Jackie Henderson

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John Gillespie "Jackie" Henderson (17 January 1932 – January 26, 2005) was a Scottish footballer.

Henderson was born in Glasgow but signed for Portsmouth as a 17 year old. After serving his National Service he made his Portsmouth debut against Sunderland in January 1951. Initially a centre forward, he also played deeper as an inside forward and left-winger. A physical player known for his pace and fast crosses and shots, he was a regular goalscorer for Pompey for seven years, and soon attracted the attention of the Scotland national side management.

He made his international debut in a friendly at home to Sweden on May 6, 1953, which Scotland lost 2-1; it was the first of seven caps, which included being a member of Scotland's 22 man 1954 World Cup squad. Scotland decided to take only 13 of the 22 to the finals with Henderson staying at home on reserve with the likes of Bobby Combe and Jimmy Binning. Inside forward George Hamilton was also on reserve but travelled after Bobby Johnstone withdrew through injury. Henderson's only goal for Scotland came in a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland on October 3, 1953. His final cap for Scotland came against Northern Ireland on November 5, 1958, which Scotland drew 2-2.

In the meantime, Henderson had moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 1958, but never really settled, making only nine appearances. Wolves won the First Division title that season but Henderson did not qualify for a medal. In October 1958 he moved on to Arsenal for £30,000, and made his debut against West Bromwich Albion at Highbury on October 4, where he scored twice in a thrilling 4-3 win. Injury marred his first season with the Gunners (though he still scored twelve times), but he returned to become a first-team regular in the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons. Although Arsenal finished third in the league in his first season, under George Swindin they were usually a mid-table side.

Swindin's tinkering with the Arsenal attacking lineup meant the versatile Henderson was unable to hold down any particular position in the side, and midway through the 1961-62 season Henderson was transferred to Fulham for £15,000. He had played 111 games for Arsenal in total, scoring 29 goals. In his first season Fulham reached the FA Cup semi-finals, only to lose narrowly to Burnley, and he helped keep the Cottagers up for two seasons. Henderson was a Fulham regular up until March 1963, when he broke his leg. Despite an attempted comeback, he was unsuccessful and retired from professional football in 1964. He continued to play for amateur sides, including Poole Town and Dorchester Town, until 1971.

After retiring from playing, he left the game completely and settled in Dorset, working for a local builders' merchant. He died in 2005, at the age of 73.

[edit] References

• Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.) (1995). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4. 
• PFA pays tribute to former Pompey and Arsenal favourite Jackie Henderson. Professional Footballers' Association. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.

v • d • e Scotland squad - 1954 FIFA World Cup 1 Martin • 2 Cunningham • 3 Aird • 4 Evans • 5 Docherty • 6 Davidson • 7 Cowie • 8 Mackenzie • 9 Hamilton • 10 Brown • 11 Mochan • 12 Fernie • 13 Ormond • 14 Anderson • 15 Johnstone • 16 Henderson • 17 Mathers • 18 Wilson • 19 Binning • 20 Combe • 21 Copland • 22 McMillan • Coach: Beattie