Tonight it's the second of this week's football midweek double and we're going back to Ochilview Park to see East Stirlingshire entertain Highland League side Buckie Thistle. The winning side will progress to the 5th round and a home game against Brechin City. Buckie Thistle are currently sitting top of their division and must fancy their chances tonight.
After another joyous day at work, it's a quick nip home for a change of clothing before I make the short drive over to my folks house. My dad's already reversing out the drive when I turn into his street; one of these days I'll make it on time.
BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme provides the entertainment on the drive through to Stenhousemuir. Tonight's show includes a debate about the proposed league changes with a host of Premier League chairmen; Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the SPL, Jack Traynor and, in what surely must be for laughs...Chick Young.
I'm sitting on the side of the argument against a ten team SPL1 and a twelve team SPL2; I agree things have to be done to spread the wealth though. Did you know that the SPL sides take £2.2m of the £5m available on sponsorship for the League Cup?
Tonight we are revisiting Ochilview Park as East Stirlingshire as currently play their home matches at Stenhousemuir's ground. We've seen them on the road a few times this season and, from what I can remember, they always have a decent support with them, noisy too.
We make our way over to the ground about thirty minutes before kick off. The first thing that greets you as you pass through the turnstile, is the large refreshment hut. Last time we were here the pies were average at best and we've been deliberating in the car whether or not the same supplier is used for the Shire's home games. Only one way to find out I guess.
Whilst we admit that it's unlikely to be a different supplier, we both agree that the scotch pies on offer tonight are an improvement on our last visit. So much so that we dive back in for seconds.
The stadium announcer is a hoot. Instead of reading out tonight's teams he's more interested in rambling on about how the Shire are the 39th best side in Scotland, He gives a breakdown of both sides' recent league matches and what the club have planned for Burns Night.
The crowd of 630 are a noisy bunch and there must be about 150 or so who have made the long trek down from Buckie for the game. They must have been as surprised as anyone when the saw their side run out wearing what can only be described as the most mis-matched strip we've seen this season: green socks, green shorts and blue & red striped tops.
Turns out the referee thought their all white away strip clashed with the home side's black and white hoops, so they have to wear East Stirlingshire's away top instead.
Both sets of fans are in fine voice, especially the group of twenty or so teenage home fans sat up the back of the stand.
The game starts and both teams settle quickly. The home side's right back Donaldson is the first to fire an effort goal-wards, but his shot two minutes in clears the cross bar. Just after ten minutes Dunn fires a ball across the box but Mcguire just fails to make contact for the Shire.
The young boys behind us are fair enjoying themselves and we get a burst of Knees up for The Shire, with each and everyone one of them with their knees right up.
Twenty three minutes in and the Buckie fans behind the goal are calling for a penalty. The referee gets his decision spot on and waves play on; there's nothing wrong with a gentle shoulder barge.
Buckie's Sutherland goes close on the half hour mark, with a shot that just goes wide, before Weaver has a similar effort for the home side.
The away keeper then rushes from his box in a race with the striker to reach the ball, the striker wins the ball and strokes it goal wards. It's only a last ditch header that clears the ball for the corner.
With just a minute to go until half-time the balance of the game swung in the home side's favour, in bizarre circumstances. A stray pass between two Buckie players results in Ian Murray being shown a straight red card after he threw a punch at his team mate Graeme Stewart. What a stupid thing to do in such an important game! Not one of his teammates go to talk to him as he made the long walk of shame. The home fans helped soothe his pain by asking him if he was Shire in disguise.
Incredibly, as the teams walked off at half-time, two home players started fighting but this was quickly stopped from developing by the rest of the side and whilst I was in the queue for a half time cup of soup my dad informed me that two folks were kicked out of the ground for fighting on the far side of the stadium. Must be something in the water up here!
The second half kicks off and although the home side had a man advantage it did not improve their skill in front of goal. For all their possession, when it came to the final shot a succession of players failed to hit the target and at least force the keeper into a save.
With half an hour to go a Stewart header goes just over the bar for Buckie. The home fans are getting a little nervy and urge their side on for the opening goal.
As the game went on the home side started to use the space provided by the extra man and you could see the away players begin to tire. They even managed to get a few efforts on goal and call Main into action.
With six minutes left Main made a brilliant two handed diving punch save from an Alexander Walker shot, which came from twelve yards to keep the sides level.
With time running down I asked my dad who his man of the match was? 'For that last save amongst the others I'm going to award it to Buckie's keeper Kevin Main.' - Nothing like jinxing someone.
With only two and a half minutes of the ninety left, the keeper had a howler. He came diving out to pounce on an easy cross only to see the ball squirm out of his grasp and land right at the feet of East Stirlingshire's Kevin Cawley, who lashed the ball into the top corner.
There is no time for Buckie to get the equaliser and they game finishes one nil to the hosts. Buckie probably deserved a draw for all their hard work, especially after playing a full half with ten men; I hope they make Murray make his own way home as a form of punishment.
No games now for me until the 29th January, when we're off to see Hamilton play Kilmarnock and then on the 30th we're being joined by Ross & Magnus, two Dundee United fans, for the trip to Tannadice to watch them play Hibs.
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