Tag: Gary Mills

When Albion legend Peter Ward went from hero to villain

NOT FOR THE first time, Peter Ward was in the headlines for scoring at Brighton’s Goldstone Ground – but this time it was in the colours of Nottingham Forest.

It was 20 February 1982 and the quicksilver striker whose goals had endeared himself to the Goldstone Ground faithful as the Albion rose from the third tier to the elite netted against his old pals.

He didn’t score many headers but he did on his return to Hove with Forest and his goal on the stroke of half-time was the only goal of the game.

It was also something of a rarity because, although he’d been a prolific scorer for Brighton, it was one of only seven he scored in 33 appearances for Forest.

Ward evades Steve Foster
Thankfully Ward doesn’t find the net this time

“Brighton’s one-time hero Peter Ward turned villain by firing Forest’s winner,” wrote Arthur Hopkins in the Sunday Mirror. “His artistry and aggression also appeared to damage Steve Foster’s chances of gaining his first cap for England. (It didn’t: Foster made his England debut three days later in a 4-0 win at Wembley over Northern Ireland and so became the first Albion player for 57 years to play in a home international for England).

“Brighton manager Mike Bailey agreed that Foster was one of three defenders who should have shut out Ward in the 45th minute,” wrote Hopkins. “The pint sized striker headed in magnificently from a Bryn Gunn cross….watched by England manager Ron Greenwood. Ward took on Foster and Co almost on his own, twisting and turning confidently.”

In similar vein, Paul Parish in the Sunday Express, wrote: “Peter Ward went back to Brighton to revive memories of his glittering goalscoring days at the Goldstone Ground….and ended Nottingham Forest’s barren run of six weeks without a win.”

The veteran Argus Albion scribe John Vinicombe said Ward was “often quite scintillating” leading his old club a merry dance and “impudently settled the issue with a header, which has never been his strong department”.

Ward in action for Albion against Forest before moving to the City Ground

The corresponding fixture in the previous season (on 11 October 1980) had been Ward’s last game for the Albion before moving to the opposition (the visitors won 1-0 that day too, Ian Wallace scoring on the stroke of half-time and Peter Shilton having a blinder in goal).

Ward had come close to joining Forest a year earlier, when the man who’d bought him for the Albion, Brian Clough’s assistant Peter Taylor, had reached an agreement with Brighton chairman Mike Bamber. But Clough pulled out of the deal at the last minute, a decision that irked his long-time managerial partner, who revealed in his autobiography With Clough by Taylor: “I wish Peter Ward had signed for us earlier. I saw Ward slotting straight into (Tony) Woodcock’s position, with Trevor Francis striking from midfield; everything about the deal looked right, yet everything went wrong.”

Born in Lichfield on 27 July 1955, Ward was only 4’8” when he left school and, because he was told he was too small to make a career playing football, he got a job as an apprentice engine fitter at Rolls Royce and played local football in the Derby area in his spare time. The detail of those early years can be discovered in Matthew Horner’s excellent biography of Ward (He Shot, He Scored, Sea View Media), and in my previous blog post on Ward.

Scout Jim Phelps recommended Ward to the then non-league Burton Albion manager Ken Gutteridge having worked with the freescoring player at a Sunday afternoon side, Borrowash United.

Taylor recalled that back in 1975 his assistant at Brighton, Brian Daykin, had not been convinced on first scouting Ward. But Gutteridge, who’d managed the player at Burton and then moved to the Albion as a coach, insisted they both take another look, after which they reckoned Ward had shown enough class touches on a bad pitch to warrant a £4,000 gamble.

Debut scorer Ward breezes past veteran Terry Paine at Hereford

The gamble paid off big-time for the Seagulls. Ward scored after just 50 seconds of a 1-1 draw at Hereford United on 27 March 1976 in front of the Match of the Day cameras, the first of 95 goals in 227 appearances for the Albion.

Ward and Mellor were a prolific goalscoring partnership

After Alan Mullery succeeded Taylor, Ward just got better and better playing alongside Ian Mellor and set a club record of 36 league and cup goals, topping the national scoring charts, in the 1976-77 season as Albion won promotion from the third tier. Although he never hit such heights again for the Albion, he was top scorer for the next three seasons: bagging 17 and 13 in what is now known as the Championship and 18 goals in the top division.

