Cardiff City Cult Heroes: Callum Paterson
Callum Paterson arrived in Cardiff in the summer of 2017, from Hearts in Scotland. At the time, the then 22 year old signed as a right back.
An incredibly hard working and unforgettable character for the Bluebirds, Patterson would go on to create a vast collection of memorable moments at Cardiff.
The first installment in this series, we delve into how Paterson cemented himself as an unforgettable name in a memorable era for Cardiff City.
Early Transformation
“I’m a great attacker and I like to score my goals, so hopefully I can come here and score a few too.” Paterson told Cardiff City TV upon signing for the club in 2017.
Arriving as an attacking full back, the Scottish international spent some time with the U23’s whilst he recovered from injury. Paterson would make his debut in the backline for the first team in a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough in the October of 2017.
It didn’t take long for the Scotsman to announce his heroics to the Bluebirds faithful. A late winner away at Barnsley in November followed by one of his trademark chaotic celebrations would kick start a memorable campaign for Paterson and Cardiff.
Neil Warnock decided to move Paterson out of right back at the start of 2018, stating that despite knowing Paterson would ‘score six or seven goals as a full back’, he didn’t know that the Scotsman ‘couldn’t defend’.
Warnock decided to move him into central midfield, often allowing him to play as the most advanced across the middle of the park. It would go on to be one of the key moves that the gaffer made in the 17/18 campaign.
Paterson’s Huge Role In Premier League Promotion
The Scotsman opened 2018 with a brace against Sunderland in a 4-0 win. The move into midfield also proved how much of a workhorse Paterson truly was.
Scoring key goals accompanied by an incredible work rate was a recipe for success in what was becoming a season of belief for the Bluebirds.
Paterson would score goals in games against Leeds, Barnsley and Brentford (including another trademark viral goal celebration) - results that proved to play a major part in Cardiff’s eventual promotion back to the Premier League.
The Scotsman finished the campaign with 10 goals and 5 assists and was voted as the young player of the season by Bluebirds fans. It was a remarkable turnaround by Warnock at Cardiff and the decision to utilise Paterson in a more advanced role is undoubtedly one of the finest he made.
In that promotion season, Paterson cemented himself as a fan favourite. A mix of on field heroics, off field humour and antics and just the sense of character he brought to the side was impossible not to adore as a supporter.
Of course, not to forget. Following Cardiff’s promotion to the Premier League, this iconic image of Paterson swigging a bottle of MD 20/20 was posted to social media. True perfection.
Image: Callum Paterson
Making A Mark In The Top Flight
The 2018/19 season saw Cardiff return to the top flight. A tough campaign for numerous reasons saw Paterson once again operating in a new role.
Despite starting the campaign in midfield, Warnock moved Paterson to operate as a centre forward. Pato found the net in a 4-2 win against Fulham and even got on the scoresheet away at Anfield despite the Bluebirds being defeated.
Two key goals before Christmas proved that Paterson was not out of place leading the line for Cardiff. A goal against Brighton at home and then the winner against Southampton also at the CCS continued to see Pato cemented as a hero in the side.
Despite only scoring four for Cardiff that season, Paterson had truly provided supporters with some key memories in that campaign. A season filled with emotion both on and off the pitch but one in which a number of players cemented themselves in Bluebirds folklore.
The Final Campaign
Paterson continued to play his part for Cardiff during the 2019/20 season. Warnock would leave the Bluebirds in November of 2019 before Neil Harris took over as boss.
The Scotsman continued to feature as a centre forward during Harris’ first season. Paterson scored 7 goals across all competitions in the campaign.
However, Paterson was falling out of favour under the new management. Despite still being an incredibly hard working and passionate player for Cardiff, the club were looking at new options.
A Disappointing Departure
Cardiff announced on the 30th September 2020 that Paterson was leaving the Bluebirds to join Sheffield Wednesday. The fee for the Scotsman was named at around £500k, one that many at the time felt was quite a low figure.
It wasn’t a sale that a majority of fans agreed with at the time, a player that was versatile and gave everything for the badge seemed to be a silly decision to move on.
Paterson himself took to social media upon his departure to say “Absolutely gutted my time at Cardiff City FC is over, very disappointed that I wasn’t needed any more and now it’s time to move on.”
Paterson paid tribute to the fans that had he clearly adored, a mutual feeling from supporters towards him. “Massive thank you to the fans who welcomed me into the club from day one. You guys made it special for me.”
Paterson more than cemented his name and truly embodies the meaning of a ‘cult hero’ player in football. A player who left everything on the pitch and provided some of the best moments in somewhat recent memories for many Bluebirds fans.
From dancing away at Brentford, to slide tackling the net at the CCS, Paterson left his mark at Cardiff both on and off the pitch as a key figure in a memorable period of Bluebirds history.