Perth High School will be backed by a bumper crowd at the national stadium tonight.
Proud pupils have a date with destiny and will head out onto the hallowed Hampden turf hoping to become Scottish Schools’ Senior Shield winners.
The journey to this point has been memorable and now only Holyrood Secondary School stand in the way of trophy celebrations.
Bus-loads of fellow students, supporters and parents will be making tracks for the south end of Glasgow. That backing is very much appreciated by all at the school.
PE teacher and team coach Ross Robinson told the PA: “The buzz about the school is great – it’s been a good few weeks since the semi-final now but it’s still something that people are talking to me or asking me about on a daily basis.
“A lot of our younger pupils are planning on joining us with their families so we know it’ll be a great atmosphere in our section of Hampden.
“As soon as we qualified for the final we started talking about putting transport on for those who wanted to attend.
“I knew it would be popular but even I was shocked to hear that we’d sold out the three coaches that we’d booked with two weeks left until the game.
“I know on top of that the players’ parents have organised their own bus and every day I speak to someone new who tells me they’re coming.
“I have been amazed by the feeling of support from the Perth football community and I know the players will be feeling it too.”
The Perth High squad, who defeated Dunfermline in the semi-final at New Central Park, were recently treated to a pep talk from St Johnstone stars Liam Gordon and David Wotherspoon.
The Perth pair won the League Cup and Scottish Cup in the same season with Saints and are former pupils of the school.
“Preparations have been tricky for this game given that all of the boys have been on study leave for the last few weeks,” Robinson explained.
“But we were lucky enough to have Liam Gordon and David Wotherspoon from St Johnstone come into school just before the start of study leave to speak to the boys about their experiences of playing cup finals at Hampden.
“They are both former PHS pupils so know what it’s like to sit in the classrooms of Perth High dreaming of lifting a trophy at Hampden.
“Those guys have both made that dream a reality so I know it was a fantastic experience for our players to get some inspiration and pick their brains a little.”
Regardless of the result this evening - of course victory is the target - Robinson says the school has been proud of this group of players all season.
He told the PA: “For me the real prize of this competition is getting the Hampden experience.
“We have some outstanding footballers in our group and I would absolutely not be surprised if any of them go on to have successful careers in football, potentially even having the opportunity to play at stadiums like Hampden again in the future.
“What separates this is that they’re going to have that experience with their mates. Some of the boys in this team have been best friends for years now.
“Not many people can say that they’ve reached the most prestigious pitch in our country with a bunch of their mates.
“If we win, that will be an amazing moment and I’m sure the medals would end up on the family mantlepieces.
“But the experience of playing in that stadium with their mates is a story they’ll be telling for the rest of their lives – win or lose.”
He continued: “We should have a little bit of time before the game to walk around the pitch and I’ll be telling the boys to take in every single second of that time and to take a moment to appreciate where they are and the hard work that got them there.
“The final message to the boys before we walk out onto the pitch will be very similar to my final message before every game we’ve played this season.
“To be confident in their ability as a team, to work hard for each other, and to make sure that they put every ounce of effort they have into it.”
Kick-off at Hampden Park tonight is 7pm.