Unsurprisingly, there was international recognition of his feats, first for Dave Sexton’s England under-21s in September 1977 for a game against Norway at the Goldstone Ground when he scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win. The following month Hove-based Greenwood called him up to the full England squad for a game against Luxembourg, although he wasn’t involved in the match.

When Albion struggled to come to terms with life amongst the elite, and Ward managed only two goals in the first three months of the 1979-80 season, Mullery was prepared to swap him with Derby County’s Gerry Daly – but Daly rejected the idea.

Then, with Taylor pulling the strings, Forest had a bid for Ward accepted by Albion, but Clough changed his mind and withdrew the offer. Clough doubted his mate’s judgement and asked: ‘Are you right about Ward?’

“I felt floored and insulted,” said Taylor. “‘Right?’ I shouted. I’ve got every detail about him except his fingerprints. I’ve bought him once; I’ve played him. He’s tried and tested. I know him as well as I know you’ – and with that, I left the ground.”

Taylor pointed out: “Ward has scored a hat-trick for England Under-21s and had a place in the full England squad but I don’t think he’ll realise his full potential because of inconsistency. Yet I like him. He is very good with his back to goal because he can turn and lick defenders and finish. That’s a rare quality – sticking it in the net.”

All this happened shortly before bottom-of-the-table Brighton – winless for 11 matches – prepared to visit third-placed Forest, the European champions, league runners up and League Cup holders who’d not lost a game at home for 49 matches.

So, the stage was set and if Ward felt he had a point to prove, he certainly delivered. “Apparently unwanted, Ward positively sparkled and caused havoc in the Forest defence,” Tim Carder and Roger Harris’ history of the Albion noted.

Gerry Ryan’s goal in the 12th minute stunned the City Ground and a rearguard action led by debut-making experienced defender Peter Suddaby alongside the outstanding Foster, plus a Graham Moseley penalty save, enabled Albion to pull off the unexpected and record their first away victory in the top-flight. It was Forest’s first home defeat in the league for more than two years.

Ward, with a new strike partner in Ray Clarke, returned to his old goalscoring ways across the remainder of the season and Albion retained their top tier status. At the end of that season, Ward won his one and only full England cap, going on as a late substitute for Alan Sunderland when England beat Australia 2-1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 31 May 1980 (Glenn Hoddle and Paul Mariner scored for England). Joe Corrigan was in goal for England and Russell Osman played alongside Terry Butcher in the heart of the defence.

As for Ward, Forest didn’t give up on him and almost a year after their previous stalled attempt to prise him away from Brighton, they finally did the deal.

He’d been ever present for Albion since the start of that campaign but had only scored twice.

Although Ward hadn’t always seen eye to eye with Mullery, the news he was moving on took him by surprise. He only found out when he was at a friend’s house and it came on the news!

In a curious transfer triangle, Forest wanted Ward to replace Garry Birtles, who they’d sold to Manchester United and United’s Andy Ritchie in turn moved to Brighton to fill the vacancy made by Ward’s departure to the East Midlands.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but in 2020, speaking to Richard Newman on the Football, Albion and Me podcast, Ward said: “Looking back now, maybe I should have stayed at Brighton a bit longer.”

One thing was for sure, the man who’d first brought Ward to Brighton, Taylor, rated him highly and went on record to explain why he was worth the £400,000 Forest paid for him.

Ward had made his debut in Forest’s 2-1 win over Leeds on 22 October 1980 and scored his first goal for them in his third game, a 2-1 home win over Southampton. Taylor told Shoot! magazine: “Ward tore Leeds apart. His speed, skill and eye for openings proved too much for them.”

In the days when most clubs chose one tall striker and a nippy shorter one alongside, some observers questioned Forest pairing the diminutive Ward and Ian Wallace (a £1.25million signing from Coventry). Taylor rebuffed it, saying: “There is a lot of nonsense talked about how tall strikers should be. The important question for any managerial team is… can this lad play? In the case of Peter Ward, the answer is definitely ‘yes’.”

The hopes for Ward and Wallace were front cover material for football magazine Shoot!

He added: “In fact, I am convinced that when he moves from Brighton back to his native Midlands and settles down, he will make a lot of people sit up and marvel at his ability.

