Will Grigg signs new Walsall contract

Walsall striker Will Grigg has penned a new one-year deal at the Banks's Stadium and immediately vowed to make his overdue first-team breakthrough.

The 18-year-old failed to get any game time last season and hasn't played for the Saddlers since his debut against Cheltenham in December 2008.

But Grigg has promised to prove his worth next season and put pressure on first-choice strike pairing Darren Byfield and Troy Deeney.

He said: "It's an important season ahead for me and I intend to take my chance and make the most of it.

"I can't wait to get stuck into training, get a few pre-season games under my belt and look to establish myself. The management like to work closely with each individual player.

"They certainly put the hours in and are always there to push us on and give us the support that we need, which is good for me."

Despite failing to play last season, manager Chris Hutchings saw enough to convince him Grigg was worth a deal and the former Solihull College student is relieved to have settled his future.

He said: "I am really pleased to have got things sorted.

"I'm not putting pressure on myself by setting targets, I just want to work my way into the team, play as many games as possible and take it from there."

Grigg, who joins Alex Nicholls and Richard Taundry in signing up, has been a regular for the Northern Ireland under-19 side and will be eligible for the under-21's next season.

He added: "Playing international football has helped me massively. Experiencing different coaching methods plus playing and working alongside some really talented young players has helped me to develop.

"Last month I played against Italy, Russia and the Czech Republic in a tournament and feel I gave a good account of myself, so that bodes well."

Mark Hughes, Julian Gray, Rene Gilmartin, Darryl Westlake and Jamie Vincent are all still yet to sign with talks likely to go into next week.

The Saddlers had originally hoped to tie down their squad by tomorrow, but the Football League conference has held up the deals.

Both financial director Stefan Gamble and chief executive Roy Whalley attended the meeting in Malta this week, so were unable to finalise the contracts.