against US champions DC United at the end of the month when fellow professionals Kyle Lightbourne and David Bascome also join the team.

The players will arrive on Sunday, March 28 and leave on the Wednesday after the match.

But it may be more difficult for the England-based pair to get back for Bermuda's Caribbean Cup qualifying matches here in early May as that could clash with promotion play-off matches in the English Second Division.

"They called and the fact that I don't miss a game, I'm delighted,'' said Goater the day after his first hat-trick of the season against Burnley which took his tally for the season to 16.

Goater had his hopes of representing Bermuda in the Caribbean Cup in the Cayman Islands dashed last year when he suffered a dislocated shoulded in Manchester City's final game of the season.

"I just hope I don't get injured before the game or whilst I'm there,'' said Goater.

"I want to continue playing international football but the good thing is in the past few seasons I've always been involved in the playoffs towards the end of the season.

"Hopefully it will be the same thing and I have that hard decision to make.'' The league season for the Second Division teams ends on May 8, with City at home to York and Lightbourne's Stoke meeting another promotion contender Walsall. The play-offs could go for two weeks after that and if both Manchester City and Stoke are involved, Bermuda could be without their top two strikers.

Stoke crashed 4-0 at home to Reading on Wednesday night, after beating Blackpool 1-0 away on Saturday with Lightbourne scoring the winner in the 34th minute. They remain in seventh place, five points behind Manchester City but with two games in hand.

Goater is on course for another 20-goal season and could even get close to the target of 25 which he set himself at the start of the season.

"In the past four or five games I have been playing well but haven't had the goals to go with it, so I've been working on the performances, more or less,'' said Goater.

The hat-trick will have done wonders for his confidence, coming at a time when City needed a big win after Saturday's home draw against lowly Northampton.

"It just happened for me on the night so I'm pleased for myself and for the team as well,'' said Goater.

With 12 games remaining City are 10 points out of the second automatic promotion spot occupied by Preston. They still have to play Preston and Gillingham, two of the teams above them.

"We've got 12 games left and we will need to win 10 of them,'' Goater believes.

"I'm on target to get over 20 and that's the aim again, and try to get close to 25 which I have consistently done.'' At least for the DC United match, technical director clyde Best will have the professionals available as the strength of the team is guaged against the top US outfit.

"I'm looking forward to coming back home and playing with Kyle,'' said Goater.

"I would like for us to even finish in England playing together. It would be good to link up with David as well. From the reports David played well down in the Cayman Islands when I was unable to go last season.'' Bascome is reportedly covering from an injury to his ribs he suffered two weeks ago, though he has still made some appearances for his team, Harrisburg Heat. Bascome is undergoing therapy.