“We are more interested in the basic ability of our two strikers. And there can be no question that they pose nightmares for big defenders. Players with the qualities of Wallace and Ward will always get goals and always worry defences.

“I don’t think people know just how good a player Ward is. It is just a matter of time before he settles into the Forest way of things, and then we will see him at his best.

“The fact that neither of these players happens to be a giant is neither here nor there. Ability is the key, not stature. And these players have the ability.”

In the same Shoot! article in which Taylor sung Ward and Wallace’s praises, strapping centre-back Willie Young (who briefly played on loan for Brighton in 1984) said: “The modern striker has to be sharp, mobile and capable of pulling a defence out of position.

“The days of the big man standing in the box waiting for a high ball to knock down are fast fading.

“Ward and Wallace will make it difficult for big defenders because they are quick and skilful and can turn you if you lose concentration. Give them room and they will create problems.”

Arguably the history books would suggest Clough was ultimately right to be sceptical about Ward, although the player himself has never reflected badly on his time at Forest.

“I had a great time at Forest. I got on well with the lads and had a laugh,” he told Spencer Vignes in the book A Few Good Men (Breedon Books, 2007).

While he also always got on well with Taylor, his relationship with the erratic Clough was a lot stormier which meant he was in and out of the side. Ward was never afraid to speak his mind and, as Vignes covered in his book, that didn’t go down well with idiosyncratic Clough’s schoolmasterly style of managing.

Ward told the journalist: “There were good days and there were bad days. Sometimes he would say ‘That’s fantastic, you had a good game’. Once, against Valencia, he chose me as Man of the Match. But at other times, well you just struggled to work out what was going on. I remember playing Paris St Germain and I had a horrible game. Afterward he goes ‘That’s the last time you’re playing for me’. Next game I was playing again. You never really knew what to expect.”

Ward said that Clough was troubled by a heart murmur at the time and would fly off to Spain to recuperate. “Peter Taylor was picking the team. It got to the point where I’d start a game one week, then be on the bench the next when Clough came back.”

Clough and Taylor’s former winger Alan Hinton offered Ward a way out. He had moved to America to coach Seattle Sounders but was back in the UK watching Forest Reserves against Man City Reserves. Ward scored five and afterwards Hinton made an approach to take him on loan.

In He Shot, He Scored, Hinton explained: “I was looking for a striker and at the time it seemed to me that big target men were going out of fashion. Peter was small and quick and I thought that his style would really work for us.

“The English game wasn’t in a good financial state and clubs were keen to loan players out, so it wasn’t hard to convince Forest to let us have Peter. I liked him a lot — he was bubbly, liked a challenge, and was a Derby boy too!”

Ward was in good English company because the Sounders team also featured Steve Daley, Kenny Hibbitt, Gary Mills, Roger Davies and goalkeeper Paul Hammond.

It turned out to be a good move for Ward because Seattle finished as runners up in what was known as the Soccer Bowl and he was named North American Soccer League’s Player of the Year.

However, terms couldn’t be reached on a permanent move and he flew back from America, went into training on Thursday and was on the bench for Forest at Spurs on the Saturday.

In Ward’s own version of events: “I went on after 25 minutes because someone went off injured and I played well (although Forest lost 4-1).”

He played in the following two games but there were still issues between him and Clough.

That was when he made a triumphant return to his spiritual home – Brighton. Clough agreed to a loan deal and on 23 October 1982, backed by a crowd nearly 9,500 higher than for the previous home game, Ward once again ran out for the Albion. Although he didn’t score, the Seagulls beat table-topping West Ham 3-1 with goals from Steve Gatting, Michael Robinson and Gordon Smith.

Although he also failed to score against Spurs and Liverpool, he was bang on target against Manchester United, the club he’d supported as a boy, and he later reckoned it was his all-time favourite goal.

Ward salutes his winning strike

On the right side of the goal about 15 yards out he controlled the ball with his chest and, as it dropped, he volleyed a cracking shot past Gary Bailey. It was the only goal of the game.

But when four defeats on the trot followed, the club dispensed with the services of manager Bailey, and put chief scout Jimmy Melia and coach George Aitken in joint charge.

Albion were struggling at the foot of the table and although Ward scored again in a New Year’s Day home game with Watford, it finished 1-1. Remarkably, just two days later, Ward was allowed to play against his parent club, Forest, when Robinson scored in another 1-1 draw (Young scored for Forest), maybe not surprisingly 5,000 fewer people watching the second home game within three days.

