Why Notts County owners Chris & Alex Reedtz have appointed Martin Paterson as their new manager | OneFootball

Ex-Burton Albion boss Paterson has been confirmed as Stuart Maynard's successor

Martin Paterson, a former Northern Ireland international who previously managed Burton Albion, has been announced as the new manager of Notts County.

Notts sacked Stuart Maynard after losing their League Two play-off semi-final to AFC Wimbledon. This came after they'd finished their League Two season in 6th place in the table.

The 2024-25 season was their second back in the EFL following promotion from the National League in 2023. Their relegation four years earlier had made them the first of the 12 founding members of the Football League to be relegated from it.

Now, with pre-season preparations for a push to get into League One due to start shortly, Notts have made their decision over who Maynard's replacement should be, and have landed on a relative newcomer to the management game.

Martin Paterson reportedly set to be named the next Notts County manager

Journalist Pete O'Rourke first reported on X on Sunday night that ex-Burton boss Paterson was poised to be announced as the new manager of the Magpies, and soon after, that was confirmed.

It's just Paterson's second job in management after his half-season stint with the Brewers, and County owners Chris & Alex Reedtz have revealed why they opted for the 38-year-old to succeed Maynard.

“In our discussions with Martin he has demonstrated immense passion, determination and ambition – underpinned by a fixation on winning," the Reedtz brothers said.

“We’ve spoken with him at length about our vision for the club and how he’ll fit into our structure and he’s excited to play a leading role in our new approach.”

Their comments were echoed by Head of Football Roberto Gagliardini, who has made his first managerial appointment since taking up the role in April.

“Despite still being in the early stages of what we believe will be a tremendously successful coaching career, Martin has been entrusted with several senior roles, both in the UK and USA, by highly-respected figures within the game," Gagliardini exclaimed.

“In our conversations with him it’s been clear that he shares our vision of playing dynamic, progressive football and, as much as the club’s DNA will remain the same in terms of our desire to dominate the ball, we believe he may bring more intensity and directness to our play.

“Martin wants his teams to be extremely hard-working, well-organised and difficult to play against – characteristics which were key to his success at Burton having become their manager in very challenging circumstances.

“We believe we can provide the environment for Martin to demonstrate his true capabilities as a Head Coach and we thoroughly look forward to working with him.”

Martin Paterson is a surprise appointment for Notts County - they're taking a big risk

Martin Paterson had a long and distinguished career as a player, which took in nine different EFL clubs, but it was an end-of-career move to the USA which ended up giving him his grounding in coaching.

Having played a season with Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United Soccer League, he returned to the club as an assistant coach in 2020 and went on to Fort Lauderdale and Inter Miami before returning to England in 2022, where he had assistant positions at Barnsley and Swansea.

He joined Burton Albion as head coach in January 2024 on a short-term contract and kept them in League One that season, although only just, finishing in 20th place in the table. He left the club by mutual consent at the end of that season and spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Huddersfield Town - the third job he held under Michael Duff.

With only half a season under his belt, there's an element of leaping into the unknown about appointing a relative rookie such as Paterson into this position, but Notts County have been there before.

When they appointed Luke Williams in 2022, it was his first managerial appointment since leaving Swindon Town five years earlier.