Jackie Henderson
Encyclopedia
John Gillespie "Jackie" Henderson (17 January 1932 – 26 January 2005) was a Scottish
international footballer who played in the Football League for Portsmouth
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
, Arsenal
and Fulham
.
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, which soon attracted the attention of the Scotland
national side management.
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. He began the following season still at Molineux
, appearing in a handful of early games in what would be another championship-winning campaign.
Unable to hold down a first team place, he moved on to Arsenal
in October 1958 for £30,000, and made his debut against West Bromwich Albion
at Highbury
on 4 October, 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.
on 6 May 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 3 October 1953. His final cap for Scotland came against Northern Ireland on November 5, 1958, which Scotland drew 2–2.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
international footballer who played in the Football League for Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
.
Club career
Henderson was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
but signed for Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
as a 17 year old. After serving his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
he made his Portsmouth debut against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in January 1951. Initially a centre forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, he also played deeper as an inside forward
Hole (football)
In association football, or soccer, the hole is generally referred to as the gap between a team's midfield players and its front strikers, particularly in a 4-4-2 formation resulting in a 4-4-1-1 formation. The gap might be filled through the employment of an attacking midfielder, or a deep lying...
and left-winger
Winger (sport)
In certain sports, such as football, field hockey, ice hockey, handball, rugby union, lacrosse and rugby league, the term winger is the name of a position. It refers to positions on the extreme left and right sides of the pitch . In American football and Canadian football, the analogous position...
. A physical player known for his pace and fast crosses and shots, he was a regular goalscorer for Pompey for seven years, which soon attracted the attention of the Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
national side management.
Henderson had moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in March 1958, but never really settled, making only nine appearances. Wolves won the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
title that season but Henderson did not qualify for a medal. He began the following season still at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
, appearing in a handful of early games in what would be another championship-winning campaign.
Unable to hold down a first team place, he moved on to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in October 1958 for £30,000, and made his debut against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
on 4 October, 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
George Swindin
George Hedley Swindin was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:A goalkeeper, Swindin was born in Campsall, Doncaster, Yorkshire. He played as an amateur for various local clubs, including Rotherham United, before turning professional in 1934 with Bradford City...
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
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
for £15,000. He had played 111 games for Arsenal in total, scoring 29 goals. In his first season Fulham reached the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals, only to lose narrowly to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, and he helped keep the Cottagers up for two seasons. Henderson was a Fulham regular up until March 1963, when he broke his leg
Broken Leg
Broken Leg is an indie rock song written and recorded by Australian indie rock band Bluejuice. The song was voted no. 5 in the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100. The accompanying music video was voted in at no. 1 on Rage's RAGE FIFTY countdown that was voted for by viewers and shown on the last weekend of...
. Despite an attempted comeback, he was unsuccessful and retired from professional football in 1964. He continued to play for amateur sides, including Poole Town
Poole Town F.C.
Poole Town F.C. is a football club based in Poole, England. They were established in 1890 and joined the Western League Division Two in 1930. They won the Western League title in 1957 and reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup four times in their history. They are currently members of the...
and Dorchester Town
Dorchester Town F.C.
Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England, and currently playing in the Blue Square Bet South...
, until 1971.
After retiring from playing, he left the game completely and settled in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, working for a local builders' merchant. He died in 2005, at the age of 73.
International career
Henderson made his international debut in a friendly at home to SwedenSweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on 6 May 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
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
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
Bobby Combe
James Robert "Bobby" Combe was a Scottish international association football player, who spent his entire senior career with Hibernian....
and Jimmy Binning
Jimmy Binning
Ian "Jimmy" Binning was a Scottish footballer who played for Arbroath and Dumfries side Queen of the South.-Arbroath:From season 1948-49 until his departure Jimmy Binning scored six goals in his 84 league games for Arbroath....
. Inside forward George Hamilton
George Hamilton (footballer)
-External links:* *...
was also on reserve but travelled after Bobby Johnstone
Bobby Johnstone
Robert "Bobby" Johnstone was a Scottish association football player, mainly remembered as one of the Famous Five forward line of Hibernian....
withdrew through injury. Henderson's only goal for Scotland came in a 3–1 win over Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
on 3 October 1953. His final cap for Scotland came against Northern Ireland on November 5, 1958, which Scotland drew 2–2.