Rotherham United striker is not sure when he will return to action.

"The physio and I are doing a few laps around the pitch but it needs to get strengthened more to take my body weight,'' said Goater last night. "Once it's strong enough the next step will be light training, twisting and turning.'' While Goater is anxious to return to the Rotherham first team, he is not about to race back too quickly.

"I've just been taking it as I find it,'' he said of the recovery process.

Rotherham have been sliding down the Second Division standings lately and are presently 10th. With 12 matches remaining, six at home, Rotherham's aim is to finish in the top six for a play-off spot for promotion.

However, they have been hit by injuries lately with striker Tony Cunningham still sidelined and Andy Flounders' loan period now ended. He has returned to Rochdale with Don Page returning from his loan period.

Another Rotherham striker, John Buckley, is presently in hospital on a life support machine after fracturing his skull in the team's match on Saturday against Plymouth. Buckley, 30, was hit from behind as he tried to back-head the ball but the major damage was done when he fell and cracked the front of his skull.

"Tomorrow they are supposed to take him off the life support machine to see if he can breathe on his own,'' explained Goater who witnessed the incident.

"If not, they will put him back on the respirator. I think it's a good chance he will be able to breathe on his own.'' Added Goater: "That injury he got could happen to anyone. He tried to flick it on and a defender hit him from behind. There was a two-hour operation to remove two blood clots.'' With Goater out injured and Meshach Wade and Kentoine Jennings no longer at Hereford United, Kyle Lightbourne was the only local professional active in England on the weekend. He celebrated his return to the Scarborough team after a couple of games on the subs bench by scoring his team's last goal in the 4-1 win over Walsall.

Like Rotherham, Scarborough are 10th in their division (third), having slumped lately.