No matter who you spoke to on Saturday, one sentence seemed to sum up Shaun Goater ? ?he is a true gentleman?.

Fans from Southend, Bristol City and a contingent of more than 100 from the club where he made his name, Manchester City, were united in their admiration for the Bermudian striker who retired from football after racking up more than 550 appearances, scoring 260 goals.

From a career that started at Manchester United and went on to include Rotherham, Bristol City, Manchester City, Reading and Southend United, Goater commanded combined transfer fees of more than ?1million.

At the weekend more than 11,000 fans from Southend, Bristol City and Manchester City turned out to see the player in action one final time.

Cries of ?Feed the Goat and he will score? rang out around the Roots Hall Stadium in Essex and the 36-year-old almost made it a storybook ending when he rose highest at a corner in the third minute only to see his header come back off the post.

It was the nearest he came to a goal in the match, although he played an integral part in many of Southend?s best moments.

However, with just seven minutes of the game left Southend boss Steve Tilson declared the big number nine?s time was up, allowing him to milk the adulation of all those who had made the trip.

It was a day never to be forgotten, especially for the supporters who travelled down from Manchester to pay tribute to the man known simply as ?The Goat?.

?As far as I am concerned he is a genuinely nice guy,? said Colin Walton, who has been watching Manchester City since the age of nine. ?He loves to play football and puts his heart and soul into it.

?These days, you look around and see some of the modern day footballers taking out of the game more than they put back into it.

?Shaun Goater is different. Wherever he has been, he has tried his heart out. He is not the most gifted player but he gives 100 per cent all the time.?

Walton said part of Goater?s attraction was his ungainliness and his unpredictability.

?You never see him score the perfect goal,? he laughed. ?Most fly in off his shin or his backside. But at the end of the day we have so much respect for him.

?We were given about 150 tickets and they were snapped up in no time ? that just shows how highly he is thought of.?

?We would love him to score a goal today,? he added prior to the kick-off.

?Maybe if he was to get a penalty. Mind you, you still can?t guarantee he would score it!?

Vince Gibson, another true Blue, added his praise for the player, saying he would never forget the part he played in City?s renaissance after they dropped into League Two.

?Shaun Goater was a significant player for us at a very important period for our club,? he said. ?He has got to be right up there with the best. At the point he joined us the club was at the lowest point in its history and he was part of the turnaround that brought us back from the brink of, well, who knows what?

?Being here today is mainly a matter of respect. With it being his last game as a professional footballer we just wanted to say thank you.?

Jean Jeffery, a season ticket holder at Southend, said despite only being at the club for one year, Goater had written his name into the club?s folklore.

?He is a wonderful man and he seems to have generated a lot of respect from both the players and the fans,? she said. ?He always gives 100 percent and we shall be sorry to see him go, but we wish him well. It is a very fitting way for him to go out.?