WILL Grigg is hoping that his performances for The Saddlers this term will allow him to follow in the footsteps of team-mate, Ryan McGivern, by progessing into the Northern Ireland senior set-up.

The 19 year-old has been a regular on the substitutes' bench for Chris Hutchings' side, whilst earning rave reviews as a member of the Northern Ireland Under-19 squad.

Grigg once again made an appearance from the bench during Saturday's 2-1 win at Brentford and is hoping to make further progression for both club and country in the coming months.

"I've played a lot of games for the Under-19s and now I'm pushing my way into the Under-21s," he said. "Obviously to be able to push on, I need to be producing the goods at club level and I am concentrating on getting more game time for Walsall to show people what I can do.

"My immediate aim is to get more substitute appearances under my belt and slowly develop my way into the first-team.

"International football is different to that at club level; you need to display different types of qualities to be successful. To have someone like Ryan McGivern to look up to is good for me and hopefully I can follow him into the senior Northern Ireland squad. The likes of Darren Byfield and Steve Jones, who also played internationally for Northern Ireland, are also a big help to me and I have learned a lot from them.

"Going away with Northern Ireland for the Milk Cup during the summer was a big help for me as I played three games and felt much sharper and fitter because of it.

"This is an important season for me and I want to continue to progress and make an impact both at club and International level."