Front-man enjoying life for club and country...
INTERNATIONAL striker, Will Grigg, has dedicated his latest Northern Ireland appearance to his Saddlers' team-mates after an excellent start to 2013 earned the 21 year-old his second cap for Michael O’Neill’s side.Grigg played 86 minutes in his country’s recent friendly against Malta and the Solihull-born forward believes his International achievements come down to his outstanding individual performances at club level, along with the fantastic run of form which has seen the side earn six wins out of the last seven games.
“It was a proud moment for me to get my second cap, and I think getting the start comes down to our magnificent performances and results in recent weeks,” he said. “It was a tricky game to be a part of because the pitch wasn’t in the best of conditions but it was a great experience for me.
“I’m buzzing to be involved within the set-up more, and hopefully I can prove myself on the big stage in the qualifying games against Russia and Israel coming up.
“The only way I can do that though is by continuing to perform for Walsall; it’s been a big year for me and I’ve had to adapt to a new role which I’m enjoying, but everybody has been fantastic and this team is very confident at the moment.”
The Saddlers' ten-goal top scorer heaped plenty of praise towards one individual in particular, fellow strike partner, Febian Brandy, after building up a terrific relationship with the former Manchester United man which has seen the duo hit 16 goals between them so far this season.
“Feb is a terrific player, our relationship is really good and he is great to have in the team," he added. "We work hard together in training, but the best way to get a good partnership going is working hard in games, knowing each other’s strengths and staying consistent which I believe is showing on a matchday.
“He takes a lot of pressure off me and Paty [Jamie Paterson] and it’s nice to see the threat he has when he starts running at defenders, but he’s also pitched in with some important goals.
“The best teams have strong partnerships, like Yorke and Cole did at Manchester United, for example, and hopefully we can continue our good form and become a valuable pair here at Walsall.”
The pair are likely to keep their impressive partnership alight with the visit of Notts County on Saturday. The Saddlers could reach their 50-point target if they come away with a victory and youth team graduate Grigg was full of praise for the clubs progression over the season but refused to get ahead of the job in hand against our Midland counterparts.
“They’re on a bad run of form at the moment and hopefully we can take full advantage of that," he went on. "But it’s going to be another tough game we need to overcome.
“If or when we get to 50 points, we can start to enjoy our football even more knowing we’ve reached our target and there’s no reason why we can’t force ourselves nearer the top six."