Chopping trees and country music - how Paterson will prepare for Wembley

Martin Paterson will be chopping trees and listening to country music as he begins preparations for Notts County's League Two play-off final at Wembley.

The 39-year-old oversaw a 1-0 aggregate victory over East Midlands rivals Chesterfield in the semi-finals, which included a defensively resolute and nerve-shredding goalless draw in Friday night's second leg, to set up their showdown with Salford City at the national stadium on Monday, 25 May.

Paterson is in his first full season as a boss at Meadow Lane after a short spell in charge of Burton Albion in 2024.

And the former Stoke and Huddersfield striker, who played in the Premier League for Burnley, says he has learned how to better cope with the stresses of the job.

"I love getting out in the garden, and I just chop stuff down to be honest with you," he told BBC Sport.

"I just make jobs for myself to take the mind off the pressure, or it's not a pressure because there's lots of things in life that are pressure, but we want to be successful as a football club and as a team, so it just gives me that little bit of time.

"I'll be gardening with my family and spending a little time with them in the next couple of days."

As for the music, he would only offer one artist up as essential listening.

"George Strait. The only one. He's a legend," he said.

While veteran US musician Strait will be the soundtrack to the rest of Paterson's weekend, the Notts head coach will have a number of former managers with promotion-winning pedigree - including former Burnley bosses Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe, who is now Newcastle United manager - to use as sounding boards in the coming week.

And former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis, the manager that Paterson began his playing career under, got in touch before Friday's semi-final second leg to put across a no-nonsense point.

"The gaffer texted me about clean sheets," Paterson said of his exchange with Pulis.

"And I've got lots of mentors that I speak to because I don't know everything and I'm not always going to be right.

"So I use a lot of mentors to try and get better and improve and that should be reflected with my team as well. we're always trying to get better."

What he is trying to achieve at Notts this season is to return the world's oldest professional football club to League One after an 11-year absence.

Since the Magpies dropped out of the third tier in 2015 they have gone through ownership changes, financial troubles and endured four seasons of exile in the National League after being relegated from League Two in 2019.

"We know this [the semi-final win] was just a step on the way and we've got another big game coming up," Paterson said"

"We will need to improve on certain aspects, which is great - that's coaching and that's being a football team that wants to improve. But I have to say I'm very proud of the team."