Shaun Goater

Verified Timeline

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. The followin

In Their Own Story

Goater moved to Reading on 1 August 2003. Reading chairman John Madejski described the transfer as "the biggest in Reading Football Club's history", but Goater's time there was not a happy one. Shortly after Goater's arrival, Reading manager Alan Pardew left for West Ham United, and Pardew's replacement, Steve Coppell, did not regard Goater as part of his plans. In his second and final season at Reading, Goater played just four times, and was loaned to Coventry City. Goater then considered retirement, but instead moved to League One club Southend United for a final season as a professional. The move, a free transfer, was completed on 3 August 2005. At Southend, Goater acted as a mentor for young striker Freddy Eastwood, and contributed towards a second successive promotion for the Shrimpers, scoring 11 goals. His final appearance before retirement was on 6 May 2006, when Southend played Bristol City, one of Goater's former clubs. The crowd included an estimated 400 Manchester City fans who travelled to Southend to mark the occasion.

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?

• Goater scored his 100th goal for Manchester City against Manchester United in a derby match.
• 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.