He played in his 532nd match for the Club in our Jersey Mike’s Trophy tie against Doncaster Rovers at the Crown Oil Arena.
The appearance, which he marked with a goal, saw him surpass former Club captain Gary Jones, who played in his 531st and final Dale match in May 2012.
Henderson, who made his Dale debut in March 2013, is also our all-time leading goalscorer, having netted 174 times.
HENDO’S DALE JOURNEY
The Norwich City Academy graduate joined Dale following his departure from Colchester United, where he had spent almost three years.
He made his debut in a 3-0 defeat at Morecambe and scored his first goal a week later in the 4-1 victory at home to Wycombe Wanderers.
Hendo’s impact helped Dale to safety in League Two that season, but his influence would be crucial the following campaign, as promotion to League One was secured in his first full season.
In 2014/15, his goalscoring qualities came to the fore, netting 22 league goals as Dale enjoyed a successful season back in the third tier of English football.
Becoming synonymous with the number 40, Henderson was our leading goalscorer for six consecutive league seasons, as well as writing his name into the history books with legendary FA Cup goals against Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Upon his departure from the Club in 2020, at the end of his contract, Henderson had scored 126 times for Dale, needing just four more to overtake Reg Jenkins as our all-time leading scorer.
He achieved that feat in November 2022, four months after his return to the Crown Oil Arena, with a winning goal against his former side, Salford City.
Continuing his journey with Dale into the National League, Henderson contributed some important goals, none more so than in the promotion-winning campaign of 2025/26, securing EFL football once again.
Henderson, now into his 13th season with the Club, has contributed five goals in his nine appearances so far.
HENDO IN NUMBERS
| SEASON | LEAGUE ONE | LEAGUE TWO | NATIONAL LEAGUE | FA CUP | EFL CUP | EFL TROPHY | FA TROPHY | NL CUP | TOTALS | |||||||||
| A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | |
| 12/13 | – | – | 12 | 3 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 3 |
| 13/14 | – | – | 45 | 11 | – | – | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 52 | 12 |
| 14/15 | 44 | 22 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 50 | 22 |
| 15/16 | 39 | 13 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 42 | 13 |
| 16/17 | 42 | 15 | – | – | – | – | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 49 | 19 |
| 17/18 | 39 | 13 | – | – | – | – | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 50 | 20 |
| 18/19 | 45 | 20 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 49 | 21 |
| 19/20 | 31 | 15 | – | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 39 | 16 |
| 22/23 | – | – | 44 | 8 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 50 | 10 |
| 23/24 | – | – | – | – | 39 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 41 | 11 |
| 24/25 | – | – | – | – | 42 | 9 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 52 | 13 |
| 25/26 | – | – | – | – | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 9 |
| 26/27 | – | – | 6 | 2 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 |
| TOTALS | 240 | 98 | 106 | 23 | 112 | 28 | 31 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 532 | 174 |
DALE RECORDS
TOP TEN APPEARANCE HOLDERS
Ian Henderson – 532
Gary Jones – 531
Graham Smith – 345
Reg Jenkins – 332
Ray Aspden – 326
Matty Done – 311
Dave Thompson – 310
Wayne Evans – 297
Josh Lillis – 292
Shaun Reid – 289
TOP TEN GOALSCORERS
Ian Henderson – 174
Reg Jenkins – 129
Albert Whitehurst – 124
Steve Whitehall – 92
Gary Jones – 80
Billy Bertram – 74
Ronnie Cairns – 73
Jimmy Wynn – 65
Chris Dagnall – 60
Frank Lord & Steve Taylor – 56
DALE’S OLDEST PLAYERS
Tony Ford – 42 years and 173 days
Ian Henderson – 41 years and 283 days
Jack Warner – 41 years and 195 days
Harry Hubbick – 40 years and 174 days
Aaron Wilbraham – 40 years and 138 days
Richard Jobson – 39 years and 359 days
Neil Redfearn – 38 years and 316 days
Ted Burgin & Charlie Briggs – 38 years and 225 days
Ernie Moss – 38 years and 201 days
Stan Milburn – 38 years and 176 days
