Shaun Goater

Lore & Background

Goater was born in the Bermudian capital Hamilton, living with his mother Lynette, his grandmother and two aunts. His introduction to English football came in April 1987 when he was invited to join the Saltus Grammar School football and basketball tour. He spent two weeks playing against various English high school teams, including the Leicester City youth team. At the age of 17, he left home to further his education in the United States, where he had a soccer scholarship at Columbia High School, New Jersey.

Whilst home in Bermuda during his Thanksgiving break, Goater was spotted by scouts from Manchester United, who invited him to England for a trial. With encouragement from his mother, who was a former football player herself, Goater accepted, forfeiting his scholarship by doing so. At this time, Goater did not play as a striker, but instead played as a creative midfielder. Goater's trial resulted in the offer of a professional contract, but he did not break into the first team.

In 1989, Goater signed for Rotherham United in order to play first team football. At this time, Goater suffered homesickness, finding it difficult to adapt to the English climate. Over the course of seven seasons at Rotherham he gained a reputation as a reliable lower division striker, scoring 86 goals in 262 appearances, with a winner's medal for the 1996 Football League Trophy the highlight. A 1992 League Cup tie against Everton gave Goater his first experience of playing against a Premier League team.

In the first leg, Goater scored the only goal of the game as Rotherham won 1–0. However, Everton won the return leg 3–0 and Rotherham were eliminated. In 1993, Goater also had a brief loan spell at Notts County, though he made only one appearance for the Nottingham club due to a work permit problem. Towards the end of the 1995–96 season, Goater had a disagreement with Rotherham manager Archie Gemmill, and decided his future lay elsewhere.

In the 1995–96 close season, Goater received offers from Spanish club Osasuna and newly formed South Koreans Suwon Samsung Bluewings, but having recently married, he decided to stay in England. Shortly after, he moved to Bristol City for a fee of £175,000. Goater's Bristol City debut came against Gillingham. Goater scored, but Bristol City lost 3–2. City finished the season in fifth, qualifying for the playoffs, but lost to Brentford.

Reader's Guide

Shaun Goater is a striker known for his prolific scoring at Manchester City, where he scored 103 goals in 212 appearances and was top scorer for four consecutive seasons. He began his professional career at Rotherham United, scoring 86 goals in 262 appearances, and later played for Bristol City (45 goals in 81 appearances). After Manchester City, he had spells at Reading, Coventry City (on loan), and Southend United, where he scored 11 goals in his final season. He also represented Bermuda 36 times, scoring 32 goals.

Did You Know?

• In February 2003, Goater scored the fastest goal by a substitute in Premier League history, just 9 seconds after coming onto the pitch against Manchester United.
• Goater was awarded the freedom of Bermuda, with 21 June declared as 'Shaun Goater Day' on the island.
• He was named Manchester City's Player of the Year by supporters in the 1999–2000 season.