When Will Grigg arrived in Milton Keynes on a season-long loan from newly promoted Brentford, the midlands-born striker was the second of three young, hungry strikers Karl Robinson was to employ for the 2014/15 season after Tom Hitchcock was acquired on a free transfer from QPR. A week later Benik Afobe joined from Premier League Arsenal and the Dons front line that was to score a record 101 league goals, was complete.
The Northern Ireland international was to make an instant impact at Stadium:MK, netting an equaliser in the Dons season opener as we came from 2-0 down to triumph 4-2, however it didn't take long for Grigg to truly endear himself to the Dons faithful as the frontman scored the first two goals in the unforgettable 4-0 annihilation of Manchester United in the Capital One Cup, famously using his chest to caress the ball past a helpless David De Gea.
Playing second fiddle to the prolific Afobe for the first half of the season, Grigg was made to accept he wouldn't be given a continuous run of starts as Karl Robinson's implemented his controversial yet effective rotation policy. Afobe grabbed himself 19 goals prior to Wolves deciding to splash the cash to lure the England u21 international to Molyneux in mid January. The departure of Afobe was followed up by Tom Hitchcock's loan move to fellow League One club Fleetwood Town and left the former Walsall forward as the lone striker at Stadium:MK and oh how he delivered.
A blistering second half of the season containing a crucial brace away at Swindon left Grigg with 20 league goals from 43 games taking his total tally for the season to 22, only the second ever player to reach the milestone of 20 league goals in a Dons jersey, finished off with a header against Yeovil in a 5-1 demolition resulting in the Dons automatic promotion to the Championship for the first time.
Deemed surplus to requirements once he returned to parent club Brentford, the Dons amongst a host of other championship clubs were sniffing around for the forward, yet it was relegated Wigan Athletic who took the plunge and met Brentford's hefty asking price in the region of £1 million, but will this be an outlay worth making for the Lancashire club?
It wasn’t just the goals he netted that made Grigg a fans favourite in Milton Keynes despite not even being a Dons player, the manner in which the forward played added to his proven quality to ensure a big impact on the Dons squad and I envisage the same impact will be made at the DW.
Without having much strength due to being just 5'11 Grigg is a very clever player, constantly using his nous and trickery to evade defenders often means he finds himself in acres of space. A classy, natural goal scorer, Grigg is a poacher, frequently in the right place at the right time to finish off the hard work done by those supporting him. Effective yet unspectacular the forward will get goals wherever he plays for sure.
Grigg's work rate is also exceptional, never giving up on chasing a lost cause, combining an element of comedy in his celebrations with a dance dubbed ‘the Griggle' by Dons fans, the striker's personality rubs off on supporters and team mates alike and will not only add quality to the squad but also lighten up the dressing room and the terraces at the DW stadium.
Grigg is undoubtedly a brilliant signing at League One level with proven experience and quality. The only question will be, can Wigan get enough support up to him to the poacher to get the goals to fire Wigan back to the second tier? Only time will tell.
Goodbye and good luck Will, thanks for everything..
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