Southampton and Wilf Grant first became introduced during 1943-44 when the latter was based with the RAF at Wareham and contacted the club offering his services as a guest. With the war ending (but not before he had served in Africa and India with the Army having transferred) and having a brother working at Eastleigh Railways, Wilf was happy to make the move permanent and a fee of £1,000 was paid to Manchester City, his previous club.

His pace and his size made him a natural winger and all went well

until manager, Bill Dodgin, swopped him from his customary right to the problematical left flank and Wilf’s form slumped to the extent that he was transfer-listed in October 1948 and spent much of that season in the Reserves. That was the season when an injury to centre-forward Charlie Wayman meant Saints let slip an eight point lead with just seven games remaining. There had been no obvious replacement for Wayman, or so Dodgin thought, but later events were to prove him wrong.

Wilf duly moved on to Cardiff in 1950 in exchange for Ernie Stevenson and within a few months had been tried at centre-forward. Subsequent form proved the experiment to be a masterstroke – in 1950-51 he scored 26 goals from 42 games and won an England “B” cap – to leave Southampton and their manager reflecting on what might have been (Eric Day too later showed he could more than adequately fulfil that role to further embarrass Dodgin). He would go on to total 65 goals in 154 League games for Cardiff, by now promoted from Division II, before experiencing relegation from that division with Ipswich. Upon retiring from football Wilf – who was a brother-in-law to fellow Saint, Augie Scott, the pair having married sisters – became a college sports master in Worcester.