Phil SumblerJamie Paterson has been back in the Swansea City squad the last couple of weeks and tomorrow will come up against his former employers when Bristol City arrive at the Swansea.com stadium for what could be a crucial league match.
The midweek results saw tomorrow’s visitors move above the Swans in the Championship Table and Russell Martin will want to correct that as one of a few things that needs correcting after the midweek debacle at Stoke.
The result and the performance of the team is more important than the performance of any one individual but Paterson will undoubtedly go into the game tomorrow looking to prove a point to Nigel Pearson that he should not have been released.
Paterson spent almost five years at Ashton Gate with over 150 appearances under his belt, interrupted only by a loan spell in 2019/20 at Derby, before being released by Pearson in the summer having failed to make an appearance under the new man in charge.
That release, coupled with the appointment of Russell Martin at Swansea, meant he was the first player that the new boss turned to when thinking of his squad with faith seemingly repaid so far with eight goals and six assists.
That faith was tested a little in January with the issues around Paterson’s mental wellebing and his contract advice but his return and impact was immediate last weekend when he provided the telling cross for Michael Obafemi to score the only goal in the victory over Blackburn.
Pearson though does not regret the decision to let Jamie go despite his record for the Swans last season as he explained yesterday ahead of Sunday’s clash in SA1.
“I told him early on that it was time for him to move on,” Pearson told Bristol Live. “It was nothing personal, he was injured and he had come to the end of his contract and I think for him it was time for a different challenge.
“I know he is a really good player but sometimes players can be at a place for too long and need freshening up, I think he’s benefited from moving away. He was quite a popular player here and I know he’s quite popular with the fans.
“Every player has a shelf life and that doesn’t mean that in terms of their career, it means at football clubs players can be there too long.
“He’s a player we need to be aware of because he’s technically very gifted, physically he can get about the pitch too so he’s capable of effecting games in a positive way. We respect him as a player.”
