DEAN HENDERSON has revealed the joy, pain and frustration of his long journey that led him back into the England team.
The Crystal Palace keeper made his second appearance for the Three Lions in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Finland — four years after his debut against Ireland.
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Henderson, 27, was only told by interim manager Lee Carsley on Saturday he was being handed a long-awaited return, leaving his family in a race to dash out to Helsinki for the big occasion.
Yet the delight was mixed with sadness.
The one person Henderson would have dearly loved to be in the stands at the Olympic Stadium was his dad, Dougie, who passed away in the summer.
And he is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of pal George Baldock, 31, who died in Greece last week. The pair played together while Henderson was on loan at Sheffield United from Manchester United.
So while Henderson spoke with pride about a first ever start for England, it was understandable that on a couple of occasions his voice cracked and he was close to tears.
He said: “It has been four years since I played my last game for England.
“It just shows you can never give up and you’ve got to bounce back and be resilient.
“And I’m proud to have done that because it’s been really difficult at times.
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“I found out on Saturday during training that I was playing so it was a bit of a mad one. I wanted my mum, Yvonne, and my missus, Millie, to come out. So we were trying to do last-minute flights to get them here.
“I had to go all out and get them on a charter plane. But I did it because I knew that it was such a big thing for the family. My brother also came and my missus’ father, so it was nice.”
Asked who helped him through the dark times over the last few years, Henderson added: “My old man. Unfortunately, we lost him in the summer. It’d have been great for him to be here to watch me, so it’s been emotional.
“He didn’t miss any game. The journey that we went on was phenomenal. And I’ve just got to make sure it continues.”
Ahead of Thursday’s shock 2-1 Nations League loss to Greece at Wembley, there was a minute’s silence for Panathinaikos defender Baldock, who was found dead in a swimming pool at his villa in Athens.
Henderson, whose wife is also close friends with Baldock’s fiancee, Annabel Dignam, said: “I cannot believe it. I’m still numb from that.
“He was part of the group of lads we had at Sheffield United and he was a big character. So to lose him just out of the blue was such a shock.
“I am thinking about Annabel, his poor missus, and his young boy, Brodie. It’s such a shame. I don’t even know what to say. I’m lost for words.”
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Those two personal losses for Henderson obviously put football into perspective.
Yet on the pitch, it had been a turbulent week for the England team and the uncertainty over Carsley, who cannot seem to make his mind up whether he wants the job full-time.
But Henderson insisted: “He’s fantastic. He wants us to play football, he wants us to play with confidence. He wants to control games of football.
“The boys are buying into that. Obviously, we weren’t at our best the other night — and even in some cases against Finland.
“But we have got to take responsibility and we’ve got to puff our chests out and show the confidence to get on the ball.
“He wants us to play out from the back, which is not something I do massively at club level.
“But you have got to flick the switch and obviously do well for him.”
Henderson also believes Carsley was right to be brave at Wembley and experiment by playing without a No 9 in a bid to cram in all his attacking midfielders — even though it was a disaster.
He said: “At the Euros, people were asking for that team. You’ve got to be ballsy and you’ve got to just give it a shot.”
England player ratings vs Finland
ENGLAND secured a commanding 3-1 win over Finland following their horror show at home to Greece
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay assessed the Three Lions’ stars performances.
Dean Henderson – 6
Only his second cap after long-time No1 Jordan Pickford was dropped. Not a lot to do, but pretty assured when he was called into action, including a smart, first-half stop to repel a Benjamin Kallman strike – even if the Finn was later flagged offside. Could do little to prevent Finland’s goal.
Kyle Walker – 6
After the calamity against Greece, it was no surprise to see Lee Carsley turn to his most experienced defender. Now just nine caps shy of a century, Walker was solid. Could have had an assist late on but his cushioned down header was poor.
John Stones – 6
England’s more conventional system meant the defence was far less exposed – though Carsley’s attacking approach did still see the Finns create chances. Stones made a good early block to deny Kallman after Angel Gomes gave the ball away.
Marc Guehi – 6
Our best defender in the Euros group stages, Guehi was back in here with Levi Colwill dropping out. Pretty assured for a player who by his own admission has not started the season particularly well for his club.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
We saw him in midfield at the Euros, and here the Liverpool right-back was shunted to left-back. Looked vulnerable defensively at times but who cares when he produces such quality on the ball – epitomised by his terrific free-kick to kill off this game.
Angel Gomes – 8
The big success story of the Carsley era, however long it lasts, has been bringing Gomes into the fold. He created Jack Grealish’s opener with a beautiful, flicked-pass round the corner and was excellent in possession – barring one sloppy early pass.
Declan Rice – 7
Looked far more comfortable with Gomes playing in behind him, as opposed to the one-man defensive operation he was forced to put up against the Greeks. Looked proud as punch after stroking home England’s third from Watkins’ cross.
Cole Palmer – 5
Played in a more familiar wide right position compared to his central-midfield experiment against Greece. Yet it reduced him to a peripheral figure, adding more questions than answers as to where best to deploy him, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Jude Bellingham – 6
The Real Madrid superstar played off Harry Kane and had the occasional, exciting link-up with Grealish, but this was not one of his more memorable games overall.
Jack Grealish – 8
No doubt will be hoping Carsley does get the job full-time as his fellow Brummie seems to appreciate his talents. His composed finish was his second goal in three games under Carsley – doubling his overall haul from 39 caps.
Harry Kane – 6
Cap 101 for the captain but not one he will remember particularly fondly. He offered the presence the team lacked against Greece when they played with no striker, but did not get much of a sniff in front of goal.
Subs
Noni Madueke (for Palmer, 69) – 7
This game was made for him to make an impact off the bench and he almost teed up Watkins after one fine run but the Finns cleared.
Ollie Watkins (for Kane, 69) – 7
Low cross for Rice’s third was right on the money.
Rico Lewis (for Gomes, 80) – 6
Slotted in at centre midfield when coming on and looked busy.
Phil Foden (for Bellingham, 80) – 5
Embraced the post ruefully after Madueke opted to shoot instead of crossing to him for a tap-in seconds after Finland’s goal. Was marking Arttu Hoskonen when the Finn headed home a consolatio.
Conor Gallagher (for Rice, 89) – 6
His first appearance under Carsley but too late to make an impact.
Lee Carsley – 7
His tactical gamble backfired against Greece but he held his hands up and went more conventional here. It paid off as England were relatively comfortable – although his teams have looked defensively vulnerable at times in all four of his games and this was no different.
But the three best players, Gomes, Grealish and Alexander-Arnold, were all given starring roles by Carsley when used sparingly or not at all by predecessor Gareth Southgate – and for that, the interim boss should take credit.