Only goal of the game scorer Ward celebrates in the bath with teammates after the FA Cup win at Newcastle

It was only the FA Cup that would provide some respite from the league gloom. Ward, back on the St James’s Park pitch where he, Gerry Ryan and Brian Horton had scored in the 3-1 win that sealed Brighton’s promotion to the top level for the first time, bagged the winner in a 1-0 third round win when Newcastle felt they’d been robbed.  Injury kept him out for a few weeks but he was back in the side when Albion upset the form book to win the fifth round tie at Liverpool.

Not surprisingly, Albion wanted to keep him and he wanted to stay. But Clough wasn’t having any of it.

At that time, Clough’s Forest hadn’t been to a FA Cup Final and he told Ward: “Son, I’ve never been to a Cup Final. Neither are you.”

Ward recounted: “Those were his exact words. That’s when I said ‘**** off then. I’m leaving’. It’s like he was doing it purely out of spite, the pillock.”

Ward never re-appeared for Forest and it can only be the stuff of dreams to have imagined how Albion might have fared with regards their league status and the end-point of the FA Cup Final.

If it had been him instead of Gordon Smith presented with the chance to win the trophy in the dying minutes, he told Vignes unequivocally: “I’d have scored. I’d have put it right in the corner with my left foot to Bailey’s right.”

But back in the real world, by the end of 1983 Forest cut their losses and sold Ward to Vancouver Whitecaps for £20,000; the beginning of what became a 13-year career playing mainly indoor football in America, although he did return to the outdoor game with Tampa Bay Rowdies in the summer of 1989 when former Albion teammate Mark Lawrenson was a player-coach. Ward eventually settled in Florida.

‘Rooster’ became pivotal to developing young players

FORMER BRIGHTON apprentice Kevin Russell enjoyed a 20-year playing career in which he scored 105 goals in 552 games but he had forgettable spells at three South Coast clubs.

As we learned in my previous blog post, England Youth international Russell scored goals for Albion’s youth team and reserves but moved on before making the first team after a falling out with manager Chris Cattlin.

He got on better with Alan Ball at Portsmouth but only played eight games in three years at Pompey.

In March 1994, he was back in the south after a £125,000 move from Burnley to AFC Bournemouth. Unfortunately, his time at Dean Court coincided with dismal form on the pitch and financial pressures off it.

Russell was signed by Tony Pulis, who, it turned out, was in the final throes of his first spell as a manager, having succeeded Harry Redknapp at Dean Court.

The side had a dreadful run of form the month after Russell joined, suffering five defeats and three draws in eight matches. It was in the last of these that Russell finally got on the scoresheet for the Cherries as they picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at Hull City (his only goal in 17 matches).

While Mark McGhee won the Division Two title with Reading and Russell’s former club Burnley won promotion via a play-off final win over Stockport County, the Cherries finished a disappointing 17th in the table.

Portsmouth-born Russell had joined a squad (above) that included a number of players with past or future Brighton connections: Gary Chivers, Mark Morris, Paul Wood, Steve Cotterill and Warren Aspinall.

Cotterill recalled in a 2023 interview with gloucestershirelive.co.uk: “I know Rooster very well. I played with him at Bournemouth and he’s a great guy and a good coach.

“I liked him when I played with him because he used to stick crosses on a sixpence for me. I remember scoring a few goals from his crosses.”

Back in 1994, Pulis was sacked early on in the new season and former player Mel Machin took over, but the Cherries had managed only one win and a draw in their first 14 matches by the time they met the Albion at the Goldstone on 2 November 1994.

The game ended in a 0-0 draw and, although they won their next game, by Christmas they’d only got nine points from 21 games. Staring down the barrel of relegation, a last ditch revival in fortunes saw the season go down in memory as ‘The Great Escape’ because Bournemouth managed to avoided the drop by two points.

Russell, who had scored twice in 18 matches, had moved on by then and according to Aspinall, in a September 2011 interview with the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “Mel wanted rid of myself and Kevin Russell.”

Russell, who later had a habit of scoring against the Cherries – he hit four in 10 games against them – said after a 2001 encounter between Wrexham and Bournemouth: “The club was in a bad state when I was there, but Mel Machin and Sean O’Driscoll have turned things round and you know you’re always going to have a hard game against them.

