Dumbarton manager Stevie Farrell reckons that a tie with Premiership side Rangers is what his players deserve for their exploits in the Scottish Cup so far this season.

Sons have won two memorable cup ties in the competition, coming back from 2-0 down to beat Banks O’Dee in Round Two before Saturday’s nine-goal thriller with Annan.

The Castle Road side will now welcome the Ibrox giants to G82 in January for a fourth round tie and Faz is hopeful the full house at the Rock – and potential television money – can have financial benefits for the club.

Speaking to the Reporter, he said: “It’s a brilliant draw and the players deserve it for their efforts on Saturday and in the last round.

“If you’re not going get a home draw against a team where it’s going to be really competitive then the next best thing is one of the Old Firm.

“I was watching the draw and it was getting down to the nitty gritty when we were still in as well as the likes of Hibs, Celtic and Rangers.

“I had that previously in the Scottish Cup when I was at Stranraer and us and Rangers were the last two balls out – it was an away tie that day but we’re at home this time. “For the club it’s going to bring in some extra income and I’m hoping we can maybe get some extra capacity in or even the option of possibly moving to another ground. I know the club will do everything they can to maximise the crowd that day, and rightly so because it gives us a great financial opportunity.”

Faz has gone up against Rangers on a number of occasions in his years in management, the last time being in 2020 when his Stranraer side were handed a fourth-round tie at Ibrox.

The Stair Park outfit found themselves in the draw as a result of James Hilton’s goal against Dunfermline in the previous round – with the same man scoring the dramatic 118th-minute winner against Annan on Saturday.

The Sons boss revealed that Hilton was quickly in contact with him after Sunday’s draw and hopes his troops can take positives from last season's heartbreak at Rugby Park when they take on Philippe Clement's side.

He added: “Jinky Hilton was the first person to text me and say ‘I got you another draw against Rangers, gaffer’ because he scored the winner against Dunfermline for Stranraer when we drew Rangers in 2020.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to go up against Rangers before in my management career and as a lower league manager, you’re always looking to go up against the top-tier managers.

“I had the opportunity last year to go up against Derek McInnes when we ran Kilmarnock close and now we’ve got to try and find a way of being as competitive as we possibly can against Rangers.”