Scott Ruscoe excited by The New Saints' Champions League journey

The Danish champions will be TNS’ second qualifying round opponents if the Oswestry outfit come through their first qualifying stage.

However, Ruscoe stressed that his players will not be taking their eyes off the job in hand – a qualifier against either Kosovo side Feronikeli, Gibraltar outfit Lincoln Red Imps, FC Santa Coloma from Andorra or San Marino champions Tre Penne.

The scale of FC Copenhagen, only formed in 1992, is not lost on Ruscoe. The Danes, who have won 12 championships since the new millennium, have reached the Champions League group stages four times and made the round of 16 in 2011.

Ruscoe told the Shropshire Star: “This time of the season still excites us. We never get too used to it, even the players who have played here for a long time.

“The experience helps us to push on and do better each year.

“We’ve just got back from a few days on a training camp in Portugal and the lads are in really good spirits.

“And there is no better incentive to play the Danish champions Copenhagen.

“I’ve been out there to study with FC Midtjylland (last year’s Europa League opponents) and seen a few games. There have very technical players.

“There’s a lot of money in the league. The budget is about £30million, 60 times what we pay. So it’d be a big ask.

“But we’re not looking further than our match. We can’t take our eye off that but at least we know our suitors.”

Ruscoe is heading out to Kosovo on Tuesday to watch the four preliminary sides battle it out to decide who the Saints will face.

“The good thing (about the draw) is we can watch our opponents before playing them which wouldn’t have been the case with other teams,” he added. “Our homework will be done properly.”