Will have to be on fire to go up again '“ Grigg

Latics find themselves back in the third tier after an unsuccessful bid to hang on to their Championship status.

It was a particularly frustrating year for Grigg, who fired 29 goals on his way to the Golden Boot two seasons ago, but was restricted to just seven last term.

And although most onlookers expect Latics to be among the promotion contenders again, Grigg says it won’t happen without hard work on and off the pitch.

“Most of the boys who are here and the ones who got us promoted in the first place, so that’s got to be the aim again,” he told the Wigan Post.

“But there’s probably going to be changes, and it won’t be as easy as it was the last time we were in League One.

“Most people will be expecting us, having gone down, to win every game next year, and go straight back up. That’s just not going to happen, it will be really hard work.

“Obviously that’s going to be the aim, but we’ll have to be on it and ready for the fight.”

Grigg and his colleagues are back at Euxton after enjoying a week in Spain getting to know new manager Paul Cook.

And he is hoping for better fortunes under Cook than under Warren Joyce last term, before injury ruled him out of the last couple of months.

“It was so frustrating for me,” added Grigg, who turned 26 on Monday.

“I probably went through a period of about two months when I was in and out, playing in a different role that maybe I wasn’t used to, maybe not how I’d been playing.

“As soon as I came out of the side, we suddenly started playing in a way that would have suited me (under interim boss Graham Barrow), and might have helped me get a few goals.

“Unfortunately that’s gone now, I wasn’t able to affect anything, but I can’t wait for the new season.”