Airdrie's cup final headache is a good one to have, says defender

Mason Hancock says Airdrie have given gaffer Rhys McCabe a nice headache by playing their way into his SPFL Trust Trophy final thoughts.

Red-hot Diamonds are fourth in the Championship table following their 5-2 hammering of basement battlers Arbroath, as they head into a final showdown against Wales’ TNS at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday.

English defender Hancock bagged his third goal of the season in Saturday’s 5-2 win at home to Arbroath, and is delighted with his lot.

Arron Lyall scored his first senior goal to level Ryan Dow’s 17th-minute opener for Arbroath, and Liam McStravick put the hosts 2-1 up at the interval, latching onto Adam Frizzell’s through ball to score.

Hancock netted with a header from a Frizzell corner two minutes into the second half, before David Gold pulled a goal back for Arbroath.

Charlie Telfer slipped a low shot into the net after Max Boruc had brilliantly saved Nikolay Todorov’s header in 69 minutes, and then his corner was headed in by Craig Watson to seal an emphatic win.

Hancock, 21, reckons five players scoring means McCabe’s cup final side on Sunday might not be set in stone.

He said: “We’ve given the gaffer a headache, but it’s a good headache.

“Competition is great in this team, we have players sitting on the bench that can easily come into the game and make a difference.

“We’re fourth in the table now and it’s a great position to be in. It’s where we want to be, and where we know we should be.

“But the season isn’t done, we’ve still got a lot to do. Anyone can beat everyone in this league, so we stay focused and remain where we want to be.”

Hancock aims to add more goals to his game, and said: “I didn’t have any goals or assists in my professional game until I came here, it’s always