Will Grigg has had a ‘hot and fiery’ pie named in his honour after his famous winner over Manchester City in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round.
The Wigan Athletic striker pounced on a rare defensive lapse by Pep Guardiola’s star-studded side to send the Latics into the quarter finals, where they will face Southampton on Sunday.
Wigan’s run to the last eight has galvanised the local community – with family businesses keen to show their support for Paul Cook’s charges.
Indeed, ‘The Rolling Pin’ bakery has created a bespoke delicacy, the Will Grigg FA Cup pie, filled with chicken, chorizo and onion with the iconic Emirates FA Cup on its crust.
Dave and Susan Shaw, owners of The Rolling Pin, said: "Reaching the quarter finals has created a real atmosphere in the town and is also expected to provide local businesses like ours a massive boost. We’re expecting a bumper trade this weekend.
"As a way of celebrating the Cup run and saying ‘thank you’ to the club, players and fans, we worked with The FA to create this hot and fiery pie that reflects Will Grigg’s performances in the competition."
Following Wigan’s defeat of Man City, The FA commissioned research looking into the increased interest in the club and local community.
Analysis of social media discussion, reveals the famous giant-killing sparked world-wide interest in the Latics’ progression in the competition:
- Mentions of ‘Wigan Athletic FA Cup’ surged by 645 per cent
- Mentions relating to Wigan and the competition increased worldwide with notable spikes in Iraq (900 per cent increase), Lebanon (772 per cent increase) and Indonesia (388 per cent increase)
- Support for the club and competition was received as far afield as Antarctica and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Insights from The FA also found that Grigg was the focus of much fanfare:
- A 10,191 per cent increase in mentions of his name on social media
- Gala’s ‘Freed from Desire’, the hit song that inspired the popular ‘Will Grigg’s on Fire’ chant saw a remarkable 600 per cent surge [data sourced by Spotify]
- Views on YouTube of the official ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’ video saw a 1940 per cent increase [data sourced by YouTube].
Andy Ambler, The FA’s director of professional game relations, said: "The magic of the Emirates FA Cup is that the achievements of a League One side like Wigan Athletic can create headlines and talking points across the world.
"Not only has the club been able to reap the benefits of reaching this stage of the competition – taking on four Premier League sides at home – but also the whole community have been able to soak up the buzz and excitement that success in this competition creates."
Jonathan Jackson, Wigan Athletic chief executive, added: "The Emirates FA Cup holds a special place in the heart of every person associated with Wigan Athletic, and the 2017-18 season has provided us with more life-lasting memories.
"The impact of our achievements in the Emirates FA Cup reverberates around our local, online and commercial communities and the worldwide appeal of the Emirates FA Cup should not be understated."
As well as the huge increase in interest and awareness, the club has earned almost £745,395 from seven games in this year’s competition.
They could make an additional £360,000 in FA prize money if they win Sunday’s tie, and are guaranteed £283,000 in broadcast and commercial fees regardless of the result.