“I don’t try any harder than normal when I play against them, but because I am playing up front and not in midfield or out wide, I get more chances to score.”

Aspinall had a couple of trial matches for the Albion before being packed off to Carlisle, while in February 1995 Russell joined First Division strugglers Notts County where he was reunited with former Leicester teammates Gary Mills and Phil Turner.

Howard Kendall was in charge at the time but County, who got through four managers that season (including Russell Slade for four months), finished bottom of the table having won only nine matches all season.

Russell then returned to his spiritual home in north Wales and, over the next seven years, played a further 240 matches for Wrexham, scoring 23 goals along the way.

One of the most memorable was a last-minute winner at the Boleyn Ground in January 1997 as Wrexham pulled off a FA Cup giant-killing against West Ham. Having held the Hammers to a 1-1 draw at the Racecourse Ground, Russell went on as a 75th minute sub in the replay and scored a screamer in the dying seconds against a side that included Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard.

While the Dragons fans were elated, protesting home supporters spilled onto the pitch in anger at Harry Redknapp’s side’s performance and lowly Premier League position.

Slaven Bilic, later West Ham’s manager, was playing alongside Ferdinand and remembered the game thus: “We were struggling. We weren’t conceding a lot of goals but we couldn’t score and then Wrexham came and they scored at the end of the game, a great goal from 25 yards. After that we signed Johnny Hartson and Paul Kitson and we stayed up.”

When Russell’s playing days were over, he stayed on as a coach and worked as assistant manager under Denis Smith, taking Wrexham to promotion from the Third Division in 2002-03 and winning the LDV (English Football League) trophy in 2005.

That same year his loyalty and service to the club were rewarded with a pre-season testimonial against Manchester United – managed by his former teammate and captain Darren Ferguson’s dad!

Russell played the first 14 minutes of the match against a largely youthful United before being replaced by Ferguson. United won the game 3-1 with goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Liam Miller and Frazier Campbell and one of their subs that day was Paul McShane.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Alex for bringing his side here for me,” said Russell. “I’ve been treated to a special team with a lot of quality. I know there were a lot of young players out there, but you could see the potential they’ve got is immense.”

A crowd of nearly 6,000 watched the match and Wrexham secretary Geraint Parry said: “It just shows how well respected Kevin Russell is after his many years in the game.”

Smith and Russell were sacked in January 2007 but he went straight to Peterborough with Ferguson, who had been appointed Posh player-manager.

“We had an unbelievable time at Peterborough,” Russell told John Hutchinson. “We took them from the bottom league to the Championship in successive seasons in 2008 and 2009.”

There was a brief and unsuccessful spell for the managerial duo at Preston North End in 2010 – they were sacked four days after Christmas with Preston bottom of the Championship – but they weren’t out of work for long because they were re-appointed at Peterborough the following month.

They lost their first game back in charge though – to Brighton. Albion, on course to be league one champions under Gus Poyet that season, beat Posh 3-1: Chris Wood two and Elliott Bennett the scorers while Craig Noone made his home debut for the Seagulls.

After three years at Peterborough, Russell moved back to the Potteries to join the coaching staff at Stoke (below) and stayed for nine years! He mainly worked with the under 18s and under 21s but also helped with the first team in between managerial changes in 2018 and 2019.

In May 2023, Russell joined Cheltenham Town as assistant manager to Wade Elliott. He was in caretaker charge for two matches when Elliott was sacked four months later but didn’t want the job on a permanent basis and left the club in October 2023 when Darrell Clarke was appointed.

Robins chairman David Bloxham said: “I am extremely grateful to Kevin for all his hard work and dedication and for his willingness to step in to manage the side in an extremely difficult period between Wade leaving and Darrell’s appointment.”

Once again, Russell wasn’t out of work for long. In January 2024, he was reunited with former Stoke technical director Mark Cartwright, a former goalkeeper who played 15 matches in Brighton’s 2000-01 promotion winning side, at Huddersfield Town.

Back in the game at Huddersfield Town

He was appointed as B team manager with a glowing endorsement from Cartwright, now Town’s sporting director, who said: “Not only is Kevin a great coach, but he also has a brilliant ability to develop relationships with young players.

