Darvel have tonight been handed a dream Scottish Cup tie at home to Aberdeen.
The reigning West of Scotland League Premier Division title holders will welcome the former European Cup Winners' Cup champions in a glamour showdown at Recreation Park early next year.
'Vale marched into the fourth round draw after skelping Montrose 5-2 at Links Park on Saturday.
And their superb performance in Angus has been rewarded in emphatic fashion this evening with Jim Goodwin's star-studded SPFL Premiership squad due to pitch up in the Irvine Valley.
Speaking straight after the draw, Darvel boss Michael Kennedy told Ayrshire Live: "It's unbelievable for us to get the chance to play against a club with the prestige and history of Aberdeen.
"We were actually training tonight but I caught the second half of the Ayr United v Pollok game then watched the draw live.
"The names don't come much bigger than Aberdeen and it will certainly be a fantastic day. It's quite astonishing to be fair.
"But when we started this journey a few years ago, these are the sort of games we were hopefully going to bring to the town and local community.
"It will be a fantastic game for everyone to look forward to. There is excitement among the guys and the fact we are at home adds a different dimension to it as well. I'm hopeful we will give a good account of ourselves.
"Jim's a fantastic manager, did well at St Mirren and worked his way up the ranks to get to Aberdeen which is one of the biggest clubs in the country. You can see he has put a bit of his imprint on the club and they are progressing in the right manner."
Elsewhere in the draw and Kilmarnock have been drawn at home to SPFL League Two leaders Dumbarton while Ayr United travel to the Balmoral Stadum for an all-Championship affair with Cove Rangers.
The tie of the round has thrown up an Edinburgh derby with Hibernian facing off against Hearts at Easter Road. Cup holders Rangers, with new manager Michael Beale at the helm, visit St Johnstone while Celtic host Morton.
The full draw is as follows:
Alloa Athletic v Falkirk
Arbroath v Motherwell
Celtic v Morton
Cove Rangers v Ayr United
Darvel v Aberdeen
Dundee United v University of Stirling
Elgin City v Drumchapel United
Hamilton Accies v Ross County
Hibernian v Hearts
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Queen's Park
Kilmarnock v Dumbarton
Linlithgow Rose v Raith Rovers
Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic
Stenhousemuir v Livingston
St Johnstone v Rangers
St Mirren v Dundee
Ties will be played over the weekend of Saturday, January 21, 2023
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