Paterson was quick to acknowledge the impact of striker Matthew Dennis, who was recently named League Two Player of the Month for August. But while pleased for his forward, the head coach stressed the award also reflects the work of the squad as a whole.
“I think that when someone gets individual awards there must be credit obviously to the person because Matthew has done really well,” said Paterson. “But also it’s a case of understanding that it is his job to score goals, lead the line and work hard for the team. Other people are working hard to get him opportunities, other people defend for him to then go and release him forward. The team and the club should be rewarded as well as Matthew.”
Paterson added that Dennis has impressed with his willingness to respond to coaching. “What I’m really pleased with is that he’s taken constructive criticism and coaching and propelled himself to be better every day,” he explained. “On Tuesday I filmed the training ground when the main session stopped. We had 12 players by themselves, not coach-led, practising heading, shooting and passing. That’s the culture I’m trying to set.”
The head coach admitted Dennis required extra fitness work in pre-season but praised the effort he has put in. “When he came into pre-season I quickly assessed that he needed to get fitter. He’s worked hard on that aspect and still does,” said Paterson. “The work that’s gone into all the players has been a high volume of videos, a high volume of repetitions. It’s as simple as that. It’s hard work to your craft.”
Paterson has also been encouraged by the wider squad’s response to his demands for extra practice. “When I first came to the club, it was me almost telling and dragging players back out there to do more. Now we see the start of a little bit of freedom for the players to be more accountable. I like the things I’m seeing at the moment, but it’s just a start.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, Paterson views the clash with Gillingham as an ideal measure of progress. “I think it’s a great game. Unbeaten, top of the league. It’s the best challenge we can have. There’s a reason why they’re top, even though it’s early, and we’ve got to go there, be aware of that, but still be ourselves and challenge ourselves. It’s a really good challenge for us and a great game for the players.”
Set-pieces are expected to play a key role, with Gillingham posing a serious threat in that area. Paterson confirmed his side has been working on defensive organisation during the week. “I think early on we were susceptible. I have to own that one, but I think we’ve made good adjustments over the last three or four games. Lots of teams at this level have big set play threats. There’s nothing wrong with it. We’ve just got to deal with it.”
Paterson also provided a positive injury update ahead of the match. “Jodi Jones trained yesterday, so he’s fine. Lucas Ness is getting closer, probably next week he will play a part. Platt is a little bit longer, just settling down, but Jodi’s fine and Lucas will be pushing next week.”
As Notts look to extend their unbeaten run to five, Paterson remains focused on keeping standards high and building on recent progress.
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