Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who is the assistant head coach of club
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
.
Born in
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
, he played as a
forward; he began his career with
Stoke City, making his senior debut in April 2005. He failed to win a regular first-team place, however, and had a
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
spell at
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
in the 2006–07 season before he was allowed to join
Scunthorpe United in July 2007. He scored 13 goals in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
in the 2007–08 season and was signed by
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
for a £1 million fee in June 2008. He scored 19 goals in 57 appearances in the 2008–09 campaign, helping the club to win
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
into the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
via the
play-offs. Burnley were
relegated
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
at the end of the 2009–10 season, and he went on to join
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
on a
free transfer in June 2013. He had loan spells at
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
,
Fleetwood Town, and
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
club
Orlando City. Huddersfield released him and then had a brief spell with Orlando City before he spent the 2015–16 season with
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. He joined
Port Vale for four months in August 2016 before returning to America to play for the
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...
in March 2017. He moved to India in January 2018 to sign for
ATK. Throughout his 14-year professional career, he scored 78 goals in 339 league and cup appearances. He won 23 caps for
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in a seven-year international career from 2007 to 2014, scoring three international goals.
After retiring as a player, he moved into
coaching with
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...
,
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
,
Inter Miami,
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
,
Swansea City, before becoming the head coach at
Burton Albion in January 2024 until May 2024. He then became part of the backroom staff at Huddersfield Town.
Club career
Stoke City
Born in
Tunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, Engl ...
,
Paterson failed a trial at nearby
Port Vale at the age of nine as the club felt he was too small, but was instead accepted into the
Stoke City academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
. He made his first-team debut for Stoke as a late
substitute for
Chris Greenacre in a 2–0 win over
Plymouth Argyle in a
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
game at the
Britannia Stadium on 16 April 2005. His first start came in a 0–0 draw with
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
at
Elland Road
Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
on 25 March 2006. He had dyed his hair red and white before the game, but was sent home to have it cut by
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh former professional football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 2 ...
.
He scored his first goal for the club on 12 September 2006, in a 1–1 draw with
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
at
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a association football, football stadium in the area of Owlerton, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. With a total capacity of 39,732, it has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday Football Club ...
. Nine weeks later he joined
League Two side
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
on an initial one-month
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
, along with Stoke teammate
Anthony Pulis. He scored four goals in his first three appearances for the "Mariners". The loan was extended into a third month, and after scoring a total of six goals in his 15 games for Grimsby, manager
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside.
As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, ...
said that "for supporters to sing 'why don't you sign him', we've got to get real... there was never any possibility of us making anything permanent for a player like Martin."
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
tried to acquire the striker on loan, but he instead remained at Stoke. He played three further games for the "Potters" towards the end of the
2006–07 season, before departing in the summer. Manager Tony Pulis said that "it was the right decision to let him go – in the summer of 2007 – because there was no way he was going to play in front of
Ricardo Fuller
Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward.
Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in Feb ...
".
Scunthorpe United
In July 2007, Paterson was signed by
Scunthorpe United manager
Nigel Adkins
Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former footballer and physiotherapist. He was most recently the manager and technical director at Tranmere Rovers.
Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tran ...
for a fee set by a tribunal. He enjoyed an excellent start to the
2007–08 season, scoring four goals in his first five games. He ended the campaign with 14 goals in 42 appearances, but the "Iron" were
relegated
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
out of the Championship. He left the club in acrimonious circumstances, accusing Scunthorpe of having gone back on their word after they rejected his written
transfer request.
Burnley

In June 2008, Paterson agreed a four-year
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
with
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
after being signed by manager
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one appearanc ...
for a £1 million fee, which would rise to £1.3 million depending on appearances; the deal included a 20% sell on fee for Scunthorpe. He scored 19 goals in 57 appearances in the
2008–09 season, finishing as the club's top-scorer, as the "Clarets" reached the semi-finals of the
League Cup and won
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
into the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
via the
play-offs . He played the full 90 minutes at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
as Burnley beat
Sheffield United 1–0 in the
play-off final.
He
tore his
medial knee ligament in September 2009 and was kept him out of action for three months as he was forced to undergo surgery to correct the problem. He returned to fitness, and scored his first Premier League goal on 21 February in a 5–2 defeat to
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
at
Villa Park
Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. Six days later he made his first league start since his return from injury, and scored Burnley's consolation goal in a 2–1 defeat to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
at
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
after
lobbing
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
international goalkeeper
David James. He scored in a 4–1 victory over
Hull City at the
KC Stadium on 10 April, and scored his fourth and final goal of the campaign in a 4–2 home win over
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 9 May. Burnley were relegated at the end of the
2009–10 season, along with Hull City and Portsmouth, after finishing five points short of safety.
Paterson signed a new three-year contract in June 2010, with manager
Brian Laws
Brian Laws (born 14 October 1961) is an English former professional footballer and manager.
Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of ...
stating that "it is a reward for the season he had. Even though he was injured for a good part, Martin certainly made an impact". It took until 6 November for him to register his first goals of the season, scoring twice in a 2–2 draw with
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
at
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a association football, football stadium in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship club Norwich City F.C., Norwich City. The stadium is east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum.
...
. He then picked up a thigh injury later in the month which kept him out over Christmas, and the injury re-occurred in February to rule him out for the rest of the season.
In August 2011, it was reported that Burnley rejected an offer of £2.5 million from Portsmouth for Paterson.
He was again plagued by injury during the
2011–12 campaign, with a thigh problem picked up in August keeping him out until December and then a
pulled hamstring picked up January keeping him out until the middle of February. He again picked up a
hamstring
A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris.
Etymology
The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
tear in August 2012, but recovered quickly and went on to score eight goals in 39 appearances in the
2012–13 campaign. However, manager
Sean Dyche used him primarily as a winger, and speaking in February 2013, Paterson joked that "it's pretty hard to get a game
t centre-forward- I'll possibly have to shoot
Charlie to get a game if I'm honest".
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
attempted to sign Paterson on loan the following month, but were rebuffed by Dyche. Paterson rejected Burnley's offer of a new contract in the summer.
Huddersfield Town
Paterson signed a two-year contract with
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
in June 2013, becoming manager
Mark Robins
Mark Gordon Robins (born 22 December 1969) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of club Stoke City. As a player, he was a striker and is best known for his time in the Premier League with Manchester United, Norw ...
's third signing ahead of the
2013–14 season. He stated that the promise of being played in his favoured position of centre-forward was a major factor in his decision to join the club. Three months later both he and teammate
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock music, rock band U2. Born in Oxfordshire, England, he lived in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland after his family moved to ...
were dropped from the first-team amid rumours of a
training ground bust-up between the pair where Paterson was alleged to have punched Clayton. On 23 November, both players were re-instated to the first-team against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
at
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a association football, football stadium in the area of Owlerton, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. With a total capacity of 39,732, it has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Sheffield Wednesday Football Club ...
, in which Paterson scored his first goal of the season, set-up by Clayton; following the goal Paterson celebrated by re-enacting a 'mock-fight' with Clayton. Paterson went on to fall behind
Nahki Wells
Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City and the Bermuda national football team, Bermuda ...
and
James Vaughan in the pecking order however, and on 15 March he joined
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
on loan for the rest of the season. Bristol City manager
Steve Cotterill had previously tried to sign Paterson when he was manager of Portsmouth.
He made his debut for the "Robins" in a 0–0 draw with
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
at
Ashton Gate on 15 March, and admitted he was "disappointed not to score" after missing a good chance to win the game. He ended the 2013–14 campaign with one goal in eight games for Bristol City, and six goals in 26 games for Huddersfield.
He picked up a knee injury picked up towards the end of the
2014–15 pre-season which put him out of contention until September. He made his first start of the season, as a substitute, in a 4–2 win over
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
at the
John Smith's Stadium on 18 October. On 13 November, he joined
League One side
Fleetwood Town on loan until 3 January 2015. Fleetwood manager
Graham Alexander had previously played with Paterson at Burnley. Injury cut short his loan after only three appearances, and he returned to Huddersfield on 4 December.
Orlando City
On 26 January 2015, Paterson joined
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
side
Orlando City, who were managed by fellow Stoke-on-Trent native
Adrian Heath
Adrian Paul Heath (born 11 January 1961) is an English football manager and former player. He most recently served as head coach of Major League Soccer club Minnesota United until October 2023. As a player, he is best known for his six season ...
, on a five-month loan deal. The move made him a teammate of former
Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Conceived ...
winner
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime at A.C. Milan, AC Mil ...
. However, Paterson went on to make only a combined total of 53 minutes in four appearances for Orlando due to a succession of injuries.
He left the club by mutual consent on 5 August due to "personal reasons".
Blackpool
Paterson joined League One side Blackpool in September 2015. He started two games and made 17 substitute appearances for the "Seasiders" in the
2015–16 season, without scoring a goal, as the club were relegated into League Two. He was one of six players released by manager
Neil McDonald in May 2016.
Port Vale
Paterson signed with League One club Port Vale in August 2016. He made his first start for the "Valiants" on 30 August, in a 1–0 win over
Derby County U23 in an
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...
match; he admitted that "I was disappointed not to score, I should have scored... I know that I have to work hard to get that sharpness and the top end ruthlessness back, but hard work has never been an issue for me". He scored his first goal in 30 months on 24 September, converting his only chance of the game to open the scoring in a 2–1 defeat to
Bristol Rovers at the
Memorial Stadium. However, he struggled with a back injury and remained unpopular with supporters due to his Stoke City connections, and left
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
on 27 December upon the expiry of his contract, having scored only two goals in 12 starts and six substitute appearances. He departed the club just a day after manager
Bruno Ribeiro.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Paterson signed a contract with the
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...
of the
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
on 15 March 2017, having already appeared in four pre-season games as a trialist. He scored ten goals in 29 appearances across the
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
season, helping
Stuart Campbell's Rowdies to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference, before they were beaten at the
Conference Semi-finals by the
New York Red Bulls II
New York Red Bulls II is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid.
