SHARP-SHOOTER Martin Paterson believes he is far from the finished article after continuing his whirlwind start to his Clarets career.

The Northern Ireland international bagged his sixth goal of the season with a fine finish in Tuesday night’s 2-0 Lancashire derby win over Blackpool.

And his latest effort led to more praise from manager Owen Coyle, who paid Scunthorpe £1 million for the striker’s services this summer.

But by his own admission, Paterson admits areas to his game must improve for him to be acknowledged as the all-round package.

However, under the watchful eye of Coyle, a former Repulic of Ireland international striker, he says he will only get better at Turf Moor.

“I make no bones about it - there’s a lot of improvement in me,” said the 21-year-old hitman.

“At the moment, I’m doing reasonably well, but there’s a better player in the long run.

“At the end of the season, I think I’ll be a much better player than I was at the start, and that’s down to hard work and games.

“If I can just click a few bits of my game together and keep on improving, things will pick up.

“The gaffer realises that and he works on me and gets after me.

“When the gaffer’s a forward and you do extra shooting after training, it can only benefit you.”

In a refreshing assessment of his own ability, Paterson admits that one department he needs to address is his long-range finishing.

He scored a curling 20-yard effort against Blackpool in midweek, but the former Scunthorpe man insists that was a rare moment of glory outside the penalty box.

He added: “It was only the second goal I’ve scored outside the box. I’m not normally the best from distance, but I’ve been practising really hard through pre-season “I might not be as brilliant in some areas as I am in others, but you’ve got to chip in with all kinds of goals to get a good amount.”

Meanwhile, Paterson has hailed strike partner Steven Thompson for helping raise his game.

Thompson joined on a free transfer from Cardiff before the transfer deadline and made a big impression in the victories over Notts Forest and Blackpool.

“Steven has come in and, for me, he’s been the best player in both games,” said Paterson.

“He is an older pro and I think he gives us another dimension.”