Paterson working Magpies hard and breaking habits

BOSS: PLAYERS HAVE HAD TOUGH FIRST WEEK

- By SAM ALLEN

AFTER taking in his first game as Notts County boss over the weekend, Martin Paterson saw a lot that needed to be worked on.

The Magpies pulled off a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Alfreton Town in their first preseason game of the summer, with defender Lewis Macari netting the only goal of the game in the second half.

The results are secondary in preseason matches, with fitness-building and tactical understanding the top priorities as new players, and in Notts' case, a new head coach is integrated into the club.

Paterson worked his players hard in their first week of training, and the team will continue to come into their preseason games tired from their work in the buildup. The new boss values building physical and mental resilience.

He said: "It's the first game of preseason and the players have had a tougher week than they've probably had for a long time. I've worked them really hard, so they came into the game with fatigue, which is common for preseason.