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The football season so far has been dominated by the remarkable story of Leicester City and their bid to win an historic Premier League title. At the forefront of this fairy-tale is striker Jamie Vardy. In April 2012, Vardy was pla🦩ying in the Conference with Fleetwood town. Just the season before he was playing for Halifax Town in the Conference North. Fast forward four years, and the very same striker is the second top goal scorer in the Premier League with current club Leicester City, and he is on the cusp of making the England Euro 2016 squad. As a result of Vardy’s fantastic season in front of goal, the spotlight has started to focus more than ever before on ex Non-League players who are making their way up the footballing ladder. Other recent examples include Charlie Austin and Michail Antonio, who within the last year have completed their meteoric rise from Non-League to Premier League football. If you venture further down the Football League, you will find examples of players who are knocking on the door of the top flight and Championship, hoping to create their own fairy-tale story. One individual who falls into this category happens to be the form🐲er strike partner of Jamie Vardy, when the duo played at Halifax Town.
Lee Gregory will take inspiration more than most from the rise of Jamie Vardy in the footballing world. The duo helped Halifax Town secure the Northern Premier League division title. Vardy finished the clubs top goal scorer, whilst Gregory finished third on the list. At the end of the campaign, Vardy had done enough to attract the interest of Fleetwood Town of the Conference National. Gregory remained with Halifax, dౠoing so until June 2014. In that time he had established himself as not only a club legend, but as a natural goal-scorer. He holds numerous records at Halifax Town including⭕ the most league goals in a season, most goals scored in a single game by a player, and the most goals in the club’s history – quite a prolific four year spell at the club. Gregory’s time at The Shaymen came to an end when Millwall; then of the Championship, signed the 25-year-old for £250,000.
Gregory’s first season at The Den was a ♏mixture of personal delight, but ultimately despair for the team. His and Millwall’s time in the Championship came to an abrupt end as they were relegated into League One. Despite finishing as the London outfit’s top goal scorer, Gregory couldn’t prevent his side from finishing 22nd and in the relegation zone. In what was a bleak season for The Lions, Gregory’s performances stood out as one of the highlights. His prowess in front of goal had won over the notorious Millwall faithful. If Millwall were to gain promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, everyone at the club knew that Gregory would play a pivotal role. Sure enoughꦏ, he’s had an instrumental effect on the club so far this campaign. With 17 league goals and three assists, the front man has rocketed Millwall into the play off positions in League One. Even if Millwall fail to reach the Championship this time around, Gregory has shown throughout the campaign he has the quality to lead the line at a higher level.
His knack for finding the back of the net is clear to see, but it’s not just his goal scoring record which is impressive. His previous managers; as well as his current boss Neil Harris, have waxed lyrical about his ability to get into goal scoring positions. Standing at 6 ft. 2 inches, he’s not afraid to challenge for a header either. The way he adapts his game so successfully depending on the opposition is a clear indication Gregory is the real deal. Whether or not Gregory’s fire-power is enough to send Millwall back into the second tier of English football will remain unknown until May. One thing for sure is regardless of their outcome, Championship clubs will be on the prowl for the signature of Lee Gregory. He could yet still replicate the a꧃mazing story of Jamie Vardy.
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