A dream come true for Hendo
IT’S a scene he’s played out in his mind a thousand time or more – Ian Henderson pulling away from an opposing defender and smashing a resounding finish beyond the helpless grasp of the goalkeeper.
It’s the winning goal to send half the crowd ecstatic, silencing the banks of rival supporters.
And, of couse, this scene is all played out in the revered surroundings of Wembley Stadium.
That’s why, come Wednesday next week, the Dale frontman – who fired Keith Hill’s side into a first half lead against Spurs first time round – will realise a lifelong dream when he strolls onto the playing surface at the home of football.
“I am so excited – it’s actually my dream come true to play at Wembley,” he said. “As a little kid, growing up and playing football you play Wembley doubles, you score the winning goal at Wembley – I’m buzzing! I’m excited personally and I know the rest of the players are as well.
“The FA Cup is magical, especially when you are playing at League One level. To be in the fifth round and take Spurs to a replay in what is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world is magical and special to me.”
And, ever the competitor. Henderson is not turning up just for the fun of it and insists there is a chance Rochdale can pull off the mother of all upsets. And he’s basing his faith on last Sunday’s performance against the Premier League big guns.
“We still have hope. When you look at our first half display we gave such a good account of ourselves.” he said.
“It was amazing and it just goes to show the beauty and the magic of the FA Cup. You have got to dare to dream.”
In addition to realising that lifelong dream, Henderson will also have the opportunity to re-write his own memories for Wembley, which have been less than positive in the past!
“I remember Eric Cantona scoring for Manchester United against Liverpool – he shattered my dream that day when he scored the volley from the edge of the box. It was amazing technique and finish but I’m a Liverpool fan and that was my earliest memory of watching a game at Wembley,” he said.
“It would be nice to write a better Wembley memory! I’m going to go into the game confident and so will the other players. Scoring at Wembley would be the ultimate dream – I would probably run off with my short off swinging it round my head!”
Dale manager Hill personally captured the magic of the FA Cup with his celebrations after Steve Davies’ stoppage time equaliser cancelled out goals from Lucas Moura and Harry Kane.
And he admitted it was a case of being delighted that his players were being rewarded for their efforts on a special day for the club.
“At the time Steve scored I was contemplating what I had to say to the players to salvage something from their probable disappointment,” said Hill.
“They had worked exceptionally hard, played so well and come so close but looked like we were going to lose the game. But for us to not give up and for us to get that opportunity and the ball to drop to the best finisher – in the penalty area – at the club, it was just raw emotion.
“I thought we’d missed our opportunity because the lads went all in in the first half – and they had to to give ourselves an advantage. I thought we defended well in the second half. You could be picky about their first goal but it’s difficult to be picky when you are playing against such elite opposition.
“But I thought the manner in which everybody represented the small town was superb. The magic of the FA Cup was captivated in that one live game.”
One of the aspects of Dale’s play on Sunday which most pleased Hill was the manner in which his team refused to dwell on any mistakes.
“I was really pleased with the way forgave themselves for getting it wrong in trying to do it right,” he said.
“There was a positive response from the players when they did get things wrong and they backed each other up.
“You know the opposition have tremendous quality and can open you up at any time, and when they did open us up in the first half we got a secondary block in and we tracked runners really well.
“I’ve watched the game back and seen the amount of defensive work Callum Camps does.
“Even into the second half we weren’t holding on. We weren’t as keen or competitive in trying to score and I always felt we needed a second goal, but to salvage a draw was just reward for the players. They deserve the opportunity to go again against Tottenham.”
‘As a little kid, you play Wembley doubles, you score the winning goal at Wembley – I’m buzzing!’