. It doesn't matter what you have won before, all that matters is now.

"It is going to mean a lot to everyone in the squad - whether you have won it or not. It's a chance to win something.

"It'll be a great day, hopefully."