Where are they now? Darren Henderson
FORMER Coleraine striker Darren Henderson is the latest player to talk about his time in the Blue and White Stripes…
The Bushmills native came through the ranks at the club and went on to make his debut against Ballymena United in 2005.
After cementing his place in the first-team set-up over the next few years, Henderson would move to The Oval in January 2008, making 37 appearances and helping the East Belfast side reach the Setanta Sports Cup final.
Henderson would return to The Showgrounds and formed a deadly partnership with Rory Patterson in the 2009/10 season. In 2011, Henderson would re-join Glentoran for a year, before returning to the Ballycastle Road under Oran Kearney.
However, a lack of game time resulted in a profitable loan spell with Dungannon Swifts, before the 34-year-old signed for Ballymena United and he helped the Sky Blues lift the League Cup.
Henderson has enjoyed further spells with Portadown, Ards and Carrick Rangers throughout his time in the Irish League.
In total, Henderson made 217 appearances for the Stripes, scoring 74 goals and he spoke to Jonathan McNabb about his career to date.
Q1. Darren – talk us through your youth career, who did you play for and did you always play as a striker?
My first real youth team was East End when I was about 10 or 11, although before that I had been playing for the school football team and that’s how I got asked to come play for East End.
They always had the best players around the north coast area so I was happy to be asked to join their set up. We had a great side with players like John Watt, Kyle McVey and Sean Henegan.
To be honest, we won most competition we were in and I was always a striker at youth level and always scored a lot of goals.
Q2. You joined Coleraine Colts and made your way right through to the first-team; that must have been a proud moment? Remember much about your debut? You must owe a lot to a few people at the club?
Yes, it was a very proud moment for me to make my way from the Colts to the first team.
I only remember little bits about my debut, though it was at the end of the 2004/05 season and I came on as a sub for Bryce Moon at home to Ballymena in a 2-0 defeat. I remember hitting the crossbar with a header late on.
I definitely owe a lot to people like Victor Hunter, Aaron Forgrave and Davy Platt for helping me get to the first team, and then obviously Marty Quinn for trusting me enough to play for the club.
Q3. You were introduced to the side just after the financial difficulties in 2005; how was that? The majority of your appearances breaking through were from right midfield?
I had been training a lot with the first team from the season before and Marty told me at the end of that season that I would be a part of the first team squad come the new season, so I had been really looking forward to the new season.
However, I didn’t know back then that the club was in big financial difficulties so when I came back for the new season I didn’t no what was going to happen like a lot of players.
Yes, they were from right midfield, Marty played me there as I wasn’t strong enough at that stage to play upfront and I would get bit more time on the ball from out wide. He always told me though that I would end up as a striker cause of my eye for goal.
Q4. Your early form with Coleraine resulted in interest from elsewhere – what prompted the switch to Glentoran in January 2008?
I had a really good 2006/07 campaign and made the Irish League Team of the Season, before starting the next season well, so I’d say that’s what made both Glentoran and Linfield interested.
Marty came to me in December to say that Glentoran had made a bid for me and to ask me what my thoughts were on it. I had good chat with my dad about it and went back to Marty a week or so later and told him I would like to speak with Alan McDonald.
The talks went well and I thought it would be a great move for me at that stage of my career, so I went back to Marty and told him I’d like to try it with Glentoran.
He tried everything to keep me at the club, offered me a great deal and I felt so bad that I still wanted to leave, but I just thought it was too good of a move to turn down as Glentoran were challenging for honours.
Q5. How would you describe your first spell at The Oval? There was a memorable Setanta Cup run? You scored a fair few goals?
I really enjoyed my first six months at The Oval and we were unlucky not to win something that season.
The Setanta Cup run was great and I played nearly all the games right up to the final.
I think my goals to game ratio was like a goal every other game, but to be fair, it wasn’t that hard to score goals in a team that was so good at creating chances.
Q6. Returned to Coleraine under Davy Platt – what made you make the move back? Was there a regret at leaving Glentoran at that time as they went on to win the league?
I had always stayed in contact with Davy after leaving so he knew everything that was going on with me in football and when he got the managers job at Coleraine that summer, he told me straight away that he wanted to bring me back to the club.
I said I wanted to try the new season with Glentoran to see how things went but at the same time I wanted to go back and play under him as I knew how good of a coach he was as I played under him for the Reserves.
No there wasn’t any regret at leaving Glentoran at all and I knew there was a good chance of them going onto win the league and I already had played enough games to get a league winner’s medal had they went onto win it, though with me leaving in January, I just didn’t feel like I was apart of that any more as I was just loving being back at Coleraine.
To be fair to Glentoran when I went back to The Oval the next season with Coleraine they handed me my medal.
Q7. The 2009/10 season is one that will live long in the memory – your best season in football? How would you describe playing with Rory Patterson? Surely there must be some disappointment at not winning a trophy?
Yes, I’d say it was probably my best season from a personal point of view as it was my best goal scoring season with 24 goals.
Rory was a great player, me and him just seemed to click off each other and things went well, though it wasn’t just about me anf him as we had great players all around us an we played some of the best attacking football that season.
It is definitely the biggest regret of my career not winning anything that season and how we didn’t I’ll never know. We were the best footballing team in the league that season in my opinion but we had a bit of bad luck along the way with injuries to crucial players at crucial times in the season.
Losing the League Cup final on penalties was a really hard to take as we had played so well that day.
