A well-known Sunderland flop is currently thriving in the National League, scoring 25 goals in all competitions this season.
Sunderland have had more than their fair share of flops in recent years.
During their four-year spell in League One, the Black Cats brought in and eventually let go a lot of players.
Though Will Grigg’s stint at the club may have been less successful than others, the former Northern Ireland international signed from Wigan Athletic on January deadline day in 2019.
Sunderland were generally thought to have paid a £4 million fee for the now-32-year-old following his League One goal-scoring exploits with Wigan.
Will Grigg’s nightmare Sunderland spell
Grigg spent only one full season with Sunderland, in 2019/20, appearing 20 occasions in League One and scoring only one goal.
The striker would later spend time on loan with MK Dons and Rotherham United before joining the Dons on a free transfer in 2022.
Grigg made 62 appearances for Sunderland, scoring eight goals.
However, this season alone, while playing for Chesterfield under Paul Cook, Grigg has scored 25 goals in all competitions, 24 of which have come in the National League.
Grigg scored within 60 seconds against Oxford City on Tuesday night, and he now has a goal in six of his previous seven Spireites games.
Chesterfield currently leads the National League table by 23 points over Barnet in second place, with Grigg the league’s second highest scorer.
The wrong club at the wrong time
Grigg later said that he shouldn’t have left Wigan.
Off-field scandals and instability dominated his time at Sunderland, as did the COVID-19 outbreak, which halted football.
These troubles knocked the wind out of Grigg’s sails, and during a period when Sunderland was under so much pressure to move out of League One, it appeared that Grigg wilted.
But he’s regained his scoring touch.
His Chesterfield side is having an unprecedented season in the fifth tier, and they owe it to Grigg’s goals, which will almost certainly result in a return to the Football League next season.
Grigg has been prolific in the past, and we could see him scoring in the Football League again next season.
Sunderland is suddenly seeking to grab points on the board to ensure their Championship survival, with Mike Dodds and co urgently lacking a striker in Grigg’s form.
Sunderland will host QPR at the Stadium of Light this Saturday.
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