After a lacklustre second round, the Harp Lager FAI Cup promised to spring into life last night when the draw for the last 16 stage threw up a string of highly attractive clashes between some of the country's leading clubs.

While holders Shelbourne have been handed a trip to Derry, Bray Wanderers will get a chance to avenge their controversial semi-final defeat by Bohemians last season and Finn Harps will take on a Shamrock Rovers team looking to end what is now the longest run without a Cup triumph in the history of the club.

Cork City and Longford Town will replay their second-round tie at Turner's Cross knowing the winners will earn a home tie against St Patrick's Athletic. "It's a great incentive for all the players to do well in Cork," said Longford chairman Adrian Duncan. "St Patrick's coming up for a Cup match like that would make for another great night of football for all of our supporters."

Outside of the four all-Premier Division ties, the top flight's other two remaining clubs enjoyed slightly differing fortunes with UCD scheduled to meet either St Francis or Waterford United at Belfield while Kilkenny face what could be a tricky trip to Cherry Orchard.

"When you're going into the hat for these things you either want a team that you are going to walk past or else the very biggest team in the competition," said Jim Roddy of Derry City, "and what we got tonight is the biggest team in it so we're happy with that."

In fact, either Derry or Shelbourne have gone on to win the competition on each of the previous occasions that the two sides have met although Dermot Keely insisted last night it will be some time before anyone at Tolka Park starts to think in terms of actually winning this year's final.

The timing of the two games in the north west has yet to be finalised but both Derry and Harps last night expressed a preference for playing their ties on the Saturday evening, as did Shelbourne. Roddy indicated in the event the Ballybofey out fit appeal for a clear run for the Saturday evening slot then Derry would be unlikely to stand in their way.

With Shamrock Rovers confident of bringing a significant number of supporters to Ballybofey should the game be played on a Saturday evening and with Harps well used to playing their home games at this time, it seems certain the Donegal club will aim to play their game first.

Roddy Collins, meanwhile, was granted a home draw although his heart must have sunk a little when Bray Wanderers were pulled out of the hat moments after his own club. Last year's semi-final between the two sides ended in considerable acrimony following an intervention by the FAI that prevented Jason Byrne getting a suspension out of the way in a Leinster Senior Cup match the week before the game. That intervention recently resulted in the association paying a reported £27,000 compensation to the Wicklow club.

Matters were made worse by what Bray Wanderers officials saw as a number of controversial refereeing decisions on the day and Pat Devlin last night described the chance of a quick return to Dalymount as "fantastic, a great opportunity for us to set the record straight".

Martin Moran was another manager looking pleased with his lot last night. "Once you're drawn at home you really can't complain," he observed, "but the fact that it is going to be a first division side who we can go and have a look at a couple of times between now and then is good for us too." Happier still was John Hayes of Portmarnock, the Irish Junior Cup holders who were rewarded for their 3-0 defeat of Rockmount on Sunday with a visit by Dundalk. "It's a great draw for us," said Hayes, "and for me personally. I spent a couple of seasons up there from 1979 and I still have friends up there so I'll enjoy it."

Delegates at last night's meeting of the National League Board of Control endorsed proposals to hire a new league "commisioner" over the coming weeks. It is expected the new position, which will carry a salary of between £50-70,000, will be advertised within two weeks and the hope is to have the successful candidate in place before the end of the season.