Lower division clubs are desperately queuing up to try and secure the striking services of Shaun Goater, but he has vowed to stay put at Reading.

The Bermudian frontman, who has been relegated to only cameo roles this season for the Royals, has turned down loan offers from Oxford United, Rotherham and at least one other lower division side, while his club failed to do a short-team deal with QPR.

And although it seems his club are keen to fob off one of their largest wage earners, and they certainly have no interest in playing him, Goater is remaining committed to the promotion-chasers.

“I am not interested in going out on loan, that is not why I came to Reading,” said Goater, who has started just two league games this term despite finishing top scorer in the last campaign.

“I remain committed to the club and I am going to stay here and play whatever role they want me to play.

“I came to this club to do a job and I still want to prove to myself and the club that I made the right decision. I am not interested in going out on loan anywhere, this is the club I came to play for.”

That fact was somewhat sarcastically shared by Reading Director of Football Nicky Hammond this week, when he stated: “There has been interest in Shaun in terms of possible loan deals but nothing that really interests him. It will have to suit Shaun Goater.”

It has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that the former Man City legend's commitment to the club has not been reciprocated, however, with Goater suffering an increasingly torrid time since his move down a division for ‘guaranteed first-team football'.

Once Alan Pardew, the man who signed him from City, departed the club, new boss Steve Coppell made it clear that Goater was not going to be his first choice.

The 33-year-old did manage 13 goals last campaign but it probably should have been more had he not been benched by Coppell when on a hot scoring streak towards the end of the year.

But it has been this season that Goater has really suffered.

He failed to be offered 90 minutes in any of the pre-season games and had only managed a single league cup start until injuries to both Coppell's first-choice frontmen forced the boss' hand into putting Goater into the starting eleven for a league game.

A calf strain picked up in his second start against Leeds in October appeared to have effectively ended Goater's season, with the forward having made just one short substitute appearance since.

Throw in the fact that he was asked not to travel with Bermuda to St. Vincent for the Digicel Cup on the promise of a guaranteed start the following week - only to be left as an unused substitute - and the club's signing of veteran forward Les Ferdinand and it is obvious that 2004-5 is just not Goater's season.

But somehow, he remains upbeat.

“I am not going to get down about it,” continued Goater, whose positive attitude somehow doesn't seem to marry with his role as Reading reserve.

“There is a role for me to play here and I am going to play it.

“Football is unique in that it might look like a player's season is going nowhere and one weekend later everything can change. Injuries, a loss of form, anything can happen and if it does, and they ask me to do a job, then I am going to step up and do it.

“I feel, one way or another, 2005 is going to be a good year for me.”