OLD Malton St Mary's will take a step into the unknown in the North Riding FA Saturday County Cup final tonight (7.30pm), writes Will Jackson.

Player-manager Darren Dunning admitted to knowing nothing about their opponents, Thornaby Dubliners, who they take on at County FA headquarters in Stokesley.

"If we perform like we know we can then we can get a good result," said Dunning.

"We beat the best team in the Teesside League in the last round, but we also know that it's all about who turns up on the night so we just have to concentrate on ourselves and our performance."

Saints beat Whinney Banks in the semi-final on penalties, and Thornaby are seven points adrift of them in the league table.

It is the first time Old Malton have reached the County Cup final since they lost to Cargo Fleet in 2010, and Dunning feels that it could be a huge night for the club.

He said: "We've never won it. I wasn't at the club last time, but I was there and unfortunately we couldn't do it. It's a big night and it will be a massive achievement."

The midfielder also revealed that, although his side can still win the league and league cup this season, this is the one he wants to win.

"It is probably our main priority this season," he said. "We've won the league and cup before but not this one so there is an added importance."

Despite being top of the York Minster Engineering League premier division, the destiny of the title is to be out of out of Saints' hands. Riccall will win the league if they win their remaining games, and Dunning said: "The league is out of our hands but we'll just try to win every game and see what happens."

Dunning admitted he was prepared to risk potential losses in the league to try to secure cup glory.

He said: "We have a good squad and I have been able to swap things around in the last few weeks to give people a game and keep everybody fresh for the final. Preparation is going really well."