The Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup is back this weekend with the cup first fixtures of 2024. 

The eagerly-anticipated Fourth Round weekend sees the 12 cinch Premiership sides enter the competition, joining the 20 sides who have progressed so far.

The greatest cup competition in the world is celebrating its 150th anniversary, with the very first final having taken place between Queen's Park and Clydesdale in 1874.

This season's competition represents the first edition since Scottish Gas came onboard as title partner. Britain’s leading supplier of energy and services, Scottish Gas signed a five-year-deal in the summer to sponsor both the men's and women's cup competitions.

This weekend's action kicks off on Friday evening as League Two Clyde host Aberdeen at New Douglas Park on BBC Scotland. It is the first meeting between the two sides since 1991. 

The BBC Scotland cameras will also be present at Ainslie Park on Saturday lunchtime as Spartans face Hearts in a competitive match for the first time. Douglas Samuel's side defeated Arbroath in the last round and they will be aiming to reach the Fifth Round for the second time in their history, having got that far in 2015. 

Last years' beaten finalists Inverness Caledonian Thistle take on Broomhill in one of 12 matches take place in the traditional Saturday afternoon slot.

Also in action at 3pm are 2016 cup winners Hibs who travel to Station Park to play Forfar, and 2021 victors St Johnstone who are on the road against Rhys McCabe's Airdrionians side.

Ayr United and Kelty Hearts are also two sides who will be facing each other for the first time ever when they meet at Somerset Park on Saturday. The Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup will also be making the journey to Ayr this week, with the latest 'Evening with the Cup' event taking place at the stadium on Thursday night. Former Ayr players Ryan Stevenson and Craig Conway will be in attendance, and fans will also have their chance to get photos taken with the famous trophy. 

In-form Morton are aiming to avoid a sixth consecutive Round Four exit when they host Montrose, while Premiership side Motherwell will be looking for a confidence boosting win over Alloa Athletic.

Another intriguing Saturday afternoon tie sees Ross County host Partick Thistle, in a re-run of last year's dramatic cinch Premiership Play-off final, when the Staggies triumphed on penalties. 

The Saturday action concludes in the evening at the Dumbarton Football Stadium as the Sons host Rangers, live on Viaplay. 

Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup holders Celtic begin their defence on Sunday against Highland League side Buckie Thistle. Josh Peters was Thistle's hero in their Round Three clash with Broxburn Athletic - scoring equalisers in both the 90th and 120th minutes of the game before converting the winning spotkick in the shootout to set up a fairytale trip to Celtic Park. 

With icy conditions affecting large parts of the country, potential postponement information is listed with the rest of the Fourth Round information here.

Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Fifth Round Draw 

The draw for the Fifth Round of the Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup will take place on Sunday, 21 January.

Scotland legend Christian Dailly will conduct the draw on BBC Scotland's Sportscene programme which begins at 7:15pm, with the draw set to get underway around 8:15pm. 

67-cap Dailly won the Scottish Cup with Dundee United in 1994, before winning the cup in consecutive seasons with Rangers, in 2008 and 2009.