Forest Green Rovers have confirmed the signing of striker Will Grigg on a free transfer. The 35-year-old former Northern Ireland international joins from Chesterfield, where he scored 42 goals in 118 appearances and helped secure the National League title in 2024.

Grigg arrives with a wealth of experience, having made more than 500 appearances in the English Football League for clubs including Walsall, Brentford, MK Dons, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland and Rotherham United. He has scored 192 career goals. His move to The New Lawn comes as Forest Green sit 16th in the National League with 15 points from 12 games, a position they will hope his proven finishing can help improve.

Career highlights and recent contributions

Grigg’s prolific spell at Chesterfield, which began in the summer of 2023, was instrumental in their title win last year. He made three appearances for the Spireites in League Two this season before his departure. Reflecting on his time at the Technique Stadium, Grigg told Chesterfield’s club website, “It is a special club with incredible people working hard every day to be successful.” He added, “It was a big decision for me personally to drop down when I first joined the club and I haven’t regretted that decision for one second.”

Immediate impact on the squad

The veteran forward is expected to go straight into contention for Forest Green’s next match, an away fixture against Barrow this Saturday. Barrow currently sit 8th in the table, making it a challenging first potential outing for the new signing.

Paul Cook, the Chesterfield boss who managed Grigg at Wigan Athletic, praised the player. “I can’t speak highly enough of Will,” Cook said. Grigg had previously won two League One promotions with Wigan between 2015 and 2019 before a high-profile £4 million move to Sunderland. His contract with Forest Green runs until June 2028. Grigg bid farewell to his former club, saying, “Thank you for everything and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Chesterfield FC.”

Forest Green’s most recent result was a convincing 5-0 victory over Chesham United on 20 October, which halted a run of four games without a win. The team has scored 19 goals this season but conceded 22, leaving them with a negative goal difference. They face Barrow away on 24 October, where Will Grigg could make his debut for the club.

The report in full is at wigantoday.net