Wembley Stadium.

That will be the reward for his club, Bristol City, if they can overcome two tough games against Brentford in the Second Division play-offs in the next week.

Goater was the first Bermudian to play at Wembley last April when he helped lead Rotherham United to a 2-1 victory over Shrewsbury in the Auto Windscreens final. Now if Bristol City can get past Brentford in their two-leg play-off on May 11 and 14, Goater will be heading back down Wembley Way on May 25 for the final against either Luton or Crewe Alexander.

"Yes, I think about Wembley, that's the motivation really,'' Goater admitted yesterday.

"Some players wouldn't want to think about it but for me that is the motivation. We've got a great opportunity.'' The winners of the play-offs will join Bury and Stockport in the First Division next season. And as Bradford City showed last season when they squeezed in to clinch the final place in the play-offs and then gained promotion, any one of the four teams have a good shot at winning the third spot.

"There is just a great opportunity at the end of it, but there are going to be three teams that are going to be sick,'' said Goater.

Blackpool were heartbroken last season when a loss to Kyle Lightbourne's Walsall denied them outright promotion. Then, in the first leg of their play-off match against Bradford they won 2-0 away from home only to do the unthinkable and lose 3-0 at home and miss out on the final.

Now Brentford find themselves having to attempt to secure promotion via the play-offs after having led the division for much of the season. If they are psychologically jolted, City hope to capitalise.

"They'll be sick about being in the play-offs but we know it's going to be a hard game because they are not going to want to throw away all the hard work they've done all season,'' said Goater.

"Having said that, we've had some good form lately and we'll be looking to continue.'' City closed out their season with a 2-0 defeat away to Wycombe Wanderers. It was an important match to win because finishing fourth in the standings would have meant playing at home in the deciding second leg, Goater stressed.

"It was important and we are upset that we didn't come away with a positive result, a draw or win, but looking back we would rather lose that match than the two important games in the play-offs.

"We would like to go back to their (Brentford) place with a two or three goal advantage and that's why Saturday's result was so important, because if we had finished fourth we would have had the second leg at home.'' When City signed Goater they were banking on his goals helping them to get promoted to the First Division. He has so far scored 25 to lead their scoring, despite missing eight games through injury, indicating the 175,000 they paid to get him from Rotherham was money well spent.

"I've been delighted with my returns which is roughly one (goal) every two (games),'' he said. If City do get promoted Goater will probably have a new contract offered to him even though he still has a year left on his existing one.

Immediately after the play-offs he and his wife, Anita, will enjoy a vacation with Lightbourne and his wife, Rosemarie, in Florida before returning to Bermuda in June for a pre-season break.

"I'm happy for Kyle as well because in the past three years the two Bermudians have been among the top goal scorers,'' said Goater. "We have not only done our teams proud but also Bermuda.

"People do know of Kyle Lightbourne and Shawn Goater out here in England. I can think back to the first year or two when I was playing it was `number 10, steady on' but now they are on a first name basis. Everyone knows you.'' It remains to be seen which clubs show interest in Lightbourne as he will be out of contract at the end of the season. Coventry City's offer of 400,000 was turned down by Walsall earlier this year but other offers could come in during the summer.

In three seasons Lightbourne has topped the Walsall scoring with 27, 24 and 25 goals. He and Goater both scored 24 last season and are tied again on 25, though Goater still has at least a couple of games left while Lightbourne's season is over.

"I really do hope things work out for Kyle, he's done very well and deserves it,'' said Goater.

"He's done it for the past three seasons and it is no longer in his hands, he's done what he's had to do.''