spend Christmas day together -- and then oppose each other the following day for the first time in England.

The pair have not been on the same pitch together since Bermuda's World Cup campaign ended in 1992, but the Boxing Day encounter at Rotherham's Millmoor ground has been eagerly anticipated since the season began.

"It will be a Bermuda Christmas in Sheffield,'' said Goater who alongwith girlfriend Anita will play host to Lightbourne and his wife Rosemarie and another friend who is visiting them from Bermuda.

"He'll be over for Boxing Day dinner as well so I don't want to get any stick over the result.'' It has been about six years since Goater has enjoyed Christmas back home, as the professional clubs in England don't have a break over the holidays. And though he has gotten used to the English dishes, Goater hasn't forgotten about the way Bermudians celebrate the holidays.

"My family had come up about four weeks earlier so I've got some frozen cassava,'' said Goater. "The English is basically turkey, ham, vegetables, sausage and bacon, but I haven't forgotten what's it's like back home.'' Last season Goater and Lightbourne netted 52 goals between them, and already they have scored a combined 29, with Lightbourne having moved up to 12 after a slow start.

His team, too, is also on the move, jumping ahead of Rotherham in the standings and also still in the FA Cup.

"We're more in need of the points than Walsall at this particular time,'' said Goater whose team has slipped into the relegation zone. "I see it as a very interesting day.'' Goater returned to the team last weekend against Peterborough after missing his first match of the season against leaders Swindon because of a calf strain. "This was my third game without scoring and for the first time this season I'm in a drought,'' said the striker whose has netted 17 goals.

"In the past three games we haven't scored a goal and so as a striker these are some of the things the Press pick up on,'' said Goater.

"For a sense of pride, and to make sure we get back on the scoresheet as a team, I'll be looking to try to score. We're there (near bottom) because of the way we've played, no excuses about that, and we're got to do something about it.

"The good thing is over Christmas we've got a cluster of games in which we can move up the tables. With the three points you can get three wins and move up a good five places.'' The news that Bermuda will be in the World Cup afterall was well received by Goater who remembers the team's good run in the last qualifying campaign. "In our region we are capable of getting through,'' believes Goater.

"With the right preparation and training I feel we can get through our group.

I have seen the draw on the teletext and I think this is great news for the youth in Bermuda. It's an incentive to get into the national arena and put some pride back into the country.'' As Goater and Lightbourne are sure to lead the Bermuda attack again, another England based player -- Aston Villa's Dwight Yorke -- will be a key man for Trinidad who are rated as one of the top teams in the Caribbean.

"He's actually on form right now, I've watched him a few times on television and he's doing very well for Aston Villa,'' said Goater.

"Apart from Trinidad and Jamaica I can't see anybody else we should worry about. To be involved in the World Cup again is enough of a motivation and hopefully we can get a few companies supporting it and we will go out and be the good ambassadors we can be.''