Paterson joins training to cover player shortage

Martin Paterson was appointed Notts County head coach in the summer

Martin Paterson attempted to roll back the years when he joined his Notts County players in training this week – but what the Magpies head coach ended up doing was roll back the video footage to delete it.

The 38-year-old, who played for Burnley in the Premier League and counts Huddersfield Town, Stoke City and Scunthorpe United among his long list of former clubs, pulled the boots back on and put himself up front for a training session that he did not have enough players for.

Knee injuries to captain Matt Palmer and Malta international Jodi Jones, and the continued absence of Rod McDonald, was only made worse when some team-mates were stuck down by illness this week.

"We didn't have many players training yesterday because in this period you have illnesses, head colds and all sorts going on, so I had to join in," Paterson told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"And I'll be honest, I played really well and was pleased with my performance. And the best thing about being a head coach is that if you do make a mistake, you can delete it on the videos."

However, it turned out that Paterson was less than forthright in his initial assessment of himself, and would have had to do some heavy editing when reviewing the tapes.

"Well, I was trying to be positive because I was awful," he laughed.

"You have to go with the positivity. I gave the ball away for fun, but what I did was tell the players I was doing it on purpose to work on counter pressing."

For Paterson, it has been a week in which he has got his side "back to basics" after he felt his high-flying Magpies "got a slap" when beaten 3-1 at home by mid-table Colchester United last week.

Notts goalkeeper Kelle Roos was at fault for the first goal in the latest of his underwhelming performances since moving to Meadow Lane in the summer.

And while Paterson was reluctant to single out individual performances, he did admit that the League Two club has had free-agent goalkeepers in this week on a trial basis.

"We have looked at goalkeepers and had a few in, because it's an area where we are weak in terms of numbers, and I think we could bolster that area," he said.

"And it's a clear message to everybody - regardless of if it's goalkeepers, centre-halves, midfield players or people that stick it in the back of the net - if there is an area we can improve, or if I think levels dip, I want to be proactive and look if I can improve it.

"I've done that this week and it hasn't panned out."

Paterson added: "One key thing is that we have always got to put the players on notice that their performance is their job. Results are mine, but performances are theirs.

"And I think it is a good tool to poke the player and say, 'Come on, we have five or six games before the [transfer] window, be at your best.'"