Pato’s contributions on the pitch have been noticed by the EFL

Callum Paterson’s scorching form has earned him a nomination to be League Two’s Player of the Month for January.

The Scot now has 14 goals to his name this season as well as eight assists, with six of those goals coming last month.

The former Sheffield Wednesday man celebrated his 500th appearance and his 100th goal in the opening month of 2026, and capped the month with his first ever hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Shrewsbury Town, while his assist for Ben Wiles’ goal at Accrington Stanley is almost forgotten in the wash.

Hitting form at the right time, Dons are six unbeaten in the league, sitting fourth and still right in the automatic promotion race.

Paterson faces stern competition for the Player of the Month prize though. Cambridge winger Ben Knight struggled to get into the Cambridge team early in the season, but he became a force of nature in January with seven goal involvements, including five goals.

Bromley midfielder Ben Thompson had also struggled to break into a winning side but his impact in just 146 minutes on the pitch in January was astonishing with an assist and four goals, including a stunning first-career hat-trick at Gillingham.

Experienced midfielder Shaun Whalley has been at the forefront of Stanley’s improved form, his two goals and four thought-out assists in five games included scoring a vital winning goal at Notts County.

Dons boss Paul Warne missed out on the nomination to be Manager of the Month for January. That will be contested for by Karl Robinson (Salford), Andy Woodman (Bromley), Neil Harris (Cambridge) and David Artell (Grimsby).

The winners of the awards will be announced on Friday.