Arbroath boss Dick Campbell will resist the temptation to loan out Dylan Paterson after revealing the former Rangers youngster is a wanted man.
Paterson produced a man-of-the-match display for Arbroath in the weekend penalty shoot-out defeat to Aberdeen under-21s in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
And while that was his first competitive start for Red Lichties, former Rangers youngster Paterson has been tipped to shine by Campbell.
TASC SOCIAL MEDIA MAN OF THE MATCH – RESULT
Congratulations to Dylan Paterson on winning the TASC Social Media Man of the Match for his performance in the @ArbroathFC loss to Aberdeen B at Pittodrie yesterday. Thanks to all who voted 🇱🇻
(Pic courtesy of @Graham_Black) pic.twitter.com/n5q181ny13— TASC (@TASC1878) September 5, 2021
“I’ve had a lot of interest from other clubs in Dylan,” said Campbell. “Quite a few from lower leagues want to take him on loan but I don’t want him to go.
“He’s not going anywhere right now. I’ve got a lot of time for him as a player and I want to do right by him.
“If that means bleeding him in slowly to our team then so be it.
“Dylan will be patient but he’s pushing me every single week to try and get a start.
“He’s a talented boy, a free spirit. He’s also a real pleasure to work with because he works his a*** off at training.
“His time will come at Arbroath.”
Campbell’s agony as Dylan Paterson and co are KO’d on penalties
The cup holders @StJohnstone survive as Ali McCann nets the winning penalty v @ArbroathFC pic.twitter.com/NOMZlBxf2T
— Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) August 15, 2021
Campbell was frustrated as his side were knocked out of a cup competition on penalties for the second time this season.
Arbroath lost 3-2 on spot-kicks to St Johnstone in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup. And they went down 4-1 to Dons youngsters on Saturday.
“Penalties is not a lottery,” said Campbell. “It’s a skill that you can perfect and sometimes you just have to make it simple.
“When I was a player I took 21 penalties and I scored 19 of them. I went for the bottom corner every single time.
“It’s really frustrating because we were the better team but now we’re out of the cup and focusing on the league.”
