Martin Paterson: Burton Albion boss wants to emulate club's former managerial successes

Martin Paterson most recently worked as assistant manager at Championship club Swansea City

New Burton boss Martin Paterson says he relishes the comparisons the club's owner made about him and a number of the Brewers' vaunted former managers.

Chairman Ben Robinson said he sees the "same potential" in Paterson that he saw in Neil Warnock, Nigel Clough and Gary Rowett - who were all appointed by Burton in their 30s.

The Brewers job is 36-year-old Paterson's first as boss, having previously worked as an assistant.

"No pressure at all," Paterson laughed.

"They are great names, people who have forged great careers from a great club, which is Burton, and started their managerial success here."

Warnock was a former Burton player who managed the Brewers at non-league level early in his managerial career that has spanned five decades and 16 clubs.

Former England striker Clough started as a player-manager with the Brewers and took them to the Championship in his second spell, while Rowett began his management career in League Two with the east Staffordshire side before leaving for Birmingham City in the second division in 2014.

"I'm not going to hide away, I'm trying to do the same thing," said Paterson of wanting to emulate his Burton predecessors.

"I'm very honoured and proud to be Burton manager and know what that means."

Derby 'a great place to start'

Former Burnley and Northern Ireland striker Paterson, who has previously worked as assistant manager at Swansea, Barnsley and Inter Miami, has taken charge of a Burton side that are four places and five points above the League One relegation places after 26 matches.

His first game in charge will be at neighbours and high-flyers Derby County on Monday.

Paterson says the impression he wants to make on the Brewers "won't happen overnight" but feels Burton are well equipped to deal with a Rams side that have lost just one of their past 11 league games.

"It's a great start and a great opportunity," he told BBC Radio Derby after what he called "a whirlwind" appointment.

"That will be the message to the players.

"I think if you are going to start with one game away from home, Derby is going to be a great start for us to go and implement some of the small things that I would like to see.

"I see Burton are very good at the non-negotiables - we compete, we can see the players are putting in lots of effort. Now it's the finer details of cleaning things up on the ball and making sure we know what we can do and not what we can't.

"I see that it is an honest group, so I'm quietly confident going into that game."