Rory Patterson

Rory Christopher Patterson (born 16 July 1984) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a forward for Dungannon Swifts F.C.. He also played for the Northern Ireland national team. Having played youth football for Sion Swifts, Moorfield Celtic and Townsend United, Patterson joined Rochdale in 2002 before having spells with Radcliffe Borough and Mossley.

Rory Patterson
Patterson playing for FC United of Manchester in 2008
Personal information
Full name Rory Christopher Patterson
Date of birth (1984-07-16) 16 July 1984[1]
Place of birth Strabane, Northern Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Dungannon Swifts F.C.
Youth career
Sion Swifts
Moorfield Celtic
Townsend United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2004 Rochdale 15 (0)
2004 Radcliffe Borough 8 (1)
2004–2005 Mossley 6 (0)
2005–2008 FC United of Manchester 129 (99)
2008–2009 Bradford Park Avenue 20 (11)
2009 Droylsden 5 (2)
2009–2010 Coleraine 33 (30)
2010 Glentoran 0 (0)
2010–2012 Plymouth Argyle 35 (4)
2011–2012 → Linfield (loan) 18 (4)
2012–2014 Derry City 65 (34)
2015 Cockburn City 19 (20)
2015 FC United of Manchester 5 (0)
2016–2018 Derry City 73 (29)
2018–2019 Crusaders 29 (10)
2019–2020 Ballymacash Rangers 23 (21)
2020- Dungannon Swifts F.C. 0 (0)
National team‡
2010–2014 Northern Ireland 5 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:26, 3 May 2019 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:26, 3 May 2019 (UTC)

In 2005, he joined the newly formed club FC United of Manchester, where he stayed until 2008 becoming their all-time top goalscorer in the process, scoring 99 times. He subsequently joined up with Bradford Park Avenue before having a short spell with Droylsden. In 2009, he moved back to Northern Ireland to join Coleraine where he had a successful one season spell – scoring 30 league goals, and he subsequently joined Glentoran before moving back to England to join League One side Plymouth Argyle.

After a two-year spell with League of Ireland Premier Division club Derry City, Patterson moved to Western Australian side Cockburn City in January 2015, before returning to FC United of Manchester in October 2015. After another spell at Derry City he moved to Crusaders in August 2018. He signed for intermediate side Ballymacash Rangers in September 2019.

Early life

Patterson was born in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Club career

Patterson played junior football in his native Northern Ireland before becoming a trainee with Rochdale. Turning professional in the 2002 close season, Patterson's first team debut came in October 2002 as an 86th-minute substitute for Gareth Griffiths as Rochdale lost 1–0 at home to Bury in the Football League Trophy.[2] He made his league debut the following month, again as a substitute, this time in the 64th minute for Lee McEvilly, as Rochdale lost 2–0 away to Oxford United.[3] He made a further seven appearances, all in the Football League that season. Nine first team appearances came the following season, with Patterson released by Rochdale, despite being voted their 'Young Player of the Year'.[4]

He joined Radcliffe Borough in July 2004.[4] After an impressive start to the following season, his performances tailed off and he was released in November 2004, signing for Mossley.[5]

Patterson signed for FC United of Manchester in 2005, and made 126 appearances and scoring 99 goals for the club in all competitions. He was promoted in all of his three seasons with F.C. United and twice finished as top-scorer.

After much transfer speculation, Patterson signed for Bradford Park Avenue in July 2008,[6] along with his ex-FC United strike partner, Stuart Rudd. Patterson was credited with a hat-trick during a pre-season tour game in Spain, but this later turned out to be a "wind-up" by club chairman Bob Blackburn. Patterson was on a family holiday in Majorca at the time of his game.[7]

In 2009, Patterson signed for Droylsden after a season plagued by injury, though he still managed to get into double figures for Bradford PA. On 27 June 2009, Patterson left Droylsden to sign for IFA Premiership side Coleraine.[8] On his debut for Coleraine in a friendly against Garvagh, he scored a first half hat-trick. He scored ten goals in eight pre-season friendlies for the Bannsiders before marking his competitive debut with a goal in the 2–2 draw with Linfield on 8 August 2009. He then went on to record a hat-trick in the 3–2 derby win over Ballymena United on 18 August.

