Plymouth Argyle will face Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Pilgrims, making their first appearance at this stage of the competition for 13 years, were drawn as the away side, so the game will take place at Brammall Lane on the weekend of 23rd-24th January.

Former Liverpool and Tottenham striker Peter Crouch then conducted the draw for the fifth round, with both draws taking place consecutively to aid fixture planning during the continuing COVID-19 disruption. That saw Argyle or Sheffield United drawn at home to Millwall or Bristol City, meaning a potential clash with some recent League Cup opponents in round five should the Greens prevail against Chris Wilder’s side.

The tie against the Blades will be a repeat of the second-round encounter back in 2014/15. That saw Sheffield United win 3-0, but only after Reuben Reid missed a penalty with the sides deadlocked early in the second half. That was the last time the two sides locked horns, with the previous meeting in the league seeing the Blades beat Argyle 4-3 in an entertaining clash in 2010. Argyle have a fairly mixed record against Sheffield United overall, winning 15, drawing 10 and losing 21 of 46 total encounters.

Should Argyle progress beyond the next round, it’ll be their best run in the competition since 2007. That year, Ian Holloway’s side made it all the way to the quarter finals before eventually being knocked out by Premier League Watford.