The Longside Reference

Name: Martin Paterson

D.O.B: 10th May 1987

Place of Birth:

Previous Clubs: Stoke City, Grimsby Town(loan), Scunthorpe.

Position: Striker

Signed By Owen Coyle

Burnley Fee: £1.3 Million (+ 20% sell on clause to Scunthorpe)

Contract: Signed new deal running till July 2013

Burnley Debut:

Last Game for Burnley:

Claret Honours: Play Off Winner 2008/09

Claret Stats:

2011/12Shirt No: 10

Claret Stat: Burnley had spent all summer chasing this highly rated centre forward, who was born just one day after the 'Orient' game.

We had two bids at the end of last season turned down by the Glanford Park outfit, initially £400k and an improved offer of £550k, but following further negotiations it was revelaed on the official Scunthorpe site that Martin would sign for us, the fee agreed was £1.3 mil with a 20% sell on clause (confirmed later by Burnley's official site). 

Martin, who handed in a transfer request after Burnley second offer(£550k) was turned down flat, had played for the Humberside team for one full  season after a transfer from Stoke City. His 13 league goals in 34(6) games and one goal in two cup games, made him the top goalscorer at relegated Scunthorpe.

Stoke City is where so many Burnley forwards plied there trade, Ade Akinbiyi and Noel Williams are just two to grace the Britannia stadium, Paterson is in good company, a former  youth team academy graduate who boasts prolific goalscoring feats for both the youth and reserve sides, but unfortunately after breaking into the first team in 2004/05, went on to start just 2 games being a used substitute on a further 14 occasions, scoring the one solitary goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

A loan move would follow, Grimsby Town and the Mariners is where Martin started to find his true goalscoring potential notching 6 goals in his 15 starts.

With Martins contract at Stoke not to be renewed Scunthorpe United showed an interest, making a bold bid to take Martin, but as he was under the age of 24 a nominal fee would be required (but Stoke wavered the fee) and Martin became the replacement for Sheffield United bound Billy Sharpe.

November 2007 would see Paterson called up for his International debut a squad member for the games against Denmark and Spain. He has won just the one cap up to press.

Martin will be Owen Coyle’s first permanent signing as Burnley manager and has been given the No10 shirt , (the shirt vacated by Andy Gray). 

 Martin's first season in the Claret and Blue of Burnley saw the tenacious front man start 53 games, with another 4 coming off the bench, scoring 19 goals.

His first half strike against Reading was fantastic, he collected the ball form Wade Elliott 50 yard from goal cut inside and hit an unstoppable shot form about 25 yards past possibly the best keeper in the division Marcus Hahnemann.

Pato played his heart out at Wembley, and he and Burnley got there just rewards when Wade Elliott's goal saw Burnley promoted to the Premiership, Pato was to grace the top league.

The Premiership adventure turned sour for Pato when in November a knee injury ruled him out for over four months, when he returned Burnley had lost manager Coyle and were looking relegation in the face, Pato made 23 appearances in the Premiership scoring on 4 occasions.

With the Premiership season almost one to forget for the Northern Ireland International, Pato was back for pre season with Brian Laws' Burnley, but injuries put paid to that season too, Pato made just 11 league appearances scoring just the two goals.

New manager for the 2011/12 season, and Pato was in fine form in pre season, but disastor struck the Irish frontman, Paterson lined up against Watford on the opening day of the season, but it became apparent quite early on he was starting to struggle, new manager Eddie Howe substituded the forward, but later revealed that Paterson needed surgery, just total bad luck for the jet healed front man.

Pato was the subject of a two and a half million pound bid from Portsmouth and former manager Steve Cotterill before this latest injury interupted his Burnley career. Pato made a comeback ironically against Portsmouth in the 0-1 home defeat, but two goals in consecutive game in December against Hull City and Doncaster it looked like Pato's injury worries were behind him.

After playing five out of six, Patos injury problems struck again, he did however make a third comeback in a torturous season as a substitue against Reading live on TV, but he season ended making just 10 starts and a further 5 from the bench scoring 3 times.

For full career stats see Soccerbase.com