Hi ...
.
ATK
On 17 January 2018, Paterson joined
ATK of the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
after being signed by
head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
. However, Sherringham was sacked days later, leaving
Ashley Westwood in interim charge for Paterson's scoring debut in a 2–1 defeat to
Chennaiyin FC at the
Salt Lake Stadium on 25 January.
International career
Born in England, Paterson qualified to represent
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
at international level as his father was from Northern Ireland, and he was alerted to the
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team (1882–1950), Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became t ...
by
Ciarán Toner. He won two caps for the
Northern Ireland under-21 side, before withdrawing from the squad for "personal reasons" in October 2007.
Nigel Worthington
Nigel Worthington (born 4 November 1961) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of York City.
He played a defender and a midfielder, playing his club football for Ballymena United, Notts County ...
handed Paterson his senior team debut as a 72nd-minute substitute for
Warren Feeney
Warren James Feeney (born 17 January 1981) is a Northern Irish football manager and former professional Association football, footballer who manages club Weymouth F.C., Weymouth.
As a player he was a Forward (association football), forward who ...
in a 1–0 defeat to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in a
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals tournament took place between August 2006 and November 2007. Fifty teams were divided into seven groups. In a Round-robin tournament, double round-robin system, each team played against each of the others ...
match on 17 November 2007. He made his first start for Northern Ireland on 20 August 2008, in a 0–0 draw with
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. He scored his first international goal with an 84th-minute
penalty in a 3–3 draw in a
friendly against
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
at
Windsor Park
The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...
on 15 August 2012. He scored his second international goal on 14 August 2013, his
header securing
Michael O'Neill his first win as manager with a 1–0 victory over
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
in a
qualifying game for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
. He scored the third goal of his international career on 10 September 2013, in a 3–2 defeat to
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
at the
Stade Josy Barthel. He won the last of his 22 senior caps on 5 March 2014, in a 0–0 friendly in a friendly against
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. He withdrew from Northern Ireland's squad three months later in order to focus on his pre-season with Huddersfield Town, citing injury issues during the 2013–14 season in his decision.
Style of play
Former Burnley manager
Eddie Howe
Edward John Frank Howe (born 29 November 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League club Newcastle United.
A centre-back during his playing career, Howe spent most of his playing ...
described Paterson as "a real grafter, you can see that with the way he plays, he sets the tone really in terms of his closing down and
work rate
In association football, work rate refers to the extent to which a player contributes to running and chasing in a match while not in possession of the ball.
Work rate is generally indicated by the distance covered by a player during a match. An ...
and also he's got quality as well".
Coaching career
Paterson was appointed as an assistant
coach to head coach
Neill Collins
Neill William Collins (born 2 September 1983) is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the head coach of USL Championship club Sacramento Republic.
Collins is a former Scotland U21 and Scotland B international who played as a ...
at the Tampa Bay Rowdies in July 2018. In February 2020, he was named as assistant coach to
Jason Kreis
Jason Clarence Kreis (born December 29, 1972) is an American soccer coach and former player who is the director of operations and special projects for Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake and the former head coach of the United States unde ...
at
USL League One
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...
club
Fort Lauderdale CF. He was hired as an assistant coach at
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Inter Miami in January 2022. Seven months later he returned to England to work as
Michael Duff's assistant at League One club
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
. He joined Duff at
Swansea City in June 2023, working as an assistant head coach alongside
Alan Sheehan.
Burton Albion
On 11 January 2024, Paterson was appointed head coach of
Burton Albion, who were 17th in League One. Owner Ben Robinson revealed in March that it was only a short-term contract but said that it was "a scenario where hopefully it's going to be a long-term relationship". Paterson left the club after Burton narrowly avoided relegation at the end of the
2023–24 season.
Huddersfield Town
Paterson joined the backroom staff at Huddersfield Town in June 2024.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paterson goal.''
Managerial statistics
Honours
Burnley
*
Football League Championship play-offs:
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paterson, Martin
1987 births
Living people
People from Tunstall, Staffordshire
Footballers from Stoke-on-Trent
English men's footballers
English people of Northern Ireland descent
Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland men's under-21 international footballers
Northern Ireland men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Stoke City F.C. players
Grimsby Town F.C. players
Scunthorpe United F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Expatriate men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Orlando City SC players
Blackpool F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Tampa Bay Rowdies players
ATK (football club) players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Major League Soccer players
USL Championship players
Indian Super League players
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
English expatriate men's footballers
English football managers
Burton Albion F.C. managers
Association football coaches
USL Championship coaches
USL League One coaches
English Football League managers
Inter Miami CF non-playing staff
Barnsley F.C. non-playing staff
Swansea City A.F.C. non-playing staff
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. non-playing staff
21st-century English sportsmen