 He made his professional debut on 3 August 2002 in a Scottish Second Division game against Cowdenbeath as a 17-year-old.He went on to play seven league, two Scottish League Cup and one Scottish Challenge Cup games for Hamilton over the next two seasons, usually from the substitute's bench, before leaving at the end of the 2003–2004 season.Paterson moved to the United States in 2005 after being offered a college scholarship by the University of Nevada Las Vegas.