Jack Ross was delighted with the 4-2 win over Gillingham and reckons that Will Grigg’s first Sunderland goal will be the first of many. “Speaking to Will, he’s a balanced guy and he’s also got a lot of self-belief,” said Ross. “I think most goal scorers who score a lot of goals over the course of their career have that in abundance. He’s not been fazed one bit and I’ve been pleased because I thought his performances had been good, and I knew he would score goals. It’s just nice for him to get that monkey off his back and get that first goal for the club. You saw how much it meant to him, and how delighted the other players were for him as well because he’s integrated himself well into the squad. I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to contribute in terms of goals between now and the end of the season. I’ve never delegated penalty-kick taking responsibilities. I do a lot with set-pieces, but that for me has always been one that the players decide on the park. Individual performances and how players are playing can affect whether they want to take penalties. Aiden has given the opportunity to Will, but knowing Aiden, he’s only done that believing Will would score. And speaking to Will afterwards, he absolutely believed he would score as well. I’m delighted with the way it worked out, and delighted Will showed that strength of character to want to get off the mark, and then do it in that manner. I would be surprised if it didn’t go down to the wire,” he said. “I think the teams that are in the top five or six positions are all good sides. I think there’s very little between them, and I think the games have shown that. Not just the games against each other, but how they fare against the other teams in the league too. I’d expect it to go to the wire, and I include Luton in that too. I know they’re in a good position at the moment, but they’ve got to keep producing that. They may do, but it’s a tough, tough league to batter out results in.”
Ross also gave an update on Chris Maguire’s calf injury: “It was just an impact injury,” he said. “His calf is quite sore, and you can imagine how sore he would have to be to come off because he’s been waiting for the opportunity. I thought tonight he started really well. He’s sore just now, so we’ll assess him. Sometimes these injuries can clear up as quickly as they arrive, we’ll just have to wait and see."
