Jimmy Calderwood returns to Dunfermline and hopes to be leaving with the jeers of the home fans in his ears again.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood is heading back to one of his old grounds and will be expecting the usual warm welcome. Perhaps it would be better to say he will be in for a hot reception when he turns up at East End Park. The Aberdeen manager has required a police escort on previous returns to his old stomping ground but insists he is looking forward to the trip back to Dunfermline this time around. He said: "I had a wonderful time there and that sort of thing is just what happens in football. It will be great to go back to the old stadium and see it full again. Jimmy Nicholl and I had a great time at Dunfermline. It turned a bit sour at the end, which was a shame, but it was a wonderful part of my career. But this game is not about Jimmy Calderwood, it is about Aberdeen Football Club trying to get into the next round of the Scottish Cup."

The Dons will have to see off the Pars in an awkward quarter-final if they are to reach the last four of the Homecoming Scottish Cup. Calderwood knows the passion his former side will have to thwart that ambition as one of Calderwood's career highlights was leading the Pars to a place in the Scottish Cup final in his last season in charge before he moved north. The Dons have not won the trophy since 1990 and came agonisingly close to ending that dismal run last year when they lost 4-3 to Queen of the South in the semi-finals. Calderwood said: "We got to the semi-final last year and blew it. It would be great to get to the semi-final again and then cheer the fans up by getting to the final. Winning the cup is also the shortest route for us if we want to get back playing European football next season. We still have a very difficult game on our hands as, with the squad of players Dunfermline have, they really should be in the SPL."

Calderwood know that the large travelling support will be right behind his side. More than 5,000 Aberdeen fans are expected to make the trip to Fife and Calderwood said: "It is amazing that so many of them are going down the road. The Dunfermline players will also get a lift from that. We can't underestimate Dunfermline because they have a squad full of good pros with a lot of SPL experience. We have to got to go there and do a job and hopefully it will be enough on the day."

Calderwood will be without top scorer Lee Miller who suffered a hamstring injury against St Mirren on Tuesday night. The injury will be scanned next week to establish just how bad it is. Miller will be joined on the sidelines by midfielder Gary McDonald who has a troublesome hip injury.

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