The action in the Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup and the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup is one step closer to kicking off, after the draws for the Preliminary Rounds in both competitions were made today.

Draw host Gordon Duncan was joined by former Aberdeen and Celtic winger Jonny Hayes – who announced his retirement last week following a 20-year career in which he won the 2019 Scottish Cup with Celtic – and Scottish singer Rianne Downey, who recently played on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury.

The Preliminary Round One Draw for the men's competition saw just two ties drawn, with Culter and Bo’ness Athletic drawn at home to Invergordon and Beith Juniors respectively while Cupar Hearts and Dundee North End were given byes to the next round.

The Second Preliminary Round Draw saw Cumnock Juniors, who enjoyed a run to the Third Round of the competition last season, drawn away to Creetown.

Meanwhile another side that enjoyed a run to the Third Round last season, Pollok FC, were drawn at home to the giant killers of the 2022/23 competition, Darvel.

The Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup Preliminary Round One draw saw seven ties drawn, with 14 teams handed byes to one of the fourteen ties in Preliminary Round Two.

2019 Scottish Cup Winner Jonny Hayes knows full well the impact the Scottish Cup can have on teams and individuals: “It was interesting conducting the draw, you’ve got a lot of Scottish Cup hopes in your hands. You have these lower league teams hoping to make progress, so it was nice to see behind the scenes like this.

“The Scottish Cup is a trophy that has a lot of prestige about it and it’s one that every player involved in Scottish football looks forward to, no matter the league or level they are in. Anyone involved wants to progress and even the teams today, though they may not win it, they want to progress.

“You look at teams like Auchinleck Talbot and Clydebank who have gone on decent runs recently, those are memories they’ll remember for a long time, and it is financially rewarding for these teams too.

“You also saw last year with Buckie Thistle when they got a tie with Celtic, that the Cup provides a chance for smaller clubs to go and not just get a fun day out but experience playing against the bigger teams and they obviously want to win these games too.

“The Scottish Cup Final in 2017 is a tough memory. In the game we pressed them high, we knew it would take a toll physically and in the last 15 minutes we were out on our feet a little because we were trying to go toe to toe with what was the best team in the country.

“Losing a last-minute goal sticks with you for a long time unfortunately. You can’t win everything but unfortunately it is a bad memory for me.

“On the other hand, people always ask me my favourite memories of football and the Final in 2019 is my favourite memory purely for the fact that my son came on the pitch after the game and was live on TV kicking a ball. The Celtic fans were cheering for him and I have plenty of photos of that in the house. The memory of him on the pitch after a game like that is more valuable than any trophy to me.”

Having recently retired from playing, Hayes is enjoying his new focus on coaching: “I wouldn’t say retiring was in the pipeline because as of April/May I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I love training, I love playing and if there was something out there that had tempted me to play then I would have considered it.

“I was offered a few full-time roles in coaching towards the end of last season, but nothing that really tempted me to retire. Then once the B-team role with Celtic came about it was something that I really looked forward to.

“It’s a great learning curve for me but at the same time there’s still an element of development in football which is something that I’ve really bought into in Scottish football. I think that B-team level provides a perfect blend of working with young players, trying to improve them and trying to replicate what the first team are doing.

“Football is a sheltered environment – when you are training you can live for 15-20 years in a bubble almost, where everything revolves around you as a player, but as you move on to coaching you realise you’re not important anymore, it’s about the players you’re coaching, particularly the younger ones.

“Over the last three or four years Aberdeen gave me a brilliant platform to work in the academy and seeing the work behind the scenes so it wasn’t a hard transition for me to retire and go into coaching.

“It’s something I’ve been really passionate about in the last three or four years and I want to keep improving. I take great joy in seeing players coming on. At Aberdeen I saw 16-year olds making their first team debuts and you know you have had a small hand in that.”

Scottish singer Rianne Downey has fond memories of the magic of the Scottish Cup from her childhood: “The start of the Scottish Cup has always been an exciting time ever since I was a child. It’s that feeling of hope, excitement, wondering whats going to happen and the fact we have the women’s competition at Hampden now makes it even more exciting.