Q8. Davy Platt left the club in February 2011; you were close to him so that must have been hard to take?
Yes, me and Davy were really close and that was a hard one to take as he had helped me so much from coming through the Reserves to play for the first team.
He also brought me back to the club, so yes I was gutted in the way things had ended for Davy at Coleraine.
Q9. Joined Glentoran for a second time in 2011 – talk us through that? You scored on your debut but your chances were limited?
Scott Young was a coach when I was there the first time and he didn’t want me to leave the club when I did, so when he got the managers job at Glentoran, he just wanted me back.
Oran did everything he could to keep me at Coleraine but I was disappointed with a few things that was going on at the club at that time and I just thought a move away was best for me at that time.
I started off well again with Glentoran and even though I didn’t play as much as I thought I should of been, I still ended up the club’s top goal scorer that season.
Q10. Re-joined Coleraine a year later under Oran Kearney – did you think you would finish your career with the club at that point?
Eddie Patterson came in at Glentoran half way through the 2011/12 season and I just didn’t enjoy things under him at all, so me and him had a chat to put me on the transfer list as I still had two years left on my contract.
I was in talks with Ronnie McFall at Portadown about maybe joining them but then Oran rang me out of the blue one day and once I had spoke with him, I knew straight away I wanted to go back to Coleraine.
I thought I would finish my career with Coleraine at that point as I walked away from a big contract with Glentoran and I signed a 3 year contract with Coleraine.
Q11. You would go on loan to Dungannon Swifts a year later – that would turn out to be a success?
After a frustrating season back at Coleraine and being in an out of the team, I was told by Oran at the end of the season that I was no longer part of his and the club’s plans.
I was little shocked as I was given a three-year contract just a year earlier and told that I was a big part of the plans. I still had two years left on my contract and I hadn’t a lot of clubs wanting me as I hadn’t played much the season before, so I knew it was going to be hard to get a new club.
Darren Murphy was manager of Dungannon and he had been onto me a few times but I kept putting it off because of the travelling side of things. It was only a few days before the new season started I agreed to go on loan to Dungannon.
Darren Murphy was great with me, he told me from day one that I was going to be his main man up front so I just think from then I got my confidence back and everything just seemed to go well for me there as I was scoring goals an enjoying my football again.
Q12. You would enjoy a three-and-a-half year stint at Ballymena United – how did you find playing for a club who were once your rivals? Winning the League Cup a highlight?
To be honest growing up as a Coleraine fan, I didn’t like Ballymena at all! When I was playing for Coleraine I used to love scoring against them in the derby games and at that stage I could never have seen me play for them!
But to be totally honest I would say I enjoyed the full three-and-a-half years with them as we had a great bunch of players there and the changing room was so together as everyone just got on with each other.
The club is so well run from top to bottom and I didn’t have to want for anything when I was there. The fans were brilliant with me considering I joined them from Coleraine.
Winning the League Cup was a great highlight as it was good to be a part of a successful team that had won a trophy for a club that had went so long without a major trophy.
Q13. You have been on the books of Portadown, Ards and Carrick Rangers since 0 all have their unique story?
They are all good clubs but for some reason I just didn’t seem to be enjoying it enough at any of them and that showed with me moving on at each club after only six months or so.
Q14. Are you still playing football and keeping an eye on developments in the Irish League?
Yes, I am still playing football for a wee club called Dervock, who are local to where I live and I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would have when I signed.
A lot of people said I was mad dropping to that level of football at my age considering the fact that a few Irish League clubs and Championship clubs still wanted to offer me a contract.
But being honest I just wasn’t enjoying football since I left Ballymena, which is why I didn’t last long very long with the last few clubs I was with.
Yes I will always follow Irish league football and watch most of the live games that are shown. I have been to a few Coleraine and Ballymena games since I gave up playing in the league.
Q15. Who was the best player you played with during your time in the Irish League?
I’ve played with some great players especially during my time at Glentoran and Coleraine.
It is hard to choose between Stephen Carson and Gary Hamilton as they were both a different level on the pitch. However, I would also give special mention to a few others great players I played with such as Tommy McCallion, Stewart Clanachan, Dean Fitzgerald and Kyle Neill.
They were all great players but what I admired most about all the players I’ve mentioned is how good they were to me off the pitch also and that for me meant a lot more.
Q16. We recently asked Stewart Clanachan if playing for your hometown club can be difficult due to too much pressure from fans – would you agree with that statement?
It can be very difficult playing for your hometown club as you are always in and around the fans that support the team, whether it be walking down the street, working with them or even meeting them when out for a night out.
Trust me I’ve been called every name under the sun by my own fans when playing for my hometown club, whether it was from the stand or seeing it on social media, but I can honestly say it didn’t bother me much at all.
It bothered my family and friends a lot more and on a few times they got angry over it but I always told them let them say what they like as it keeps them off other players’ backs.
I think a lot of fans didn’t give me much respect after I came back from Glentoran which was fair enough, but for me I knew I had the respect of the players around me at the club and that was more important to me than what anyone else ever thought of me as a footballer and I think my overall stats prove I did alright when I was playing for the club.
To play even one game for Coleraine was something I always wanted to do from going to watch them as a kid with my dad never mind playing as many as I did, so for me I’ll always be proud of that.
Can I just finish by saying I would like to wish Oran, his backroom staff and players all the very best in the future. They are all doing a super job at the club and it’s great to see a strong Coleraine team challenging for the trophies they have been doing the past few years. Keep up the good work!
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