Scottish Cup preview: Darvel v Aberdeen & Celtic v Morton two of ties of round
- Published
The FA Cup may predate the Scottish Cup as a competition but the Scottish Cup trophy is the oldest in world football
Scottish Cup fourth round | |
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Watch Celtic v Morton (Saturday, 12:15 GMT) & Darvel v Aberdeen (Monday, 19:45) live on BBC TV. Follow all the action on Sportsound and on the BBC Sport website and app. |
This weekend and into Monday evening, 32 teams will try to move one step closer to winning the oldest trophy in world football, the Scottish Cup.
A mere 16 teams entered the first competition in 1873, with Queen's Park securing the first of their 10 Scottish Cup triumphs in that inaugural year.
The Spiders - whose tie against Inverness has been postponed because of a frozen pitch - are one of the teams in the fourth round, seeking their first major trophy for 130 years.
They have gone a few rounds further than scores of hopefuls who, for a few dreamy moments, may have felt the hand of history on their shoulder, but foolishly interpreted it as an invitation to go down in the box.
Sun-dappled Hampden on 3 June with colourful rosettes on their club blazers may have been fleetingly in their minds, but cup football is no place for the vainglorious.
The preliminary round saw 50 teams compete from across Scotland - from the West, East and South of Scotland leagues, the North Caledonian League, the East Region Midlands League, and from the Scottish Junior FA and the Scottish Amateur FA.
The Highland and Lowland Leagues supplied 18 and 16 teams respectively in the first round proper, and the 30 who triumphed from there met the 10 from the lowest tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, League 2, in round two.
By the end of November, 20 Championship and League 1 teams and the 20 who had made it through the previous rounds went toe to toe. The 20 who came through unscathed now join the dozen Premiership clubs. Thirty-two teams remain from the 126 hopefuls. It's business time.
David versus Goliath
Scottish Cup shocks: Stenhousemuir stun Aberdeen
Darvel v Aberdeen pits the West of Scotland Premier Division winners against the team sitting fifth in the Scottish Premiership. There really should be no contest.
However, the match - which is live on the BBC Scotland - on Monday evening, is being held at Darvel's tight Recreation Park. 'The Vale' have irrepressible pie entrepreneur John Gall as their chairman and he has worked with the team's sponsors to gather a strong squad and create passion at the Ayrshire club.
They have seen off Haddington Athletic, Tynecastle, Dalbeattie Star and Montrose to set up the tie against an Aberdeen team riven by defensive frailty and shorn of confidence after one win in eight since domestic football resumed after the World Cup.
A win for the sixth-tier team would arguably be the greatest shock in the history of the cup.
Player to watch
Efe Ambrose - from Glasgow's east end to Greenock
Celtic begin the fourth-round action on Saturday lunchtime against Greenock Morton. Ange Postecoglou has his Premiership-topping team motoring, with skipper Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda among those playing with an intensity that is hard for opponents to match.
Championship Morton are rank outsiders to pull off a win at Celtic Park, but if they are to do that the chances are striker Robbie Muirhead will provide the Ton's goals.
The 26-year-old has scored nine times in 25 games this season, and two of those came in a 4-1 win over Queen of the South in the previous round of the cup. What's more, his experience with Dundee United, Hearts and MK Dons could mean he is unfazed by playing in the big arena.
Team under most pressure
Motherwell are on a miserable run of form that began before the World Cup
The League Cup and Scottish Cup can offer teams an escape from the pressures of league football.
Aberdeen simply cannot contemplate defeat at Darvel but they are not the only top-tier team craving cup relief. Motherwell boss Steven Hammell will take his team to Arbroath's Gayfield seeking a first win since the end of October.
Dick Campbell had an outstanding run in the Championship last season with Arbroath but they have struggled this term. They, like the Steelmen, need a cup victory to give them a boost in their relegation scraps.
While it is impossible to predict the 16 teams that will emerge from this round, one thing is for sure - there will be plenty of stories across the ties.
Scottish Cup fourth-round fixtures
Saturday, 21 January (all games at 15:00 GMT except where stated)
Celtic v Morton (12:15)
Alloa Athletic v Falkirk
Arbroath v Motherwell
Cove Rangers v Ayr United
Dundee United v University of Stirling
Elgin City v Drumchapel United
Hamilton Academical v Ross County
Inverness CT v Queen's Park Postponed to Jan 31
Kilmarnock v Dumbarton
Linlithgow Rose v Raith Rovers
Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic
St Mirren v Dundee
Stenhousemuir v Livingston
St Johnstone v Rangers (17:30)
Sunday, 22 January
Hibernian v Heart of Midlothian (14:00)
Monday, 23 January
Darvel v Aberdeen (19:45)
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