Record an honour for Hendo

DALE striker Ian Henderson has spoken of his pride in joining the club’s goalscoring elite.

The veteran’s strike at Tranmere on Tuesday night took his tally to 129 for Dale - joint top with club legend Reg Jenkins.

And Henderson (pictured) says he’s delighted to be in such esteemed company.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Tranmere at Prenton Park, Henderson said: “It feels like a long time coming, I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to come back to the football to try and break the record.

“Nonetheless I’m incredibly happy to join the late, great Reg Jenkins.

“Trying to match his 129 goals for the football club, I just want to say thankyou to Reg and his family for creating such a historic number.

“Now I’m joint with him so hopefully I can go on to score more goals for the club.

The goal with which Henderson drew level with Jenkins was a source of particular pride for the forward - not just because it was such a landmark but also with the quality of the finish.

He continued: “We’d worked on that routine where the left centre back would clear the space and go out to either Bally or Tyrese.

“It allowed a lot of space for me to run into and fortunately I timed the run okay.

“I’m really happy with the finish, I caught it sweetly into the bottom corner”.

As well as being pleased with his goal, Henderson was equally impressed with the shift put in by his team mates.

“We got ourselves in a good position but unfortunately we couldn’t hold onto the 1-0 lead,” he said.

“But we’ve come away with a point from a very difficult place.

“Their statistics of how many points they’ve picked up at home is incredible.

“So to come away with a point and to push them all the way to the end is no mean feat.

“I’m proud of the lads tonight because we showed a different side to ourselves.

“A lot of lads have got cuts and bruises all over their bodies but it was a hard fought point.

“My remit before the game was to be the focal point for the team and any time the ball came to me, if I could get hold of it and help us move up the pitch and get us in counter attacking positions then that’s what I was put on the pitch for and of course to score goals.

“It was a good battle against two good centre halves”.