AN OOST BOOST FOR CELT JACK
DELIGHTED Jack Hendry is now over his injury hell and believes he has found his footballing heaven in Oostende.
The on- loan Celtic defender marked his debut in Belgium with a dramatic, injury- time winner at Mechelen.
The goal and appearance was the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel from Hendry’s time at Melbourne City where he won the man of the match award in his first game then suffered a knee injury in the second match and was out for nine months.
The Scottish stopper hoped the Oostende move would wipe the slate clean but he suffered a thigh injury and was ruled out for a month.
Hendry said: “It was great to score the winner, especially on my debut.
“I ’ve had to wait a long time to play and I’ve gone through a lot over the past nine months so it made things even sweeter.
“I did my thigh the first day I got here and was out for four weeks so I just had to make sure it was alright before I went back.
“I was unfortunate to miss a few games but it was the correct thing to do and it was worth it to come back and score.
“Hopefully, my goal will have repaid the faith Oostende showed in me. I want to repay them with more good performances, wins and a few more goals.
“That was my first goal since I was at Dundee but I feel I can pitch in with a good few over the season. I look forward to getting games under my belt.”
Last weekend saw the return of supporters to the Belgian top flight – and Hendr y upset the Mechelen fans with his late winner.
The former Scotland defender said: “The fans were back in Belgium this weekend and it felt like proper football again.
“The opening games had been behind closed doors and it felt more like reserve games – they didn’t have the intensity games with crowds have.
“Around a third of the capacity are allowed into stadiums and as they get the virus under control then we can get even more crowds back in.”