TRANMERE Rovers will host Oldham Athletic in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup.

The tie will see the return to Penton Park of former Rovers manager Micky Mellon.

Current Latics boss Mellon twice served Rovers as both player and manager.

In his first spell in charge, Tranmere won back-to-back promotions - from the National League to League One in 2018 and 2019.

Oldham currently sit sixth in the National League with 23 points after 13 games. 

The first round meeting is a fixture that will also mean a lot to Latics striker James Norwood, who spent four years at Tranmere.

It was in the 2018/19 season that Norwood finished the joint top scorer in English football with 32 goals in all competitions alongside Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, helping to fire Tranmere into League One via a Wembley play-off final. Two from that top scoring tally came in the FA Cup that season.

Mellon returned to Wirral in 2021 after a spell at Dundee United, but was sacked in March 2023 when a strong start to his second season tailed off.

Mellon's backroom staff at Boundary Park also have a number of links to Rovers - Oldham's number two Gary Brabin had a brief spell in charge of Tranmere in 2015, while new fitness and conditioning coach Andy Hodgen recently arrived from Prenton Park, where he was head of sports science.

Returning physio Ian Liversedge also has links to Tranmere, and goalkeeper coach Scott Davies played for Rovers for seven years.

Ties in the first round will be played between Friday, November 1 and Monday, November 4.

The fixture date and time will be confirmed in due course, and ticket details will follow.

FA Cup first round ties will be played the weekend of November 2.

The full draw is as follows:

Rotherham United v Cheltenham Town

Barrow v Doncaster Rovers

Worthing v Morecambe

Boreham Wood v Leyton Orient

Exeter City v Barnet

Carlisle United v Wigan Athletic

Tamworth v Huddersfield Town

Hartlepool United or Brackley Town v Braintree Town

Curzon Ashton v Mansfield Town

Wycombe Wanderers v York City

Bradford City v Aldershot Town

Hednesford Town or Gateshead v Gainsborough Trinity or Boston United

Burton Albion v Scarborough Athletic

Tranmere Rovers v Oldham Athletic

Rochdale v Bromley

Walsall v Bolton Wanderers

Grimsby Town v Wealdstone

Bristol Rovers v Weston-Super-Mare

MK Dons v AFC Wimbledon

Altrincham or Solihull Moors v Maidstone United

Stockport County v Forest Green Rovers

Reading v Fleetwood Town

Stevenage v Guiseley

Northampton Town v Kettering Town

Rushall Olympic or Peterborough Sports v Accrington Stanley

Swindon Town v Colchester United

Salford City v Shrewsbury Town

Crewe Alexandra v Dagenham & Redbridge

Port Vale v Barnsley

Chesham United v Lincoln City

Chesterfield v Horsham

Southend United v Charlton Athletic

Notts County v Alfreton Town

Taunton Town or Maidenhead United v Crawley Town

Harrogate Town v Wrexham

Woking v Cambridge United

Gillingham v Blackpool

Tonbridge v Harborough Town

Sutton United v Birmingham City

Newport v Peterborough