THE road to Hampden begins for Athletic next month and the national stadium will be the starting point in their Scottish Cup journey.
Dunfermline will enter the tournament at the third round stage and, while travelling to Mount Florida for May's final remains a dream, they will begin their campaign away to Queen's Park following Saturday's draw.
Conducted shortly after Allan Johnston's team had won a hard-earned point at Queen of the South on league business, the Pars had originally been picked out to play League One Albion Rovers.
But the draw had to be done again after Highland League Brora Rangers were called out twice.
With 15 ties already made by Archie Knox and Derek Sim, chairman of the Links Park Community Trust, following Montrose's second round game with Stirling University, Sim called out Brora's number nine despite them having already been paired with Queen's Park.
Although advised it was ball number six, the draw was carried out again and handed Dunfermline a trip to Hampden and a match with former player Gus MacPherson's League One Spiders.
The teams met in last season's Irn-Bru Cup at East End Park, with Dunfermline winning 2-1, but their last visit to play Queen's Park at Hampden was back in 1985.
The full draw is as follows:
Airdrie v Cove Rangers
Arbroath v Berwick Rangers
Banks O'Dee v Ayr United
Buckie Thistle v Brechin City
Clyde v East Fife
Dumbarton v Elgin City
East Kilbride v Albion Rovers
Formartine United v Forfar Athletic
Livingston v Glenafton Athletic
Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale v St Mirren
Montrose v Queen of the South
Peterhead v Raith Rovers
Queen's Park v PARS
Spartans v Fraserburgh
Stenhousemuir v Alloa Athletic
Stranraer v Brora Rangers.
The ties will be played over the weekend of November 18-19.
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