“The Scottish Cup is such a staple part of your life growing up – it’s almost how you measure time, so it is really special to be a part of this.

“Performing at Glastonbury really was a dream come true – it is top of your bucket list for any musician and I think even now I am still pinching myself. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in, but it was the best feeling ever walking out to a crowd that size.

“I prepared for it almost like a boot camp, singing, dancing and focusing on the music. It feels like game time almost as though I was going out to play my own game.”

 

Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Preliminary Round One Draw

Culter v Invergordon

Bo’ness Athletic v Beith Juniors

Byes:
Cupar Hearts
Dundee North End

Ties to be played on the weekend of Saturday, 10 August 

 

Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Preliminary Round Two Draw

Benburb v Vale of Leithen

Bo’ness Athletic or Beith Juniors v Kilwinning Rangers

Bonnyton Thistle v Dunbar United

Burntisland Shipyard v Dunipace

Clydebank v St. Andrews United

Coldstream v Camelon Juniors

Creetown v Cumnock Juniors

Culter or Invergordon v Sauchie Juniors

Cupar Hearts v Wigtown & Bladnoch

Dalbeattie Star v Whitehill Welfare

Dalkeith Thistle v Blackburn United

Dundonald Bluebell v Edinburgh University

Easthouses Lily MWFC v Newtongrange Star

Fort William v Hill of Beath Hawthorn

Girvan v St. Cuthbert Wanderers

Glenafton Athletic v Threave Rovers

Golspie Sutherland v Carluke Rovers

Haddington Athletic v Auchinleck Talbot

Jeanfield Swifts v Newton Stewart

Lochee United v Hawick Royal Albert

Penicuik Athletic v Musselburgh Athletic

Pollok v Darvel

Preston Athletic v Irvine Meadow XI

Rutherglen Glencairn v Hutchison Vale

Tayport v Dundee North End

Tynecastle v Glasgow University

Ties to be played on the weekend of Saturday, 31 August. 

 

Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup Preliminary Round One Draw

Arbroath FC Women v Annan Athletic Ladies

Bayside Ladies FC v Stewarton United Ladies

Blairgowrie WFC v Buchan Ladies United

Dunfermline Athletic Ladies v Aberdeen FC Ladies

Glenrothes Strollers Ladies v Dalbeattie Star Ladies

Gretna FC 2008 v Bishopton

West Park United FC v Cumbernauld United Ladies FC

Byes:

Alloa Athletic

Ardrossan Winton Rovers

Benburb

Buckie Ladies

Cambusdoon

Cumbernauld Colts

Danderhall Miners

Drumchapel United

Dyce Women

Edinburgh South

Elgin City

Grampian Ladies

Harmony Row

Huntly FC

Linlithgow Rose

McDermid Ladies

Murieston United

Penicuik Athletic

Ross County

Saint Anthony’s 

Stonehaven

Ties to be played on the weekend of Saturday, 18 August. 

 

Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup Preliminary Round Two Draw

Ardrossan Winton Rovers v Arbroath or Annan Athletic

Bayside Ladies FC or Stewarton United v Dunfermline Athletic Ladies or Aberdeen FC

Benburb WFC v Stonehaven Ladies FC

Blairgowrie WFC or Buchan Ladies v Linlithgow Rose

Cambusdoon Ladies FC v Buckie Ladies

Cumbernauld Colts v McDermid Ladies

Drumchapel United v West Park United or Cumbernauld United

Dyce Women Football Club v Harmony Row WFC

Elgin City v Saint Anthony’s Ladies FC

Glenrothes Strollers or Dalbeattie Star v Grampian Ladies FC

Gretna FC 2008 or Bishopton v Huntly FC Women

Murieston United Women v Alloa Athletic WFC

Penicuik Athletic v Danderhall Miners

Ross County v Edinburgh South CFC

Ties to be played on the weekend of Saturday, 8 September.