With his determined stare and pads to protect his knees on the hard surface, the little striker in the bottom right of this team shot looks ready for action.

Away to his right, a cheeky team-mate appears to hide a giggle behind his hand as the photo is taken.

Then, when the snapper gave them the all clear, they ran off and did what they loved best – played football and scored goals.

Between them, the two boys were already the star attractions in the under-tens at their local club in Oviedo, northern Spain.

Now, 22 years on, they could be poised for an FA Cup reunion – at the Amex.

The boy with the knee pads is Adrian Colunga, the Albion forward who has been used as a wideman of late in his first season in England.

Second from the left in the front row is a giggling Santi Cazorla, now one of the star attractions at their Cup opponents Arsenal.

It remains to be seen whether the two mates appear in today’s fourth round clash. But there will have been a smile from both when the draw was made.

The tie has also caught the attention at CD Covadonga, the club whose first team are now in the fourth tier and whose thriving youth section produced a couple of established pros.t

“The two boys played together for two years in what we call the ‘benjamines’ (under-nines and under-tens),” Covadonga’s Gerardo Solis told The Argus.

“Even at that age people really appreciated Adrian’s speed and goalscoring ability and the seemingly innate talent Santi had with both feet.

“After leaving the ‘benjamines’ Santi went on to Real Oviedo but I know his parents found it really tough seeing him leave Cova.

“Adrian stayed with us through to the end of under-14s and then went to Sporting Gijon, largely after talking to his granddad Sindo, who used to play for them.

“But they could easily have been team-mates again because I know Oviedo were very interested in signing Adrian as well when he was with us.”

Cazorla went on to make his name at Villarreal, Recreativo and Malaga before signing for Arsenal in the summer of 2012.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger reckons he has played the best football of his career in recent weeks.

He has been so good, he might even have played his way out of a starting role in the Cup tie.

But don’t be surprised to see him greet his old team mate if their paths cross today.

DID YOU KNOW?

Santi Cazorla’s brother Nando was considered the better player of the two when they were kids along with Adrian Colunga at Covadonga. But Nando, who now plays in the Spanish equivalent of non-league, said: “Santi could do it with both feet!”