Patterson says the project has grown over decades rather than appeared overnight.
“Faço isso há 20, 25 anos. Fui acrescentando e acrescentando,” he said - adding that he has kept building the collection year after year.
The garden now includes a marked-out pitch, an outdoor television beside a gazebo and decorations extending to his pigeon loft. Replicas of England shirts dating back to the early 1990s sit alongside photographs of players, including captain Harry Kane, while tributes to Sir Bobby Robson feature among the flags.
The result is less a viewing area than a personal football museum, shaped around the tournaments Patterson has followed throughout his life.
His England allegiance sits alongside a fiercely personal connection to Sunderland. Patterson says he is the only Sunderland supporter in his family, a loyalty that began after he received a commemorative plate linked to the club’s 1973 FA Cup triumph, signed by manager Bob Stokoe.
He even dressed his grandchildren in Sunderland shirts and took them to the Stadium of Light when they were younger. Their later preference for black-and-white shirts created a family rivalry, but Patterson’s admiration for Robson remains untouched.
He recalls meeting Robson and Alan Shearer at Stuttgart airport during the 2006 World Cup, remembering Robson signing shirts, posing for photographs and speaking with supporters.
Patterson admits England’s opening performances left him frustrated, but says the victory over Mexico changed his mood. His verdict was simple: “fenomenal”.
Now the “Cowpen fan zone” is ready, with pizza, kebab and even free water promised. The next test is Norway - and, if England advances, Patterson may yet find one more corner of the garden to decorate.