Goater steps in to save season

The 46-year-old was unveiled as the new Robins manager at lunchtime after the second-from-bottom club announced that Paul Holland had stepped down at the New Manor Ground following his side's poor run of results.

Goater agreed to step in to turn around the club's fortunes with the Robins 12 points adrift of safety in the EVO-STIK NPL's top flight. With the Robins hosting third from bottom Sutton Coldfield Town on Saturday, the club are hoping the former Rotherham United, Bristol City, Reading and Southend United hot-shot can make an immediate impact.

Best known for his spell at Manchester City, where he fired 103 goals in 212 appearances between 1998 and 2003, the Bermudian striker is being backed by the Robins to make a success of his return to the EVO-STIK NPL after his spell as assistant manager at New Mills in 2015.

In a statement announcing his appointment, a spokesman said: "Shaun is excited about the difficult challenge over the next 10 weeks or so, stating that he is a great believer in helping young talent to develop. He is confident he can step in and help the Robins youngsters get a little more organised and push on from the excellent performance the other night against Coalville Town.

"Like he says, it's a tough ask to get to safety but there are still a lot of points still to play for and games against teams around the bottom of the NPL Premier division. He has watched Ilkeston’s progress over the last few seasons, in fact he was at Curzon Ashton as a guest of the club in the play-off final two seasons ago. His interest has been drawn now that we have several Bermudian players at the club.

"What Shaun he wants now is to get into football management, being a student of the game he loves nothing more than dropping in to watch the top coaches in action. He sees Ilkeston as an opportunity to experiment with his experience and new ideas. He is looking forward to getting really involved in football as a manager."

Image courtesy of www.ilkestonfc.co.uk

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