TRANMERE Rovers have been handed an away tie against League Two rivals Carlisle United in the First Round of the FA Cup.
It will see Micky Mellon's side take on the Blues on consecutive weekends, with United heading to Prenton Park in league action a week before the Brunton Park cup clash.
The tie will bring Tranmere's former Carlisle loan favourite Dynel Simeu back to Brunton Park.
It pits the division's sixth and ninth-placed sides against each other for a place in the Second Round.
Both teams are currently in excellent form, with Paul Simpson's Blues unbeaten in nine in the league and Mellon's Tranmere having won their last five in the league.
And they will become very familiar foes come the cup clash given Carlisle take on Tranmere in an away league clash on Saturday, October 29.
The FA Cup encounter at United's ground is scheduled for the following weekend, with Saturday, November 5 the likeliest date.
The most recent meeting between the two sides proved eventful, with United grabbing a last-gasp 2-2 draw at Tranmere in April.
A fiery encounter saw two Rovers players sent off and the home club failing with appeals to have both overturned.
A major touchline melee also saw a number of bookings - including one apiece for Simpson and Mellon. United's boss later said he and his staff had come in for "horrible" abuse from Tranmere fans.
The Brunton Park fixture earlier in the season brought a 1-0 defeat for Carlisle in the first game after Chris Beech's sacking, with Gavin Skelton at the caretaker helm for the October encounter.
The clubs have met four times previously in the FA Cup.
The most recent was in December 2001, when Rovers thrashed the Blues 6-1 at Prenton Park in the first round.
Before that there was a famous 1-0 third round win for Mervyn Day's Carlisle in 1997, Owen Archdeacon hitting the winner as Tranmere player-boss John Aldridge was sent off.
The two previous meetings came in the 1930s, Tranmere winning 2-1 in 1937 and 3-0 in November 1935.
Blues boss Simpson, reacting to the draw on the club website, said: "Micky has them playing well and they've had some excellent results recently.
"That's no surprise as they have some very good players. There are a number of games between now and that fixture, including a league game against them down at their place.
"Both sides will be confident, and looking to progress, and as with any cup draw you have to be pleased with a home tie.
"It's important for us to continue to do things properly, and we'll start to look at the cup game once we've dealt with the league games to come."
The first round draw was conducted at Lye Meadow, home of Alvechurch FC, by Dion Dublin and Alan Smith.
Full draw
South Shields v Forest Green Rovers
Bolton Wanderers v Barnsley
Boreham Wood v Eastleigh
Curzon Ashton v Cambridge United
Maidenhead United v Dagenham & Redbridge
Crawley Town v Accrington Stanley
Solihull Moors v Hartlepool United
Kidderminster or AFC Fylde v Gillingham
Peterborough United v Salford City
Sutton United v Farnborough
Grimsby Town v Plymouth Argyle
MK Dons v Yeovil Town or Taunton Town
Ebbsfleet United v FC Halifax Town
Carlisle United v Tranmere Rovers
Bracknell Town v Ipswich Town
Hendon or Chippenham Town v Lincoln City
Sheffield Wednesday v Morecambe
Hereford v Portsmouth
Shrewsbury Town v York City
Buxton v Merthyr Town
Charlton Athletic v Coalville Town
Weymouth v AFC Wimbledon
Newport County v Colchester United
Stockport County v Swindon Town
Doncaster Rovers v King’s Lynn Town
Altrincham or Gateshead v Stevenage
Fleetwood Town v Oxford City
Burton Albion v Needham Market
Bradford City v Harrogate Town
Port Vale v Exeter City
Torquay United or Hampton & Richmond v Derby County
Bristol Rovers v Rochdale
Wycombe Wanderers v Walsall
Blyth Spartans or Wrexham v Oldham Athletic or Chester
Crewe Alexandra v Leyton Orient
Barnet v Chelmsford City
Woking v Oxford United
Chesterfield v Northampton Town
Cheltenham Town v Alvechurch
Barrow v Mansfield Town
Ties are to be played on the weekend of November 4-7.
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