On 7 November 2009, Patterson scored four times as Coleraine beat defending champions Glentoran 6–0 at The Oval. On 4 December 2009, Patterson was awarded with the Football Writers Player of the Month for November.[9] On top of this, he also picked up Goal of the Month for his first of four goals against Glentoran. Patterson scored his first Irish Cup goal for Coleraine against IFA Championship 2 side Dundela. He finished the 2009/10 season having scored 41 goals for Coleraine, with 30 goals in the Premiership and the rest in various other competitions,[10] and was named Ulster Footballer of the Year.[11]

Patterson joined Glentoran in the summer of 2010,[12] having signed a pre-contract agreement with the club earlier in the year. However, in June 2010, it was announced that Patterson had joined Plymouth Argyle, after impressing at a trial in March, and that an "undisclosed fee" had been agreed with Glentoran despite him never joining the Northern Irish club.[13]

On 14 August 2010 he made his home debut as a first-half substitute in a match against Carlisle United. He scored a late goal in the 94th minute which allowed Plymouth Argyle to draw the match.[14] Patterson returned to Northern Ireland in July 2011, joining Linfield on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season.[15] Having scored four goals in 18 league matches by January 2012, Patterson ended his loan spell with Linfield to join Derry City on a two-year contract.[16] His competitive debut for the club saw him score a hat-trick in a 4–0 defeat of Lisburn Distillery in the Setanta Cup.[17]

In January 2015, Patterson signed for NPL Western Australia club Cockburn City, scoring 19 goals in 20 matches for the team.

In October 2015, seven years after leaving the club,[18] Patterson returned to FC United of Manchester, for whom he remains the record goalscorer with 99 goals in all official competitions.[19]

In December 2015 he signed for Derry City for a second time.[20] In August 2018, he joined NIFL Premiership champions Crusaders.[21]

In September 2019, Patterson joined Mid-Ulster Football League side Ballymacash Rangers. A key motive behind the move was to link up with former Linfield teammate Michael Gault, who managed Ballymacash at the time of Patterson's signing. Rory departed the club one year later to after 21 goals in 23 appearances.

International career

Patterson was involved with the Northern Ireland under 19 squad in 2002, however he accepted a call up to the Republic of Ireland under 19 squad to play in the European Championships in 2003. Before Patterson could join up with the squad, he was ruled out by injury.[22] Patterson received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland squad in February 2010, when Nigel Worthington named him in his squad to face Albania[23] and made his debut as a substitute, earning praise from manager Nigel Worthington for his performance.[24] He was then named in the squad again in May 2010 for a two match tour[25] and it was announced that he would play as a lone striker in a match against Turkey.[26] He scored his first international goal, a penalty, on 17 November 2010 in a friendly against Morocco to level the scores late in the game, playing the full 90 minutes.[27]

International goals
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.17 November 2010Windsor Park, Belfast Morocco1–1DrawFriendly

Honours
FC United of Manchester
Derry City
Crusaders
Individual

References
  1. "Rory Patterson". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  2. "Rochdale 0–1 Bury". Soccerbase. 22 October 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  3. "Oxford 2–0 Rochdale". Soccerbase. 9 November 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  4. "Boro pounce for Patterson". NonLeagueDaily. Baltic Publications. 21 July 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  5. "Beckford snaps up Patterson". NonLeagueDaily. Baltic Publications. 9 November 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  6. "Triple signing spree by Cameron". NonLeagueDaily. Baltic Publications. 15 June 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  7. Kilner, Will (28 July 2008). "Avenue 'hat-trick hero' didn't even play". Telegraph & Argus. Newsquest Yorkshire & North-East. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  8. "Coleraine sign striker Patterson". BBC Sport. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  9. "Patterson lands top player award". BBC Sport. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  10. "Coleraine FC". Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  11. "Rory Patterson scoops second Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. 29 May 2010.
  12. "Coleraine's Rory Patterson set for move to Glentoran". BBC Sport. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  13. "Argyle Sign Patterson". Plymouth Argyle FC. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  14. "Plymouth 1–1 Carlisle". BBC Sport. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  15. "Rory Patterson joins Linfield on one-year loan deal". BBC Sport. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  16. "Rory Patterson ends stint at Linfield to sign for Derry City". BBC Sport. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  17. "Patterson bags debut hattrick for Derry City". Derry Journal. Johnston Publishing. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  18. "Rory returns - Patterson signs for FC United". FC United of Manchester. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  19. "FC United apply for international clearance to re-sign Rory Patterson". FC United of Manchester. 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  20. Quinn, Andrew (23 December 2015). "Rory Patterson signs for Derry City". Derry Journal. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  21. "Crusaders: Irish Premiership champions sign striker Rory Patterson from Derry City". BBC Sport. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  22. "Sean loses three and it's a real European in the neck". The Mirror. Mirror Group Newspapers. 13 May 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via The Free Library.
  23. "Coleraine's Rory Patterson is in Northern Ireland squad". BBC Sport. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  24. "Nigel Worthington praises performance of substitutes". BBC Sport. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  25. "Northern Ireland captain Stephen Craigan defends tour". BBC Sport. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  26. "Five Irish League players in N Ireland to play Turkey". BBC Sport. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  27. "Northern Ireland 1–1 Morocco". BBC Sport. 17 November 2010.
  28. "Crusaders vs Ballinamallard Utd player ratings from the 2019 Irish Cup final". BelfastLive. Reach. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  29. "Brennan leads six-strong St Pat's contingent in PFAI Team of the Year". Goal.com. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
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