The burly Scot has made 158 appearances for the Owls and recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of his arrival at Hillsborough having had a contract extension clause triggered in the summer. He scored twice in a Carabao Cup win at Grimsby Town and captained the side in the following round at Blackpool, but has made the bench only once in their first eight Championship outings.
Speaking ahead of the Owls’ trip to Coventry City this weekend, Wednesday boss Danny Röhl made a strong suggestion Paterson will be named among the 18 players involved and made clear the door is not closed on increased involvement further down the line. Röhl has repeatedly made reference to the manic fixture schedule ahead of the club and has said the full breadth of the squad will be required.
“I think today he will smile, I think so!” Röhl told The Star when asked on Paterson’s position within the squad. “The first thing is when I spoke to Pato four or five weeks ago that he knows where he is, this is what I have to do. Of course I understand that some players are disappointed not to be a part of the squad, but we are very early in the season.”
Paterson isn’t the only Wednesday player to have spent time out of the reckoning since Röhl’s appointment nearly a year ago and there are well versed examples of those who have battled their way up the pecking order to earn a regular starting spot. The German coach pointed to them as a source of inspiration for the 17-cap Scotland international.
Röhl continued: “I think when I started there was Liam Palmer and Pol Valentin, they were not very often part of the squad in the beginning, but then they come through and keep the momentum. You see how many players we have in the winger and 10 positions and how we want to play. It’s not easy, but he is professional, he trains hard and tries everything. If there is a moment then he gets the thank you back and hopefully he is ready.”