TALISMANS come in a variety of shapes and sizes for football teams. There might be a special kitman who has been in the dressing room for more than 30 years, or a tea lady who began her contract at the start of a 10-match unbeaten run, or there could be a barber.

Armed with his scissors and trimmers, Guy Awazi has been invited by Mark Cooper into the Swindon Town camp ahead of Sunday’s crunch clash at Wembley.

The man behind the well-known barbershop Guy’s Hair Salon, in Drove Road, has built such a long list of clientele with County Ground connections, he has been called up for his first cap with the team as they head into their final preparations.

The 30-year-old can count Wes Foderingham, Yaser Kasim, Jonathan Obika and the Thompson brothers among his bulging list of Town pros, who this week called on manager Mark Cooper to pick up the telephone.

Guy will be travelling to London on Saturday, staying with the players at their hotel and having them lined up for the chair, getting their new styles in place ahead of their Wembley encounter.

“Some of them haven’t tried me yet. I’m looking forward to surprising them. I’m excited,” Guy tells me, as we sit in the sun outside his business in Swindon.

He’s become well-known on social media and around the town as the go-to man for the club’s footballers and even Ipswich Town’s former Chippenham defender Tyrone Mings.

Foderingham has been seeing Guy since he first came to Swindon in October 2011, the Thompsons have seen him since they were young, and every new player coming into the club soon finds their way to his chair.

“They’re good guys. It’s like a family. When they come in, that’s why they prefer me, because I don’t talk about football,” he said.

“We just talk about social. We have a laugh. Even when I’m out there they look after me. We always look up to each other.”

This is more than just a job for Guy, who recently became a father for the first time. It is a lifestyle for him, which has made him more of a friend than barber to the players.

“It’s just inside me. Yes, it’s my job, but I just love it. Every customer I like to make a relationship with.

“I hate you coming in, just having a haircut and leaving.

“They trust me. Whenever they sit down, I say ‘I’ve done this to you, I want to do something different’.

“When I look at them on the TV, I look at other players and want to fix them up.

“When I started with Wes and Louis then I was like ‘I want to be able to do these players’.

“I want them to try me and when they start trying me they’re loving it. Whenever they come here I want to make them feel welcome.

“I know what it’s like. Even for myself, when I finish work, I’m going out and people are talking to me about hair. I just want to have a good time.

“When they come here I try not to talk about football. They don’t want to hear that. It takes off the stress a little bit.”

Guy knows he will play an important role on Saturday night. The wrong cut or a mistake could kill a player’s confidence, their swagger and belief on the Wembley turf.

It’s not just the players who have got Wembley fever though. He has had a number of younger fans coming in and asking for the same cuts as their heroes.

“I know they go out there and they all want to feel great. I want to give them something special,” he said.

“They are role models. People look up to them: ‘I want to be like Wes, I want to be like Nathan, I want to be like Louis, I want to be like Ben (Gladwin).’”

Although he is rubbing shoulders with the stars now, it has not been an easy road to here for Guy, who moved to Swindon 12 years ago and spent many of his earlier months sleeping rough.

He always knew if he was given a chance by someone he would impress them enough to watch his web of clients grow and grow through word of mouth and social media.

“In the beginning it was hard because when I first moved to Swindon I didn’t have a place to stay. I was working in Manchester Road, in a small corner hairdresser. I was there for four years. It was not a good salon,” he said.

“There was no money coming in. I used to do like two people in a week. Next to me there used to be a Turkish barbershop. People would pass me to go next door.

“One-by-one they were trying me and that was it, but to get to there was so hard.

“I stayed outside in a car park for a week or two weeks. It was snowing, it was cold. I used to hide under some blankets in the corner and then go to the public toilets in the Brunel, where I’d clean up myself.”

Amongst that long list of Town players coming through his door, the one who stands out is centre forward Jon Obika, who in his short time with Town has already made a lasting impression on Guy.

“He’s a great guy. When he comes here he’s just a humble guy. They’re all good. When he comes here with Yaser (Kasim) they are just social with everyone.

“They talk to people, they have a laugh.”