If there's one thing any aspiring local professional can learn from Kyle Lightbourne and Shawn Goater it's that success doesn't come without hard work.

Goater went from a promising teenager on the books of top club Manchester United to lowly Rotherham United in the bottom division where he spent six years before bouncing back with ambitious Bristol City last season.

Lightbourne started at the bottom with Scarborough, joining them just after Bermuda's World Cup campaign and staying six months before new manager Phil Chambers released seven players in April, 1993. One of them was Lightbourne who still had another year remaining on his contract.

Refusing to give up on his dream of reaching the top, Lightbourne hooked up with Walsall with the help of local agent Mark Trott. After finishing the last three seasons as their top scorer, he officially joined Premier club Coventry yesterday when he signed a four-year contract.

Now, while Scarborough remain in the bottom division, Lightbourne has risen to the top and will soon get his first taste of Premier League football.

"I just thought it was a bit unfortunate but it was down to the chairman (Jeff Richmond),'' Lightbourne says of the way he departed from Scarborough.

He let Richmond, now chairman of Bradford City, know what he was missing last season when he scored twice against them in a league match at Walsall. "All the players there felt I had the ability to play at a high level. It's just that they were a small club and they couldn't afford to keep a lot of players.

"Fortunately for me I went to Walsall and things developed from there. I worked on my game but maybe if I had stayed at Scarborough I might not be in this position now.'' Added Lightbourne: "I went there in the middle of the season and had to step it up. I was living in a hotel and there were a lot of things that added up.

It wasn't the best but I had to deal with it.

"No disrespect to Scarborough but Walsall was a better area for me, more diverse and I can relate to the people better. It's more homely and was easier for me to adapt.'' And while Lightbourne will still live in Walsall, he is in far better surroundings at Coventry City who have a 22,600 all-seater stadium which is about a 40-minute drive from his home.

In the two training sessions he has had so far with his new club there is one thing that he already realises he needs to work on -- his level of fitness.

"We're not kicking a ball yet, just doing a lot of running but I'm finding it a bit different at the moment,'' said Lightbourne who went through two, two hour training sessions yesterday.

"The game may be a bit slower but players at that level think a bit quicker.

"I didn't do too much over the summer. In pre-season at Walsall normally I started off quite slowly. Once I get over the stiffness my body will start coming back to itself.

"I would love for people in Bermuda to come over here and train in pre-season to see what it's like. It could be a shock to the system if you are not used to it.'' The lanky striker has about a month to stake a claim for a place in the team.

"I'm a part of the first team squad and it's up to me to stay there,'' he said.

Lightbourne said he felt North Village pair Kofi Dill and Jemeiko Jennings would hold their own in terms of skill when they travel to Charlton and Luton Town next month for trials. But it is in other areas where the real test will come.

"They have to be prepared to work hard and not give in,'' Lightbourne warned.

"They will test your mental approach to the game and that's what the English game is all about. That's something I had to learn very quickly, to stand up for myself and not be prepared to be walked over.

"You even have to show that to your team-mates, that's how you earn their respect. Even training is very competitive.'' TWO OF A KIND -- Shawn Goater (left) and Kyle Lightbourne both attribute their success in the English soccer league to hard work.