Two Angus towns could receive a cash windfall when the Old Firm come to play.
The romance of the cup will be coming to Arbroath, as the Red Lichties get set to host Celtic on Wednesday in a replay of their Scottish Cup clash at Celtic Park last weekend.
Montrose will then take on table-topping Rangers in a lunchtime duel at Links Park the following Saturday, when they will hope to oust the Light Blues as the leaders of the Third Division.
It is the first time both Celtic and Rangers have been in Angus to play different teams in the same week.
The Glasgow sides are noted for bringing large travelling supports which, combined with TV coverage of the games by Sky and ESPN, could bring a cash boost to the local teams and shops in and around the stadia.
Arbroath Councillor David Fairweather said he is looking forward to the cup tie at Gayfield and the buzz in the town.
”It was fantastic for Arbroath to get such a great result against Celtic in the first match and the added bonus for the team is the monetary side of things,” said Mr Fairweather.
”Sky will be showing the game and it could hopefully put Arbroath in the black on the financial side of things for a fair amount of time. Celtic has a big travelling support and I have many friends who are already clamouring for tickets, so I think there will be some divided Arbroath people in the ground that day.”
The Red Lichties and the Hoops have crossed swords 33 times since their first meeting in the 1901/02 season, when Celtic emerged victorious at Gayfield with a 3-2 win in the Scottish Cup.
Since then the sides have met in the Scottish First Division and both cups. Arbroath have beaten the Glasgow side once in the past, drawn on a number of occasions and been on the wrong end of several high-scoring games.
However, Mr Fairweather added he hopes Arbroath can continue their good form from the first match and cause an upset.
”I was a young lad when I went to see Arbroath play Celtic in the old First Division. I saw a young man called Jimmy Johnstone dance rings round the Arbroath side and I think Celtic won 6-0.
”However, I’m hoping it’s not going to be like that next week and I hope that we can cause another cup shock.”
Montrose Councillor David May further echoed Mr Fairweather’s hopes for a similar boost in his own constituency.
”The vital things will be the great boost to the funds and hosting such a big club,” he said.
”It will bring in good money for the club and it will be a boost to the town as well. I’d imagine the pubs, restaurants and hopefully even the shops will all get a boost from it.
”With ESPN covering the game, it will be good exposure for the town and Montrose Football Club, who have had a pretty good season so far, and I expect it will be a good game.”
The Arbroath v Celtic match kicks off at 7.45pm next Wednesday and the home side have also announced that they will be offering hospitality tickets to Wednesday’s match that include a three-course meal.
Montrose have confirmed the capacity of their stadium has been increased and a special match-day programme will be made to mark the first visit of Rangers on league duty to Links Park next Saturday. Kick-off will be at 12.30pm.