SHAUN Hayes might not have the cash, fame or pop star wife of David Beckham but he's got one thing in common - he likes to be different when it comes to hairstyles.

Currently sporting a blond mohican-style cut, Worcester City's number two keeper is the butt of dressing room jokes though he gives as good as he gets, ribbing Stewart Hadley for his Elvis hair-do and John Snape for his lack of a hair-do.

"I get slaughtered for my hair but I can live with that. I have a bit of banter with John cos he hasn't got much hair but it's all good fun," said Hayes.

The 19-year-old electrician is lapping up every second of his time at St George's Lane and will be first on to the pitch in the warm up for today's Dr Martens Premier Division clash with Tiverton Town. He's been a keeper since aged eight when he filled in between the posts to help his dad's Sunday team out and hasn't looked back since.

Now he's set his sights on following in the footsteps of Danny McDonnell - though not literally. "Danny's a top lad and very helpful and if he's got anything to say to help your game he will say it," said Hayes.

"It's going to be hard work replacing him and in fact the only way that is going to happen is if he gets injured and I wouldn't wish that him at all. He's just awesome and the best keeper in non league."

Hayes presence at St George's Lane is a far cry from two seasons ago when he cut his teeth in the Midland Combination with Alvechurch. A victim of rotation policy, the teenage Hayes left the club and on invitation had a try out with City reserves. But it proved a rocky start to his reserve team career and it was only down to his persistence that he forced his way into the reckoning.

"The first game I had in the reserves I had a bit of a mare," he recalls. "I was a bit nervous, didn't do myself justice and Geoff Ashby said they would keep on trying out other keepers.

"I thought here we go again but I went to the games even if I wasn't playing and just stuck in there."

His persistence paid off but his first visit to St George's Lane had already cemented his ambition to try and play for the club.

"The first game I saw was the Newport match when there was about two-and-a-half thousand people and I thought 'this is the place for me'," he said.

Since then he's made his debut, played against KSK Beveren in Belgium, conceding seven goals in the process and kept a clean-sheet against his boyhood team West Brom.

"That was a bit special coming on for the last 25 minutes and keeping a clean-sheet against the Albion," admits Hayes.