City cult hero is new number two

The Bermudian striker, pictured, scored over 100 goals between 1998 and 2003 for City following a switch from Bristol City for a £400,000 fee after kicking off his Football League career at Rotherham United.

The 45-year-old, awarded an MBE in 2003 for his services to sport and young people in his native Bermuda, was invited to join the touchline team at Church Lane by new Millers manager Andy Fearn and met the First Division North club's players for the first time on Thursday night.

The Millers say the UEFA B licence holder will assist Fearn against Scarborough Athletic on the opening day of the season before being unavailable until early September because of his existing commitments.

Fearn is set to introduce Goater to supporters on Tuesday night at a 'meet the manager' evening and delighted officials are now looking forward to confirming his appointment on a permanent basis in September.

A club spokesman said: "Shaun needs no introduction to football fans after scoring in excess of two hundred goals in a professional career which spanned seventeen seasons. He is best remembered for his time at Manchester City where he overcame a difficult start to become a cult hero at Maine Road.

"Shaun attended training on Thursday in an observatory role and the subsequent player's meeting in the clubhouse. His enthusiam is infectious and he became an instant hit and stayed until later in the evening chatting with the players and chairman alike.

"Shaun will be in the dugout for the first EVO-STIK NPL game against Scarborough Athletic next Saturday but due to business commitments, he will then be unavailable until early September by which time the club hopes to confirm his role on a permanent basis."

The spokesman added: "This is fabulous news for the club demonstrating that both Andy and Shaun believe New Mills can be successful both on and off the pitch."

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