Patterson speaks up for Scott

When the former Northern Ireland international was brought in as no.2 last year, he hoped they'd both be here for the long haul.

The events of this week put paid to that but, says Patterson, Scott has the ability to bounce back and will leave his successor with a much better set-up.

"The lad is hurting. We all are," he said. "In all fairness, it is all still pretty raw with us.

"I'm not going to shy away from it. I think he is a top coach and I believe he will be a top  manager.

"At the end of the day this is football. He realises and we realise what can happen but it was a shock, of course it was.

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"It is so frustrating nowadays that people don't seem to get much time and with what we were building, there was a lot of good stuff going on. Whoever comes in will do so on a sound footing with three-quarters of the job nearly done."

Patterson, who will take charge of the team again at Crawley tomorrow while the search for a successor continues, added: "Andy has drummed it into us all that we are winners. We want to win every game and that's what we will continue to try and do.

"We are a very professional bunch and this is a first class club. We have been royally looked ever since we have been here and we will do everything asked of us."