Paul Hartley 'impressed' by ex-Celtic defender who made first league start for Hartlepool United against Colchester United

Paterson came in for David Ferguson as Pools claimed their first win of the season against Harrogate Town in the Papa Johns Trophy but was, perhaps, a surprise inclusion for the trip to Colchester United as Ferguson remained on the bench in Essex.

Ferguson was subbed midway through the second half of the recent defeat at Leyton Orient after a disappointing display and now looks set to have a battle on his hands to get back into Hartley’s plans.

Paterson completed the full 90 minutes at the weekend as Pools conceded deep into stoppage time to deny them a first league win of the campaign.

And asked why he kept faith in Paterson, Hartley revealed the 21-year-old had impressed him.

“I thought he did well on Tuesday night [against Harrogate],” said Hartley.

“So sometimes a player comes in [and impresses].

“That full-back area we’ve tried to keep strong with good competition and I thought he did well.”

Paterson arrived at the Suit Direct Stadium with plenty of potential having spent time coming through the ranks with Scottish champions Celtic.

And it is that grounding, and the habits he nurtured, when at Celtic Park which attracted Hartley to him and why he believes he can provide competition for Ferguson.

Speaking in the summer, Hartley said of Paterson: “He’s a young lad, 21-years-old, who had a great grounding at Celtic.

“He was there since he was a young kid. I came across him a couple of years ago and I like his potential and I think he can be a real asset for us.

“He’s got great speed. He’s a typical full-back, up and down. He knows how to defend and he’ll offer good competition and I think that’s the important thing this year that we’ve got to have people in every position.

“We’ve got to have two people in every position who we think can compete. It’s a long season, it’s a lot of games and you can’t go through the season with the same players, that's for sure, with the midweek games and the Saturday games.

“I think Brody offers that competition.

“He’s young and hungry and wants to do well. He’s got a lot of quality about him. He went on loan to Airdrie last year - I was actually going to take him to Cove if I was still going to be there this season, he was the one player I was going to try and bring in on loan from Celtic at the time.

“He’s learned good habits. So we know we’re getting a young hungry player who we think can improve the team and will help improve the group.”

Paterson has made four appearances for Pools so far this season, making his debut for the club in the Carabao Cup defeat at Blackburn Rovers before coming off the bench for Ferguson in the defeat at Leyton Orient.

And with back-to-back starts to his name, Paterson will be looking to continue in the Pools line-up for the visit of Doncaster Rovers.