Martin Paterson exclusive: The former Clarets striker talks about the inspiration of Sean Dyche, obtaining his coaching badges with an ex-Burnley boss and his hopes of a Turf Moor return!

Inter Miami CF coach Martin Paterson spent less than a season working under Sean Dyche at Turf Moor, but that was more than enough time to take inspiration from the Clarets chief.
Martin Paterson is pursued by Steven Gerrard during a Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Burnley at Anfield.Martin Paterson is pursued by Steven Gerrard during a Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Burnley at Anfield.
Martin Paterson is pursued by Steven Gerrard during a Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Burnley at Anfield.

The 32-year-old ex-Burnley striker is hoping to establish himself as a number one in the not-so-distant future, following the likes of Joey Barton, Michael Duff, Graham Alexander, Paul Cook, Micky Mellon and John McGreal into management.

Paterson played 39 times under Dyche during the 2012/13 campaign and netted eight times, which included the opener in the "Gaffer's" first game as Burnley boss against Wolves.

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The former Northern Ireland international had already taken his first steps into coaching at that point, having attained his UEFA A Licence, but it was Dyche's influence that gave the forward the incentive to stick with it.

Martin Paterson finds the net against Wolves at Molineux in 2013.Martin Paterson finds the net against Wolves at Molineux in 2013.
Martin Paterson finds the net against Wolves at Molineux in 2013.

Speaking about the recipient of the Premier League's last Manager of the Month award, Paterson said: "Sean Dyche is now one of the longest-serving managers in the Premier League, he's up there, just a few days behind Eddie Howe.

"It's fantastic that he's been able to stabalise the club there. He's an impressive manager; some of the things he did was just brilliant, especially looking back now having retired and learned the game a little bit more from a coaching aspect.

"His man management, decision-making, the way he treats people like men. He would name the team, there wouldn't be any soft conversations, he would say 'this is the team' and then got on with it.

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"He treated people like men and he expected you to be a man. I was only there with him for a year, but I learned a lot from him.

"I spoke to him when I was back; I came for the Manchester United game. I was telling him how difficult it is as a coach. He'd been through it and he'd told me how it was going to go and he was right."

Jason Kreiss' right hand man at Fort Lauderdale CF, the Herons' second string in South Florida, would love to return to Burnley one day, but he knows he's got his work cut out if he's to ever land the lead role.

He has dreams of making it at the highest level, though he won't allow himself to get carried away on a flight of fancy.

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Having made 100 league starts for the club following a £1m move from Scunthorpe United in 2008, he went on: "I believe in a few years I'll be a number one so that would make it a very difficult post to land [at Burnley].

"You have to be ambitious, but also realistic. I would, without doubt, in years to come, love to be able to manage a club with the esteem that Burnley has.

"I've got a great affiliation with the club having played there so it's a club I would love to be a part of as a coach, manager, whatever it may be.

"You've got to push yourself and you've got to continue to dream in the same way you did as a player. Burnley has always had good people and that's a strength of the football club."

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Paterson, who was the club's leading scorer in the 2008/09 promotion campaign under Owen Coyle, certainly left an impression during his five-year stay at the club.

He scored 37 goals in 152 appearances across the board, helping the Clarets reach the Premier League and the semi-finals of the League Cup in his first season.

He added: "I'd absolutely love to be back part of the English game and at a club like Burnley, but you've also got to be very realistic, particularly given where Burnley are now.

"They are now a stabalised Premier League football club and they've done fantastic. The manager, the chairman, the owners, they all deserve huge credit.

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"As young coaches you've got to be very realistic and you've got to do apprenticeships, studying and put the years in.

"You can't just click your fingers and end up at Burnley as a coach, it's very difficult. I'm on course to get to a position like that and one day I would love to be a part of the football club again and coach there."

Paterson is currently working towards obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence having owned his FA Level 4 qualification for 11 years.

The Championship play-off semi-final hero, who scored one of the most memorable goals in Burnley's recent history when beating Reading stopper Marcus Hahnemann from distance at the Madejski Stadium, completed his UEFA A Licence alongside Dyche's predecessor.

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Paterson was in Belfast to attain his badges alongside Eddie Howe, just before the AFC Bournemouth manager became his boss at Burnley.

The former forward for the Green and White Army, who landed a dream role at the Major Soccer League's newest franchise having impressed in a coaching capacity at Tampa Bay Rowdies, said: "I was always going to coach.

"I've got aspirations and it's no secret that I want to become a manager, I want to be a head coach, I want to be the number one somewhere down the line.

"I'm only 32, I played football very young and had my best years then, so I think people under-estimate how young I still am.

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"I'm on the path to hopefully getting a number one job in the future, but now I've very much invested in the Inter Miami project."

Paterson, who will be operating in USL League One for the time being, would make only 23 appearances under Howe in the Championship as a recurring thigh injury kept him out of action.

He scored in Howe's final game in charge, a 4-3 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park as the Clarets surrendered a two-goal lead.

"It's taken a lot of hard work with the coaching, I haven't just clicked my fingers and ended up at a massive club in a very exciting role," he said.

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"I've done my coaching badges; in fact I did my A-Licence with Eddie Howe. I did my UEFA A-Licence when I was 21 so I've held it for nearly 11 years and now I'm in my third year as a full-time coach.

"It's a privilege, but I have done the studying and the hard yards to get to where I'm at. I was on the course with some fantastic names in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

"Eddie actually became Burnley manager midway through that course. You do the course in two one-week blocks and my first block was with Eddie when he was the manager of Bournemouth.

"When I returned for the second block he had been named Burnley manager. There were lots of big names on the course. I've come into a new world and it's been a real eye-opener.

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"You are forever learning and educating yourself even though as a player you think you've got it sussed. You think you're just going to click your fingers, become a manager and it'll be that easy.

"All of a sudden you get exposed to dealing with players, training sessions and then suddenly it becomes clear that it's not easy. It doesn't matter what you've done as a player, it's a whole new career, it's a whole new job."