His first start for the club came in a pre-season friendly against Wolves in July 1997, with manager Tommy McLean selecting him in recognition of "all his work in the reserves".
On 12 August 2010, it was announced that Paterson had been allowed to travel to Greece to negotiate a deal to join Kavala who play in the Greek Premier Division.
Paterson, although praised for his professionalism by new Argyle manager Peter Reid, was deemed surplus to requirements at Home Park and has been allowed to leave if he can get a deal.
[17] Paterson made his debut on 3 September in a 2–1 away victory against Dundalk and helped the club win the 2011 League of Ireland championship.
[20] On 9 January 2014, Paterson signed for Northern League Division One club Celtic Nation on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season.
[24] After being a free agent for five months, Paterson signed a short-term contract with Stenhousemuir in October 2015,[25] making his first appearance in a league match against Cowdenbeath.