Liam Henderson: Falkirk defender talks injuries, positions and his goal-scoring ambitions

The versatile defender, who was John McGlynn’s first summer signing, was sent off in his first competitive appearance of the season against Greenock Morton for a silly tackle just over the half-way line.

He then came back for the Bonnyrigg Rose clash after missing Falkirk’s best performance of the season against Hibs, only to come off injured twenty minutes into the game.

Recently, it has been a tough couple of matches for Henderson too, playing in the middle of park in the Dundee defeat before moving into centre-back in the loss at Kelty Hearts last time out.

"Personally for me it hasn’t been a great start at all,” he admitted. “I was sent off, got injured, came back and got injured again. It isn’t great and it is annoying and frustrating.

“For me it is about getting back into centre-back now and playing well enough to keep that position. I want to just do well and help the team and that is the focus.

“Being back at full-time level may be why I have picked up these niggling injuries to be honest, it is a big change for your body going from part-time.

“I have been working on body in the gym and the programme is in place to help ensure this doesn’t happen again but I am getting to the end of it now I think.

“The last club I was at full-time was Falkirk when I was younger. Since then I have been part-time and working away but the aim was to always get back to it.”

Henderson believes that despite his start to life under John McGlynn, this is the perfect place for him.

He added: “I want to be a better player and working under the gaffer was a big thing for me in coming here. I want to get the team back into the Championship and when I first spoke to him it was a no-brainer.

“To be honest at the time no way would I have thought I would have been back at Falkirk one day. Paul Hartley came in and everyone knows what happened.

“When the opportunity arose however it was just a no-brainer as I said already.

“This weekend’s match is the type you want to play in, games that you need to win and it is two massive clubs going up against other.

“We just need to focus on the match and what happens on the pitch, not off it. It will be electric but the match will take care of itself. This game means so much to the supporters.

“We need to make sure we go up this year. We had a blip against Kelty and it was just one of those days but that is in the past now. We can’t dwell on it.”

The former Arbroath defender is known for his versatility across the backline, but Henderson reckons his secret weapon could be adding goals to his game again.

Despite having the talent and ability of the likes of Callumn Morrison, Aidan Nesbitt and Craig McGuffie in the squad – the Bairns haven’t made much of attacking set-pieces so far this campaign.

“I’d love to get back to that again, scoring goals,” he explained. “The gaffer is really good at set-pieces and the tactical side of it all so I want to take advantage of that for sure.

“We have so many guys with that talent who can really put it on a plate for you so I want to add some goals to my game again.

“I’ve not been on the pitch long enough yet to build up that type of really close relationship but it will come.”

Back in 2020, he made the headlines after notching a hat-trick in just nine minutes against Albion Rovers in a League Two match with previous club FC Edinburgh.

Across those two seasons he scored 11 goals in total from 34 league appearances.

“Big Blair Henderson was flying at that time,” he added. “I can remember my uncle and other family members used to get mixed up if they’d seen Henderson had scored thinking it was me.

“But then the next season I started chipping in with goals from all over the place. I was playing centre-half but we were brilliant at set-plays.

“Myself and Craig Thompson, who took all the set-pieces, had this perfect connection.

“He would take the free-kick and I would just know when to run and where it would be going.”

Meanwhile, Pars boss James McPake gave his thought’s ahead of the derby clash.