COLERAINE FC is very pleased to announce the signing of exciting, young Scottish winger Jay Henderson…
The 24-year-old boasts an impressive career to date having made his mark in both the Scottish Premiership and Championship.
Jay broke through the St Mirren academy into the first team following a number of impressive performances for the Paisley-based side during the early stages of his career.
As his development progressed at the SMISA Stadium, the Scottish National youth squads would also beckon for the Ayrshire man as he made himself an exciting prospect on the Scottish football scene.
Across the latter stages of his time with the Buddies, Jay spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. It was a memorable season for the Highland side as they would travel to Hampden Park to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final after a remarkable cup campaign – as well as starting in the showpiece final itself, it was a campaign where Henderson would play a significant part for Billy Dodds’ side.
Following the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign, Jay joined then Scottish Premiership side Ross County on a three-year deal. He subsequently joined Ayr United on loan for the 2024/25 season where he had 27 goal involvements in just 47 appearances, a personal best season for the dangerous wide man.
Across his time with the Staggies, Jay made 51 appearances for Ross County prior to departing this summer.
On completing the signing of Henderson, first-team manager Ruaidhri Higgins said: “I’m extremely excited by what Jay can provide for us.
“He’s a very dynamic attacking player who has a lot of talent and I’ve no doubts that he will excite our supporters.
“We’ve obviously lost players in that area of the pitch this summer and Jay brings a real quality to our squad and he’s capable of changing the game in an instant.
“How we play will suit his game and the talent around him will also bring the best out of him.
“Jay is on holiday until mid-June and we will look forward to introducing him to the group when he arrives.”
Henderson will now cross the Irish Sea for the next chapter of his career and he is looking forward to the new challenge.
“It’s an opportunity I am really looking forward to,” he added.
“It’s a different league and environment and the plans that the club have are exciting and something I look forward to being part of.
“The success the club had last season is something that we can hopefully build on and have more of. For me personally the chance to play European football and compete for trophies is front and centre of why I wanted to come and after speaking to the manager it only strengthened that feeling.
“Looking at the footage from the Irish Cup final, it’s clear to see we have a terrific fanbase and hopefully next season we can enjoy more good memories together.”
The move is subject to the completion of international clearance.
Image courtesy of Alex Drummond