Talk to anybody who saw Andrew Bascome at his best in the 1980s and they'll tell you that here was a player who could have accomplished great things in football.

And though the midfielder will never know what could have been after six clubs in the then English First Division offered him trials, the player is happy that childhood friend Shaun Goater has gone on to make a name for himself in England.

Bascome and younger brothers Herbie and David -- all former North Village players -- were praised by Goater on Wednesday for the influence they had on his young life two decades ago. All three had fond memories of Goater, too, as the youngster displayed a passion for football.

In the week Bermuda celebrated Goater's achievements as a 12-year pro, Andrew and Herbie paid their own tribute to him.

"He didn't have much in the sense of material things as a kid, but he had a good spirit and a very high skill level,'' recalls Andrew who was coach of Village when, with Goater in the team in his last appearance for the Red Devils, they beat PHC in the 1989 FA Cup final.

"I can remember telling Robert Calderon when I first saw him `this guy is special'. He was always looking to further himself, looking for better ways of doing things.'' Goater lived briefly with the Bascome family and the Bascomes' love of football rubbed off. "Everybody was in the bedroom playing football because we couldn't leave the house,'' Andrew recalled.

"From playing in the house in a confined area, we developed our skill,'' said Herbie, who made his name as a central defender/midfielder for Village and then Boulevard.

"What I noticed about Goater, with him and David playing together, was the passion they had for the game.

"I felt it was my and Andrew's duty to make sure they made it, to keep them on the straight and narrow. I saw a bright future in him from when he was young.'' Goater's real test will come in the Premiership next season, but Andrew and Herbie feel he will be up to the challenge. He has already proved his doubters wrong -- including diehard Manchester City fans -- by scoring 50 goals for the club in the last two seasons.

"I'm happy for him, because what else would he be doing?'' said Andrew who had some regrets about his own situation.

"The Bolton issue, when I was 16, was the one I really wanted to follow up on but we lost contact,'' he said.

"And after I got the knee injury, when I had my knee reconstructed, I didn't feel anybody would want me after that and kind of knocked it in the head. I was 21, 22 and didn't even think I was going to play anymore.

"To be honest I love coaching more than playing.'' Added Bascome: "I think we can have more Goaters, but we need more structure.

He played every day, morning, night, in the bedroom, in the street.

"He was the one who was prepared to say `I love football and nothing else'.

He didn't get into girls or nightlife, just more or less stayed at home. I'm happy for him and I think the best is yet to come.

"He has a lot more to offer. People admire his goalscoring ability but his his creative ability is what catches my attention.'' Goater shared with the City Hall crowd on Wednesday the closeness of his friendship with David Bascome. "We have both gone on to do what we wanted,'' he said.

"Even today when we run the soccer camp it's amazing how we think alike. When we sit down together a year later, with him writing his idea in the US and me in the UK, we end up writing the same ideas.

"With the Bascome brothers, not just being brought up around them but basically living with them, Andrew was ever so influential in my upbringing in football, almost like a father figure.''