Blades tie will bring back happy memories

Preston have been paired with Championship rivals Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Paul Huntington scores his PNE's second goal at Bramall Lane in February 2015Paul Huntington scores his PNE's second goal at Bramall Lane in February 2015
Paul Huntington scores his PNE's second goal at Bramall Lane in February 2015

The Lilywhites make the trip to Bramall Lane on the weekend on January 27/28.

It was the last tie out of the hat in last night’s draw made at Brighton’s Amex Stadium.

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North End earned their place in the fourth round with Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Wycombe, while the Blades won 1-0 at Ipswich.

The sides met at the same stage of the FA Cup three years ago.

They drew 1-1 at Deepdale before North End won 3-1 in the replay in South Yorkshire, Paul Gallagher scoring twice and Paul Huntington finding the net.

That set up a fifth-round tie with Manchester United which North End lost 3-1.

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PNE and the Blades met in league action last month at Deepdale, a Jordan Hugill goal giving Alex Neil’s men a 1-0 victory.

Just two points and two places separate the teams in the Championship table.

It is not exactly the money-spinning tie which Preston might have hoped for.

Nor is it a clash with one of the competition’s lower-ranked teams which would have presented a better chance of making progress.

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However, North End are on a good run of form at the moment, losing just one of their last 11 league and cup games.

Elsewhere in the draw, League Two side Yeovil will host Manchester United for the second time in four seasons .

The Glovers were the lowest-ranked side in the draw and were handed a home clash with the 12-time winners, as they were in 2015 when United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria.

Fellow League Two side Newport County will entertain Tottenham while Mansfield, another club from the fourth tier, have the carrot of welcoming Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to Field Mill if they can overcome Cardiff at home in a replay.

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The winners of Fleetwood and Leicester will visit Peterborough.

FOURTH ROUND DRAW: Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion, Peterborough United v Fleetwood or Leicester City, Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City, Notts County v Wolves or Swansea City, Yeovil Town v Manchester United, Carlisle United or Sheffield Wednesday v Stevenage or Reading, Cardiff City or Mansfield v Manchester City, MK Dons v Coventry City, Millwall v Rochdale, Southampton v Watford, Middlesbrough v Brighton or Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth or Wigan Athletic v Shrewsbury or West Ham, Hull City v Nottingham Forest, Newport County v Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City or Chelsea v Newcastle United, Sheffield United v Preston North End.

Ties to be played weekend of January 27/28