ON-LOAN Middlesbrough midfielder Alex Pattison is hoping to create more fond memories of Bootham Crescent following his loan move to York City.

The 85-year-old stadium already holds a special place in Pattison’s heart, as the first ground he played at with Boro’s first team.

That was in a pre-season friendly during July 2016 and Pattison played his part in a 6-0 success by teeing up former England striker David Nugent for one of the goals.

Now, he is looking forward to being part of a victorious home dressing room, ahead of Saturday’s National League North visit of Blyth Spartans.

“That game was my first experience playing with Middlesbrough’s first team and it went well,” Pattison enthused. “It was a good game and the pitch and stadium are fantastic.

“They’re not National League North standard and I want to win there with York now.”

Nor does the 20-year-old Championship reserve mind dropping to the sixth tier of the English game, as he seeks his first string of regular senior outings.

“This league is a very good standard and, hopefully, after getting some games under my belt, I can get a League club in January or catch the gaffer’s eye at Middlesbrough,” Pattison reasoned. “I want to play men’s football.

“There was only one reserve game in December at Middlesbrough and that’s now been called off, so I wouldn’t have got any games in there. Here, I can play five games and I want to kick on and help York.

“I went to a pre-season camp in Portugal with Middlesbrough’s first team and then broke my ankle during training in July on my first day back. I was doing well at the time and felt I was on the fringes of the first team, so I’m raring to get as many 90-minute games as possible now and Saturday was my second in five months.”

Despite the disappointment of losing his first game as a Minsterman, Pattison also feels that the second-half display during the 2-1 FA Trophy defeat at Kidderminster can act as a “stepping stone,” as the club look to improve their current league position of 11th.

Summarising Saturday’s contest, Pattison said: “It took me a while to get in the game and the two sloppy goals in the space of as many minutes killed us off but, saying that, I thought, in the second half, we were really unlucky to lose.

“We couldn’t have done much more and thoroughly deserved to get something out of the game. I thought we dominated the whole second half and, if we had started off like that, we would have won the game – no doubt.

“I think that comes down to belief. From what I have seen, the players are good enough to get on the ball and passed it and we showed that in the second half, so that can be a stepping stone because, if we carry on playing like that, we will start winning games.”

The attacking midfielder enjoyed his position, meanwhile, in the hole of a 4-3-1-2 formation, adding: “I like playing as a number 10 and don’t mind playing in central midfield as well.”

He went on to admit he benefitted from the guidance of fellow midfield debutant and former Championship campaigner Sean McAllister at Aggborough, having previously been mentored by other respected professionals at the Riverside.

“He (McAllister) is a really nice lad and is always talking,” Pattison pointed out. “All the midfielders help me at Middlesbrough too, like Adam Clayton, Adam Forshaw and Grant Leadbitter.

“They’re great at getting on the ball and creating, which is what I try to learn from them.”

Pattison is now looking forward to learning from ex-Sunderland midfielder and current City chief Martin Gray as well.

“I know the manager from when I was little and I was at Darlington for a bit,” he revealed. “When he asked me to come to the club, I knew he would try and get the best out of me and give me games.”