Goater declines Bermuda to play for Royals!

By Mark Sugar
February 27 2004

Shaun Goater will start the match against Sheffield United after fears he may miss out due to International duty.The former Manchester City striker was called up by Bermuda for the qualifier Vs Montserrat.But the Goat has given Steve Coppell a massive boost by deciding to stay and help out his club.

The news that Shaun Goater will stay for Reading's match against Sheffield United tomorrow will give Steve Coppell great confidence. The Goat has been playing very well recently and is now really making an impact at the club following a difficult start.

Commenting on the situation, Goater told The Royal Gazette, Bermuda's National Newspaper in which he has a column in, he said:

"Let’s get one thing straight – I really want to play for Bermuda in the World Cup qualifiers.
I have always wanted to play but when discussions about me coming back first started I had been dropped from the Reading side and I was anything but the first name on the team sheet."

"It really is quite simple, it wasn’t a good time for me and going back to Bermuda would have harmed my chances at my new club."

"Contrary to what people in Bermuda were probably thinking, I wasn’t an automatic choice at my new team and that upset me."

"If I had gone away at that stage – and the gaffer said I could – I wouldn’t have been missed.
I didn’t want to come home without him thinking ‘when is Shaun coming back’, if I had come back at that stage it would have been a case of ‘I think he’s back on this or that date’ and that is not what I wanted – I wanted to be missed.
But things have worked out well for me at Reading, I have got back in the goals and my form has picked up so I can now relax and risk leaving.
Unfortunately because of the injuries we have picked up, the way the fixtures have fallen – and because of the scheduling of flights – I would have missed two games for my club and the gaffer wasn’t going to allow that."

"We are playing against Sheffield United on the Saturday and then Preston on the following Tuesday and, because I would have to fly back through America, the gaffer didn’t really think I would be in any fit state to play the next day."

Goater has been leading the line with on loan Sheffield Wednesday striker Lloyd Owusu in the absence of Nicky Forster, who has a stomach injury.

The "Goat" became famous in Manchester with his goal scoring ability, and is now showing signs of that in Reading.