Chopping trees and country music – how Paterson will prepare for WembleyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Martin Paterson guided Notts County to a fifth-place finish in the League Two table to reach the play-offsByAndrew AloiaBBC Sport, East MidlandsPublished1 hour agoMartin Paterson will be chopping trees and listening to country music as he begins preparations for Notts County’s League Two play-off final at Wembley.The 39-year-old oversaw a 1-0 aggregate victory over East Midlands rivals Chesterfield in the semi-finals, which included a defensively resolute and nerve-shredding goalless draw in Friday night’s second leg, to set up their showdown with Salford City at the national stadium on Monday, 25 May.
Paterson is in his first full season as a boss at Meadow Lane after a short spell in charge of Burton Albion in 2024.
And the former Stoke and Huddersfield striker, who played in the Premier League for Burnley, says he has learned how to better cope with the stresses of the job.
“I love getting out in the garden, and I just chop stuff down to be honest with you,” he told BBC Sport.
“I just make jobs for myself to take the mind off the pressure, or it’s not a pressure because there’s lots of things in life that are pressure, but we want to be successful as a football club and as a team, so it just gives me that little bit of time.
“I’ll be gardening with my family and spending a little time with them in the next couple of days.”
