Love him or not, Shawn Goater can't be ignored by the football fans in Bristol.

The Bermudian striker made one part of the city happy and the other sad on Tuesday night when he netted twice in City's 2-1 away win over Rovers in the English Second Division match.

Manager John Ward's decision to give Goater his first start in six weeks, following a stomach injury, paid off as his top scorer netted a goal in each half to give City another important win.

"Make Mine a Double'' screamed the headline in the Evening Post the next day after Goater scored in the 27th and 49th minutes to keep City in second place in the standings and help extend their good run of form.

"Both the goals were very similiar. For the first one it was a ball down the line and I ran diagonallly onto it, took a touch and that put me on the corner of the 18 (yard box) and I hit it hard and low into the bottom corner,'' explained Goater yesterday.

"The second one was a through ball but this time my run was straight. I took a touch on the corner of the 18-yard box and hit it again into the bottom corner.'' Rovers managed to pull a goal back but it could not prevent them from suffering the humiliation of a home defeat against their neighbours.

"My celebration was to put my hand up near my ear to say `I can't hear you now, you're not singing anymore','' said Goater.

"All the teams have a song they sing when they score and the opposing team is quiet. That was the icing on the cake, really, they love you if you score in the derby games.'' Goater also scored at the Rovers ground last year as City also won 2-1.

"Their fans don't like me because I've come here and scored goals,'' he says.

"Now it's about keeping it going because that game is over and done with.'' This time last year Goater had ten goals but with nine from 12 starts he still has a chance to match his haul last season of 25 goals. "At least 25,'' he said.

"If I score 25 I will be more than pleased. If you are a regular scorer season in and season out teams are aware of you. To do it again, which would be a fourth successive season, would be an achievement.'' The top scorers in the division -- Mark Stallard of Wycombe and Walsall's Roger Boli -- both have 11 so Goater has not lost too much ground.

City have the look of a team that can finally get back into the First Division next season. They have risen from 15th in the standings in late September to second now as Ward was voted manager of the month in October. "I think we are grinding out results in games that we might have drawn 0-0,'' said Goater of the current team which was boosted by some new signings.

His two-year contract expires at the end of the season but already the club has put a new, improved offer on the table in a bid to keep their bargain 175,000 signing.

Goater is taking a wait and see approach as he does not want to tie himself to a club that may still be in the Second Division next season.

"They've come with an offer and it has gone back,'' Goater explained of the talks.

"My agent (Mark Georgevic) has liaised with them and it (offer) is quite good, really. When I think about the normal job situation, when a job is in the paper you go and accept the wage, whereas in football you can negotiate if you are in demand.

"I'll be 28 in February and it's a vital time in my career in football because the next contract will see me through until I'm 30, 31. That's when you start looking towards your football pension, at about 35. At the end of the day I want to play at as high a level as I can.''