| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Gillespie Henderson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1932-01-17)17 January 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 26 January 2005(2005-01-26) (aged 73)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Poole, Dorset, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1947–1958 | Portsmouth | 217 | (70) |
| 1958 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 9 | (3) |
| 1958–1962 | Arsenal | 103 | (29) |
| 1962–1964 | Fulham | 45 | (7) |
| 1964–1967 | Poole Town | ||
| 1967–1971 | Dorchester Town | ||
| International career | |||
| 1953–1954 | Scotland B | 2 | (0) |
| 1953–1958 | Scotland | 7 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Gillespie Henderson (17 January 1932 – 26 January 2005) was a Scottish internationalfootballer who played as aforward in the EnglishFootball League forPortsmouth,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Arsenal andFulham.[1]
Henderson was born inGlasgow in 1932, and started playing football as a youth with hisBishopbriggs-based church team and for Kirkintilloch Boys Club.[3] He signed forPortsmouth as a 17-year-old, and after completing hisNational Service in theRoyal Army Ordnance Corps[4] he made his debut for the first team againstSunderland in September 1951.[5] At first playing as acentre forward, he also subsequently appeared atinside forward and on theleft wing for the club.[3] Henderson's performance with Portsmouth soon attracted the attention of theScotland international management.[3] A physical player known for his pace, fast crosses and good two feet, he was a regular goalscorer for his seven years with Portsmouth.[3]
Henderson moved on in March 1958 toWolverhampton Wanderers for £16,000.[a] Wolves won theFirst Division title that season but Henderson did not qualify for a medal. He began the following season still atMolineux and appeared in a handful of early games in what would be another championship-winning campaign, but played only nine matches in all for Wolves.[8]
Unable to secure a first-team place,[8] Henderson moved on toArsenal in October 1958 for £20,000,[a] and made his debut againstWest Bromwich Albion atHighbury on 4 October; he scored twice in a thrilling 4–3 win.[3] Injury interrupted his first season,[7] but he still scored twelve times as Arsenal finished third in the league.[3] He became a regular in the first team in the following two seasons.[7]
Swindin's tinkering with the Arsenal attacking line-up meant the versatile Henderson was unable to hold down any particular position in the side, and midway through the1961–62 season he was transferred toFulham for £14,000.[3][a] He had played 111 games for Arsenal in total, scoring 29 goals.[7]
In his first season atCraven Cottage, Henderson helped Fulham reach the1961–62 FA Cup semi-final, in which they lost narrowly toBurnley.[4] Henderson also helped keep the Cottagers in the First Division for two seasons.[3] He was a Fulham regular up until March 1963, when he broke his leg. An attempted comeback was unsuccessful, and he left the club in 1964.[4] He continued to playnon-league football withPoole Town, where he was top scorer as they were promoted to theSouthern League Premier Division,[6] andDorchester Town until his retirement from football in 1971.[4]
Henderson made his representative debut in aB international againstEngland B in March 1953.[9] His first appearance for thesenior team came on 6 May, in afriendly at home toSweden; Scotland lost 2–1.[10] Henderson's only goal for Scotland came on 3 October, in a 3–1 win overNorthern Ireland in a1953–54 British Home Championship that doubled as a qualifying group for the1954 World Cup. Scotland finished runners-up and qualified.[9][11] Henderson was included in their 22-man squad, but only 13 of the 22 travelled to the finals. Henderson stayed at home on reserve with the likes ofBobby Combe andJimmy Binning. Inside forwardGeorge Hamilton was also on reserve but travelled afterBobby Johnstone withdrew through injury.[12] His seventh and final senior cap was also against Northern Ireland, in a 2–2 draw on 5 November 1958.[10]
Henderson was married with two sons.[3] After his playing days ended, he left the game and settled inDorset where he worked as a storeman for a builders' merchant. He died in Poole in 2005 at the age of 73.[4][6]
| Scotland national team[10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1953 | 2 | 1 |
| 1954 | 2 | 0 |
| 1955 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 1 |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 October 1953 | Windsor Park,Belfast |  Northern Ireland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1953–54 British Home Championship | [10][13] |
Scotland
Poole Town
