Will Grigg ready for Walsall's QPR test

Walsall striker Will Grigg is unlikely to shrivel in the spotlight of stepping out into what is fast becoming the millionaire's playground of the Premier League.

The luck of the Capital One Cup draw has lumped the prudent Saddlers with top-flight big spenders Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road tonight.

The likes of Champions League winner Jose Bosingwa – in his debut for the club – and Shaun Wright-Phillips will feature for the illustrious hosts after boss Mark Hughes vowed to select a strong side.

Conversely, only Adam and James Chambers and Dean Holden on the Walsall side have ever played in the Premier League, but Grigg can call upon experience at another level.

The 21-year-old made his full international debut for Northern Ireland in June after regularly featuring for youth sides and it was in difficult circumstances.

Holland demolished the Irish 6-0 with Grigg chasing shadows for 90 minutes and he will be hoping tonight doesn't turn out the same.

Walsall have never won at Loftus Road and haven't even played QPR in 12 years, last coming across the Hoops in the League Cup two years previously, losing 3-1 in August 1998.

A win would make history and see that the Saddlers are the talk of the town, the latest to wear the 'giant-killers' tag and Grigg dares to believe it could happen.

He said: "We have got nothing to lose, we want to play and we want to win. At the end of the day, their players are just names on paper. We will give them respect but it's just another game.

"It will be a great experience and a lot of people will be watching, it will be a great chance for us to showcase our ability. I think we have a got a good chance and we will be up for it.

"We won't be going there with our heads down not wanting the ball, we will be trying to play our own game regardless of who we are against.

"We have been involved in big games before, Southampton on the last day of the season a couple of years back springs to mind. The lads will be a bit nervous but a bit of nervous energy could help us.

"For me, the Holland game will help me a lot, you lose a bit of the anxiousness which you get from the first time you go out there at the top level.

"It's definitely settled me down a little bit."

Grigg continues to harbour ambitions for club and country and it's a happy marriage, starring for the Saddlers keeps him in the mind of national team boss Michael O'Neill.

A leading role in a big cup upset would definitely catch O'Neill's eye but, whatever happens, Grigg is hungry for more.

He said: "I want to be involved with Northern Ireland as much as possible and this is a good game for me. Hopefully, I can kick off my season and to get my first goal would be great for me.

"It's one of those things, as soon as you get involved with it, you want more. I want as many international caps and goals as possible.

"I am learning every day at Walsall and at international level, as well, with different coaching methods and so on."

As his star carries on rising, Walsall supporters will fear that Grigg could go the same way as Matt Fryatt, Scott Dann and Daniel Fox, as the club have a history of cashing in.

But that's helped keep the Saddlers afloat down the years and, if that happens to him, Grigg will never forget the club where he made his name.

He said: "Wherever I end up, Walsall is where I started and I owe a lot to the club. At the moment, I just want to do what I can for them.

"A lot of players have came through this youth system and they owe this club a lot. Some people think they are just thrown in, but there's a lot of quality here.

"The young lads know that, if they do well, they will get their chance in the first-team. Every footballer has a point to prove, whether it's to the doubters or the manager!

"Our gaffer trusts you with the shirt, it's down to you to show you are capable of doing the business."

By Craig Birch