“Everyone makes mistakes – and that was a clear mistake on my behalf. I was obviously worried”
NATHAN PATTERSON tells Alan Pattullo he feared for his future after Covid breach.
Every teenager will be able to relate to the unwelcome morning wake-up call. It’s just that in Nathan Patterson’s case, the nagging parent was, in fact, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.
And the intrusion, while disgustingly early – “half nine,” recalled Patterson, “that’s quite early, isn’t it?” – was not exactly unwelcome since it bore news of the Rangers rightback’s inclusion in Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad.
In Patterson’s initial reaction it is possible to trace the lingering effects of the defining moment of his season. The 19-year-old was worried. "He (Gerrard) just texted me and said: 'can we have a wee chat?' I was like: 'what have I done now?!'" he recalled.
This anxiety stemmed from an incident when he did get something very wrong. But then few teenagers manage to avoid such missteps.
Given Patterson’s line of work, and profile, his mistake was splashed all over the papers. He had to expect it. Rangers had to expect it. At a time of heightened national concern about Covid-19, he and four Ibrox teammates attended a party in February that broke the restrictions then in place. Police ended up breaking up the gathering.
The decision made by these players, including the 28-year-old Bongani Zungu, was especially mystifying given two of their team-mates had been suspended for two weeks earlier in the season for attending such a party. The guilty two on that occasion, George Edmundson and Jordan Jones, were quickly moved out on loan. Many feared Patterson’s Ibrox career – which began when he was only eight - might also be in jeopardy. What a waste.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” he said yesterday. “That was a clear mistake on my behalf.”
Fortunately, he had someone as supportive as Gerrard on his side. While making no bones about the level of stupidity involved in the group's actions, the manager vowed to help get his young star back on track.
“Because he came through the youth system at Liverpool, he knows what it’s like to be a young player at a big club,” reflected Patterson.
“Obviously when it all came out it wasn’t a great time and I was obviously worried for myself and for everyone else. But the gaffer was great. He just told me straight and said to me: ‘Look, everyone makes mistakes.’ He said he’s made mistakes before in his own life but that it’s all about how you bounce back. You just have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“I totally agree with him. Obviously I had to go out there and make it up to the fans. I felt as if I did that.”
In a public statement, Patterson asked for the opportunity to prove what he could do on the pitch - and boy, did he get it. A six-game SFA ban, with two suspended, was served in April but not before Patterson had re-established himself at first-team level.
Gerrard, inset, proved true to his word about being more forgiving in Patterson’s case due to his age. After the required period of isolation, the youngster came back with bang – scoring 16 seconds after coming on against Royal Antwerp in the second leg of the Last 32 Europa League tie.
"No matter what happened you are always going to have pressure when you play for the first team," said Patterson. "Obviously, I had extra pressure... But I enjoy playing under pressure because it makes you want to play better.”
A glum Patterson experienced very different emotions while watching the first leg on television at home with his parents. Their disapproval was palpable – it must have felt a lot like being grounded. “There wasn’t really much said,” he said. “They had already said what had to be said.”
They knew and he knew he should have been out in Belgium helping his teammates. Regret turned to extreme agitation when Patterson saw James Tavernier hobble off midway through the first half. Rather than stripping off his tracksuit, as he was aware he should have been doing, he was watching Leon Balogun coming on to play out of position at right-back. Fortunately, Rangers recovered from the blow of losing Tavernier to win 4-3, with Balogun performing solidly. Patterson replaced Balogun at half-time of the second leg and put Rangers 2-1 ahead on the night moments later. It was just his fifth appearance of the season, seventh in total, and his first goal.
He has made nine further appearances and now finds himself a fullyfledged international following last
weekend’s Scotland debut as substitute against Luxembourg. There is even a clamour to see him start Monday’s opening Euro 2020 clash against Czech Republic.
Patterson and Billy Gilmour, who turned 20 yesterday, are standard bearers for the SFA performance schools' strategy since they are the first to follow the pathway all the way through to the top team. “It is great coming through with one of your mates,” said Patterson. “It is a dream come true and you just want to keep going on, working hard and trying to fight for our spot.”
Patterson proved he can play at wingback against Luxembourg although Czech Republic will be another step up, both in terms of occasion and quality. “I think I’ve shown I can do well under pressure in Old Firms and Europa League,” he said. “I have shown the gaffer he can trust me.”