Dale striker hits 100 and eyes club record
LOTS of players would consider themselves lucky to score 100 goals in their career, so to achieve that feat for one club – within the non-stop merry-goround of modern football – is some accomplishment.
And when Rochdale captain Ian Henderson slotted home the second goal in an FA Cup triumph over Gateshead last month, he did just that.
It was his 100th strike for the club since joining in 2013, but now the Dale talisman has much bigger goals in his sights.
Another fan favourite, the late Dale striker Reg Jenkins, currently holds the acclaim of the top goalscorer in Rochdale’s history, with 119 during an eightyear spell in the 1960s.
Now Henderson is aiming to break that record and put himself alongside Jenkins, who was voted the best player in the club’s history by supporters.
“On a personal level it is an amazing milestone,” Henderson told M.E.N. Sport.
“Not many players score 100 goals in their career, never mind for one club. When I moved to Rochdale I knew I was going to settle down here. My new goal is to now become the club’s all-time top goalscorer.”
Henderson also revealed he had more than one reason to celebrate when surpassing the three-figure mark, although his team-mates were none the wiser at the time.
He said: “The goal was significant on two fronts. One was that it was my 100th goal for the club, but also me and my partner are expecting our first baby.
“None of the lads even knew – it was the best baby reveal ever!”
The Dale captain has become so accustomed to scoring on a regular basis that he admitted he lost track of his goalscoring tally.
“I don’t even keep count of my goals,” he added. “It is just down to me to take the chances and score goals.”
But when reminiscing over his favourite Dale strike of the lot, his memory is crystal clear.
“The one that stands out the most was against Leeds in the FA Cup,” he said.
“We won 2-0. Lundy (Matty Lund) clipped the ball over to Graham Cummins on the wing and he got a cross in to me at the back post. Paddy Kenny was in goal – it was sort of a lofted, floated volley into the corner of the net.”
It’s not hard to see why that goal stands out so much. His stunning effort confirmed a place in the FA Cup fourth round for the first time in 11 years, as Dale, then in League Two, triumphed in an FA Cup classic at Spotland.
“That goal sealed victory – it was the magic of the FA Cup. The celebrations on that day were amazing,” he added.
With Dale 17th in the League One table heading into today’s match at AFC Wimbledon, their go-to man is under no illusion over their targets for the season.
With a new crop of youngsters coming through, securing their status in the third tier of English football is a priority.
With both Oldham and Bury suffering relegation last season, Henderson is determined they don’t fall to the same fate.
“Our aim for the season is to consolidate our League One status,” he said.
“We are on the cusp of a new team with a lot of talented players in the wings – players like Dan Adshead will be familiar for Rochdale in the future.
“For now we just need to keep winning and keep playing a good style of football.”