FAMILIAR foes will lock horns as The Road to Hampden begins once again for East Lothian football sides.

The draw for the first and second preliminary rounds took place on Monday evening, with four of the county’s six teams in the hat.

Musselburgh Athletic will face a third Scottish Cup trip to Penicuik Athletic in just five years.

The Honest Toun team’s first ever game in the prestigious tournament came at Penicuik Park in 2020, where they came through 3-2 after extra time.

And the two sides met again in Midlothian in 2022, when Musselburgh emerged 1-0 winners.

 

 

Musselburgh and Penicuik will also face each other twice in the top flight of the East of Scotland Football League.

Haddington Athletic and Preston Athletic both received home draws, with the games to be played on the weekend of August 31.

 

 

The Hi Hi will face Auchinleck Talbot for the first time at Millfield.

The former Junior heavyweights finished second to Beith Juniors in the top flight of the West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) last term.

Meanwhile, Preston will also welcome a team from Ayrshire to East Lothian.

Irvine Meadow were relegated from the WoSFL Premier Division but will be looking to immediately bounce back.

 

 

Finally, Dunbar United face a trip west when they travel to the Bonnyton Park home of Bonnyton Thistle.

The Kilmarnock-based side play in the WoSFL Second Division, where they finished 12th last term.

Tranent come into the competition at a later stage, while Ormiston Primrose are working towards achieving the necessary licence to play in the tournament in the future.

 

 

The Belters, meanwhile, will fly the flag for East Lothian in the Scottish Junior Cup. They are the only county representative in the prestigious competition, which was won last season by Darvel.

Tranent will travel to St Roch’s, who play in the West of Scotland Football League First Division, in the second round. The tie is due to be played on September 21.

Currently, Tranent, who won the competition in 1935, are due to face Gretna 2008 in the Scottish Lowland Football League on the same date.