Young winger Koby Arthur has joined the Robins on loan from Championship side Birmingham City.
Young winger Koby Arthur has today joined the Robins on loan from Championship side Birmingham City.Koby, 18, joins the club on a youth loan which will see him through until January 2015 and he will be available to face Bath City in pre-season action this weekend.
Mark Yates' squad is now starting to really take shape and Koby admitted he couldn't wait to make the step .
"This will be a good step up for me," said Koby.
"I was on loan at Lincoln last year and it was good but this is a chance in the league and I will work hard to get to the next level. I remember playing here last season in the FA Youth Cup. It was a good game to be honest because I was a bit shocked when Cheltenham took the lead but we won.
"I even had a chance to score and I missed it but only because I knew I was going to come here!"
Koby is a Ghanaian midfielder who can play both wide and through the middle. The Ghana-born winger is a product of the Birmingham City academy but he was featuring for Southern League club Woodford United before being snapped up by the Blues.
His progress in the club's football and education development programme was impressive and he was soon recruited into the club's main development system. Appearances for the club's U18 and reserve teams further strengthened his promising development and he has even featured in a match versus Cheltenham Town in the FA Youth Cup here at Whaddon Road last season where he played a role behind the strikers.
Koby signed two-year professional contract in April 2013 - the same day that he made his professional debut as a substitute versus Wolves. He was named as the Academy player of the year for 2012-13 and made two appearances for Birmingham last season before enjoying a loan spell with Lincoln City.
Koby will be handed squad number 20 and could feature this weekend away at Bath City.
Interview with Koby will available on Robins Player and YouTube later today.