Petterson began his career in his native Australia, leaving East Fremantle Tricolore in 1988 to join the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
Petterson started the 1998-99 Premier League season for Charlton Athletic as deputy to Ilic and made his first appearance as a substitute in a 2–1 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Petterson again returned to the substitute's bench after Ilic was declared fit before he was allowed to join Portsmouth on loan in November 1998 as cover for Alan Knight.
Petterson signed for Portsmouth on a free transfer in July 1999 as Alan Ball looked to strengthen his squad after the club's take over.
Petterson was a regular under Ball, but with the managers dismissal from the club in November he struggled to establish himself at Fratton Park and had loan spells with Wolverhampton Wanderers (February to May 2000) and Torquay United (March to April 2001).
At the Hawthorns he was understudy to Russell Hoult, as he had been at Portsmouth, and although failed to make the first team appearance he was part of the Baggies squad who gained promotion to the Premier League after finishing as runners-up in the Championship.
He has also worked as coach for at Indonesian side Bali United after holding a similar position at PSIS Semarang.