Bermuda's England-based professionals Shawn Goater and Kyle Lightbourne will be following very closely the developments over the legality of transferring of players at the end of their contracts.

In a major development this week, The European Court of Justice was advised to rule that the sport's system of transfers and the rules governing foreign players were illegal.

Carl Otto Lenz, one of the court's chief legal advisers, said that both the transfer system and the restrictions on the number of foreigners allowed to play in club competitions were illegal under Europen Union law.

Lenz is suggesting that the transfer fee payable for a player by his new club is illegal, especially when a player has reached the end of his contract and wants to move to a new club. A judgement has not been made by the European Court of Justice but clubs and players will be following the developments over the coming months.

"It's funny how it's gone on for so long,'' said Goater, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

"Once your contract is up it's up. Lower league clubs are still saying we want 300,000 for this player and yet his contract is up.

"It isn't fair for the player because they are still demanding what they would if he was still under contract. That would make clubs start to negotiate with players around Christmas before their contracts are up.

"My club will probably come to me around Christmas and negotiate from there.

If that rule is passed that is what will happen, they will not wait until the end of the season and leave players with their contracts expiring.'' Goater got back amongst the goals when he netted on Wednesday night to keep Middlesborough to a slim 2-1 win in the first leg of the two-leg Coca-Cola Cup match.

The Bermudian is showing that he can score against Premier League teams, having scored in a 1-0 home win over Everton two years ago before Rotherham lost the return leg after goalkeeper Billy Mercer was sent off early in the match.

"It's not often you get the opportunity to play against them (Premier teams) and when you score against them it's more noticeable. Managers note that,'' said Goater.

Goater's eighth goal of the season came right on half-time after Goater worked a one-two with Shaun Goodwin on the edge of the box. "He had the ball to start with coming up towards the 18-yard box.

"He gave it to me, I gave it back to him and when he gave it back to me I let it run across my body, knocked it across the defender into the box and hit it hard and low into the bottom left corner.'' The goal ended a three-game goalless streak by Goater, and it could not have come at a better time -- against the team now managed by his former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.

"He made me welcome there, having me go round to his house,'' said Goater of the 18 months he spent at Old Trafford at the start of his professional career. He was unable to speak to the former England captain during Wednesday's match.

"I never got to speak to him, he was always around the press.'' Middlesborough, a team which came to Bermuda a few years ago, had their new Riverside Stadium half full for the match. The ground has a capacity of just under 30,000.

"For me right now it's important that when we get these games against the Premier League teams that I'm on the scoresheet and clubs see this. It's more important for me to score last night than in the previous three games.'' Goater obviously holds the key if Rotherham are to get past this tie. He has been forming a front line partnership with new signing Mike Jeffrey and winger Trevor Berry who is on loan from Aston Villa for a month. Berry did not play in the match because Villa did not want him to be `cup-tied' which would rule him out of playing for Villa in this competition when he returns to the club.

"He (Berry) is a very short, nippish winger with good pace and he gets plenty of crosses in,'' said Goater. "He's done well.'' "Last night in the (match) programme and in the press Bryan Robson had said that he was worried about me and to look out for the pace. He felt that I would be one of the danger men.

"If we can apply ourselves like we applied ourselves last night I can't see any reason why we can't come away with something. It's going to be difficult but if we stick to our normal game and force them to make mistakes then we can come away with something.'' Added Goater: "When we play Premier League teams they are able to keep the ball for long periods but not able to penetrate as you would think. In all honesty my gaffer is happy with that.

"In our division it is not so much a keep-the-ball thing. You might have it for five or six passes and then you are looking for a penetrative ball whereas they would keep it for 15-20 passes but not necessarily going anywhere on the halfway line.'' Goater, with 25 goals last season, is aiming for about 30 this season. "I've set myself to have 15 by Christmas and if I carry on the way I'm going now I could have 15 and possibly more,'' said Goater.

Rotherham face a tough away match against unbeaten division leaders Swindon on Saturday while Lightbourne travels with his Walsall team-mates to second-from-bottom York who created the biggest upset in the Coca-Cola Cup this week when they won 3-0 away to Manchester United.

SHAWN GOATER -- Goal on Wednesday night couldn't have come at a better time.