A team of talented footballers are preparing to play for the right to be one match away from a national final this week.
Beath High School's S4 side have reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Schools' Football Association under-16 shield for 2025/26.
The team, who claimed Fife league and cup glory last year in S3, will travel to Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, on Thursday to tackle Lasswade High School in the competition.
They've played four matches on their way to the last eight, the first of which saw them win a penalty shoot-out 4-3 at Dundee's Grove Academy, after they had played out a 2-2 draw.
A 3-0 win at Dunfermline High was followed by a 3-1 success over Kinross High, setting up a last-16 clash with Glasgow's Williamwood High School, which they won 2-1.
Last year, the Beath team reached the last 32 of the shield in the under-15s - the furthest run achieved by any local side in that age group - and have aspirations going further.
One of their players, Paul McMillan, who picked up the Junior Team of the Year on their behalf at last week's Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council awards, said: "We've got the quarter-finals of the Scottish, Lasswade, away.
"It's massive, the furthest we've been."
Teacher Andy Bell, the team's coach, commented: "Those group of boys that I've had, they're top class.
"The attitudes that they show, and the willingness to develop and listen to me, as well as enjoy the football, has been amazing.
"It's over the last three years and they've been really, really good. That's shaped a real positive first experience for me as a coach within the school community, and then I've gone to take a couple more teams as well, which have been just as successful.
"It's great to provide them with opportunities."
If Beath are successful against Lasswade, they would play either Edinburgh's Craigmount High, or Dumfries High, in the semi-finals.
The other semi-final will be between the winners of Airdrie's Caldervale High and Clydebank's St.Peter the Apostle High, and Dundee's Baldragon Academy, and Giffnock's St Ninian's High.
The match on Thursday kicks off at 4.30pm.
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