Everton have been drawn against League One side Barnsley away in the second round of the Capital One Cup.
The tie means a rapid return to Oakwell for youngster Mason Holgate, who signed a five-year deal with the Toffees today, and John Stones, who began his career at his hometown club before moving to Everton in January 2013.
The second round of the Capital One Cup is seeded so Everton were always going to avoid a Premier League side but a trip to Yorkshire still represents something of a banana skin.
Everton have never won the League Cup in all of its various guises and in recent times the competition has seen them humiliated at the hands of the likes of Brentford, Oxford Utd, Bristol Rovers and Leeds.
Last season a weakened Everton side were dumped out by Swansea, though their presence in the Europa League was mitigation for Roberto Martinez's team selection.
However, with no European distractions this year and with the Champions League places looking beyond them, there is a clamour from the fans to take the competition a lot more seriously and avoid Everton's trophy drought from ticking over into a 22nd year.
The tie will be placed the week starting August 24 and will be decided on the night - meaning the potential for extra time and penalties.