One of John Still’s first signings in the 2004 close season was initially a rather underwhelming capture. After a disappointing season, serious strengthening seemed to be required and an 18 year old left back from a side several divisions below didn’t really cut it. Little did we know what a fantastic prospect Scott Griffiths was; despite his small stature he soon set about making an impression on the first team, several good cameos in minor cup competitions leading to him making a full Conference debut against Northwich just after the turn of the year and going on to cement his place.
One of the first things that was apparent upon his arrival was his raw skill, seemingly more appropriate for an attacking player. His trickery with a football led to him rivalling the legend Junior McDougald for pre-match entertainment as he went through his array of skills. Indeed he was part of a DVD production called Urban Freestylers where he showcased his ball-juggling abilities alongside another familiar name, Craig Dobson.
However his defensive ability is not to be overlooked – he’s worked very hard to improve his game and his physique. As you would expect from a young player, he occasionally had positional problems or concentration issues but these are now so rare that any kind of defensive lapse is surprising. He is rarely outmuscled and for somebody who stands at just 5’9″, his ability in the air is remarkable. It was always a case of when, not if, he would make the jump to a higher level, and after an impeccable start to this season it was inevitable the suitors would come calling.
It hasn’t been as smooth a departure as you would expect, with a rather frank confirmation on the official site reading that “we had a player with us who didn’t want to be here”. It seems wherever there is an agent in football there is a bad smell and this case is no different. The club have essentially stated that Scotty’s agent engineered the move which comes over 2 months before the opening of the transfer window. This kind of acrimonious departure isn’t fitting for a player held in such high regard. From the outside, allowing the club’s only established left-back and current best performer to leave on loan seems a strange decision when you can’t imagine we would be short of offers in January. Whether or not we’ve received a loan fee for the initial agreement is rather immaterial as it is unlikely to cover the effect of losing such a player in a period which could shape our season. Would we really lose out by keeping him an extra couple of months? I doubt it.
We now urgently need a replacement but of course there is the slim possibility that any party could terminate the permanent agreement come January. If Scott got a serious injury would Posh withdraw the offer? If Scott got a bigger club offering him a summer move after running down his contract with us would he reject Posh? Whatever happens, short-term loan solutions until January are very unlikely to fill the rather large hole for us.
Let’s focus on what happened on the pitch though. In total, Scotty made 234 appearances for the Daggers in just over five years. His growth as a player has been one of the highlights of John Still’s management and he continues to improve at a fantastic rate. Hopefully Posh will be looking to give him more football than the last Dagger to make this switch, Dom Green, in order for him to progress further. Dominic’s lack of match action is a sad state of affairs for a player with so much ability and hopefully Scott won’t find himself stifled in the same way. There is no reason whatsoever why he can’t go on to become a leading performer in the Championship and here’s hoping the Premiership. He’s come a long way from the lad who used to turn up to training on a saddle-less bicycle! Good luck Scott.
