Attacker looks ahead to Saturday’s FA Cup game
- Jamie Paterson previews Saturday's home game
- Attacker says FA Cup is special to him
- 'Pato' describes his odd record vs Reading
Jamie Paterson has told htafc.com he is loving the style of football under David Wagner ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup game at home to Reading.
The 24 year-old has thrived under the new Head Coach and admitted he is really enjoying life at ‘The Yorkshire Club’ under the German.
“I’m loving the way he likes us to play football and I think it’s perfect for quite a few of the other lads as well. I’ve always wanted to play for someone who likes this style of football, as it suits me down to the ground. We’re all enjoying it and teams have been struggling with the way we’re playing; long may that continue.”
Key to the success has been the work during the week on the PPG Canalside pitches, Jamie admitted:
“If you’re working hard, doing double sessions and not winning you might find it difficult, but we’ve played well in games and that makes you want to work that little bit harder. As you can see, I think the results are starting to come. If we can carry that on and get a few more wins, we’ll enjoy it even more.”
As one of the forward options, ‘Pato’ has been one of the players rotated by Wagner under the busy festive period and he’s more than happy with the policy.
“He’s quite fair with everybody. It doesn’t really matter if you’ve played really well on a Saturday if we have a midweek game, because we know he is going to rotate. That’s keeping everyone that plays in the forward positions feeling fresh and ready to go, which is working so far.
“He’s known for his half time substitutions in his time here already. If things aren’t going well, we’ve changed the forwards often. You have to be ready to come on and change the game and that’s what I did last Saturday. Everyone knows they are in with a chance of playing.”
Next up for the Terriers is Saturday’s FA Cup clash against the Royals and the Nottingham Forest loanee explained why the competition holds a special place in his heart.
“Everyone loves the FA Cup in England. You watch all the games as a kid and I’ve now played in a few ties as well. I’ve scored a few FA Cup goals and they always feels sweeter.
“I actually scored a hat-trick at West Ham for Forest, which is probably one of my most memorable games. It was one of my first starts for Forest and my first goal for the Club, which kick-started my Forest career at the time; I went onto score a few more goals after that. It was a turning point in my career, as I became a bit better known after that.
I’d love another hat-trick this year, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“There’s always a bit of extra spice to a game in a knockout competition and I’m sure it’ll be a good game on Saturday. The winner of the game will go to the next round and could get a big team.
“You obviously dream of testing yourself against the best players in England through a good cup run and I know the boss really wants us to progress, as it’s his first taste of the FA Cup. He’s treating it no differently that any Championship game.”
Paterson has a mixed record against Saturday’s opposition, encapsulated by the clash between the two at the Madejski earlier this season when he scored but had to go off at half time through injury.
Jamie explained: “It’s funny – I’ve played three times against Reading and come off after 45 minutes each time! One was for a bad performance, with the other two through injury.
“They’ve been a strange opponent for me, but hopefully I can get another goal tomorrow – and last longer! Knowing the Head Coach, I’ll have to play well or I might be off again!”
Regardless of the competition, Paterson made it clear David Wagner has one simple target – to win!
“The winning feeling is the best you get in football. Momentum through a few victories gets your confidence higher and we have a bit of momentum after our last three results. We’ll be going for another on Saturday to take into the league.
“It will probably come down to who wants it the most on Saturday. We’ll try to start the game the brightest and get the upper hand in the early stages of the game. We’re in the same league and anyone can beat anyone, but hopefully we’ll have too much for them.”
Watch Pato in action on Saturday - it's just £10 in cash at the turnstiles!
