Waterford FC can confirm young forward Phoenix Patterson has joined English League One side Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee.
The 22-year-old, who was named the League of Ireland Player of the Season, as well as featuring in the Team of the Season, was a star performer in the Blues’ side having managed to score 28 goals, and assist 12 more, in just 58 games during his time at the RSC.
Following a superb spell at the club, everyone at Waterford FC felt this was the right time to allow Phoenix to progress his career with a new challenge and are delighted he will join our sister club over in England.
Patterson, after the move, wanted to leave a message for everyone at Waterford: “I would like to thank all the fans, from the moment I joined and the one-and-a-half years after that, they were great with me and showed a lot of support for me and the lads on the pitch.
“The fans mean a lot to me; I will always be a Waterford fan and I’ll try and get back over in the summer when we have a break to come and see everyone because the club has been a big part of my career as it helped me become the player I am today – thank you.”
Chairman Andy Pilley noticed that Phoenix was a stand-out player in the last campaign and, due to the fact that the club didn’t manage to achieve promotion, he thought it would have been unfair to not allow him to move on to develop his potential at a higher level.
He said: “I’m just delighted we’ve been able to keep him in the group; We also want to have this pathway that if players are excelling in the Irish league, we want to bring them across to the English Football League and, who knows, if they do well in League One, they may find themselves in the Championship or the Premier League – that is the model and I want to shout that from the rooftops.”
Pilley also mentioned that this pathway is available for all players over in Ireland and coming to the Blues would open a door to have a chance in the Football League in England: “to all the top players in Ireland, if you want to get to England then Waterford is a great place to play because the common ownership means that, if you are good enough, and if you can deliver at Waterford and help the club to the sporting success we all long for, then you could have an opportunity to move over to England.”
Thanks for your efforts whilst at the Blues, Phoenix, and good luck at Fleetwood!
