Haynes grateful to former boss Allen

Published: 15 Mar 2010 - 14:10:38

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The 18-year-old was picked up by Town's centre of excellence in 2008 and went on to became the club's youngest player to appear in the Football League when Allen handed him a late cameo against Oldham last March. Haynes has since gone on to make 19 appearances for the Robins and was rewarded for his progress only last week with the offer a professional contract from current boss Mark Yates. Speaking about the award, the youngster said: "I'm really happy. I didn't expect it to be fair but I've worked hard and obviously I've got what I deserved in the end. "The ceremony was brilliant, there were a lot of big players there, it was a massive event. I was a bit nervous when I got up on stage, but the whole experience was brilliant." He continued: "You get your chance here (at Cheltenham), if the man in charge thinks you're good enough then he'll throw you in. That's why I owe massive thanks to Martin Allen, if it wasn't for him then I wouldn't have as many games under my belt. He's the one who believed in me and I've got a lot of games and experience now, I just need to kick on."