Martin Paterson may have a chip on his shoulder, but he's using it to his advantage. "My whole aim here is to prove people wrong." So far, he's doing a good job. Credit: Colin O'Hara

Martin Paterson may have a chip on his shoulder, but he’s using it to his advantage. “My whole aim here is to prove people wrong.” So far, he’s doing a good job. Credit: Colin O'Hara
There was no player on the field Tuesday night more determined to score than Martin Paterson.

“Back home in England, people have written me off,” the 30-year-old striker from Tunstall, in Stoke-on-Trent, said. “Time and time again, they’ve said I’m done. We’ll see about that this year. We’ll see.”

Paterson scored his second goal of the season in the 68th minute of Tuesday’s 3-0 win in U.S. Open Cup match against the semi-pro side, Jacksonville Armada U-23. This is the 103rd edition of the national soccer competition, which features nearly 100 teams from all levels of U.S. soccer.

“That’s my whole aim here, to prove people wrong,” Paterson added.

Paterson nearly doubled his tally minutes later, but came up a bit unlucky.

“I was unlucky not to get a second. The post denied me,” Paterson said.

An Englishman by birth, Paterson represents Northern Ireland at an international level, claiming heritage from his Northern Ireland-native father. Paterson can be described as a bit of a “journey man,” having spent time at nine different clubs in England since 2005, including a season in the Premier League during his time with Burnley.

Paterson says he’s come to America to for an opportunity to recapture his career.

“Today was just an opportunity for me to get going again, get my career kick started again. It’s baby steps at the moment, but I’ll recapture my best form.”

But it took patience to even get to join Tampa Bay. After a green card issue and limited playing time this season, Paterson is proving himself as a worthy striker for the club.

“Obviously, I’ve been patient … When you’re not playing games, it’s hard to keep fitness,” Paterson said. “I love scoring goals. I don’t play football for any other reason. I want to be a nightmare for defenders. I want to be a nuisance.”

Paterson has some tough competition for the top striker spot on the team, and he knows it. With Georgi Hristov in top form, and Deshorn Brown in the mix, playing time could come at a premium.

But Coach Stuart Campbell is pleased to give his players more playing time, especially with the upcoming hectic schedule.

Luke Boden Credit: Colin O'Hara
“I made a lot of [lineup] changes, because I didn’t have much choice playing Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, but on the other hand, I was delighted that I got the opportunity to give players minutes that haven’t had any,” Campbell said. “It’s tough for me not to play everybody, but it’s great that I could play guys that really, really deserved to start. They showed what great professionals they are.”

Alex Morrell scored his first goal of the season in the 43rd minute to put the Rowdies up 2-0 with an impressive individual effort, and Kyle Porter opened the scoring early on in the 3rd minute with a 40-yard shot that caught the goalkeeper sleeping on the job.

The Rowdies will travel Toronto for a match this Friday evening before traveling to Rochester for another match on Wednesday night, then back home on May 27. Another Open Cup match will take place on May 31. Plenty of action in store for the Rowdies line up this month.

This article appears in May 18-25, 2017.

Colin O'Hara, Intrepid Sports Reporter, writes about sports for Creative Loafing and is the only CL writer ever  banned from a certain Croatian stadium, which makes him sort of a bad-ass. Follow him...