“He’s a lively character and he knows how to relate to individuals to get the best out of them. Whilst at Stoke City, he played the pivotal role in developing players such as Nathan Collins, Harry Souttar, Tyrese Campbell, and Josh Tymon, alongside many others.

“He’s been so successful in doing that because he has a great understanding of the qualities that senior coaching staff want to see in young players.”

Boo boys saw off international ‘keeper Wayne Henderson

DISGRUNTLED former Albion goalkeeper Wayne Henderson helped Grimsby Town keep their place in the Football League.

The Republic of Ireland international stopper, forced away from Brighton by a section of voluble supporters, was on loan to the Mariners in 2009 as they desperately tried to avoid the drop.

Although there were Grimsby grumbles on his debut, Henderson’s mission was a success, Town avoiding the drop by four points. But it was only a stay of execution because they finally fell out of the league for the first time in 100 years in 2010.

By then, Henderson was back at parent club Preston North End, who had bought him from the Seagulls for £150,000 on deadline day in January 2007.

He managed only 10 appearances for the Lancashire club – his last game coming in the final match of the 2009-10 season – and in March 2011, when only 27, he was forced to quit the game after two years plagued with spinal injuries.

Much had been expected of the young Irishman at Brighton after an initial loan spell from Aston Villa, where he had been coached by former Seagulls ‘keeper Eric Steele. He made his Albion debut away to Derby County, together with fellow countryman Paul McShane (on loan from Manchester United), in the opening game of the 2004-05 season.

Manager Mark McGhee said the youngster hadn’t put a foot wrong. “His kicking really took the pressure off us,” he said. “He was composed and took a couple of crosses towards the end which also helped relieve the pressure.”

McGhee had first hoped to sign Henderson in January 2005 to help solve a goalkeeping crisis created by a serious shoulder muscle injury to Michel Kuipers in a home match against Nottingham Forest.

Youngster Chris May, son of former Albion defender Larry May, had come off the bench to replace Kuipers in the match but McGhee didn’t see him as experienced enough in the battle to stay in the Championship. The previous season’s first choice ‘keeper, Ben Roberts, was a long-term absentee with a back injury, so McGhee had few options.

The Seagulls hoped a contractual hitch relating to Henderson’s previous loan spell at Notts County could be resolved in time to enable him to make his debut for the Albion at Elland Road. But it couldn’t and Brighton turned to Blackburn’s David Yelldell instead. That was the game where the loan goalkeeper famously wore a bright pink goalkeeper jersey and predictably suffered abuse from the Leeds crowd.

Although Clarke Carlisle put Leeds ahead just before half time, Yelldell had the last laugh when defender Guy Butters prodded home an equaliser in the 81st minute.

When McGhee didn’t see Yelldell as a long-term option, he turned to one-time Arsenal ‘keeper Rami Shabaan, who hadn’t played a competitive game for two years, but he let in 13 goals in six games. The manager brought in Southampton’s Alan Blayney, and he was between the posts for the last seven games of the season when Albion just managed to cling on to their tier two status.

McGhee finally managed to bring in Henderson ahead of the new season and, perhaps mindful of the goalkeeping headache he’d had the previous season, found he suddenly had an embarrassment of riches in that department.

Promising youngster Richard Martin appeared as a back-up on the bench, as did season-long French loanee Florent Chaigneau. In September, Southampton’s Blayney also returned for another loan spell and eventually took over the gloves when Henderson’s three-month loan from Villa came to an end.

Intriguingly, Henderson’s penultimate game on loan was a 1-1 draw with Ipswich at the Withdean when another Villa loanee, Stefan Postma was in goal for the visitors.

It had been Henderson’s understanding that a permanent move would follow soon after he’d featured in a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on 1 November. But a two-month on-off saga began which, according to McGhee and chairman Dick Knight, was largely down to demands made by Henderson’s agent.

Albion agreed a fee with Villa of £20,000, plus £15,000 if he helped avoid relegation from the Championship. He didn’t.

The Argus sought the opinion of former Albion no. 1 Steele who felt Henderson had a chance to make a name for himself with the Seagulls.

“With Thomas Sorensen as the no. 1 and Stuart Taylor bought in from Arsenal, Wayne’s route in terms of playing first team football was always going to be limited,” Steele told the paper. “Our problem is that we only need one goalkeeper to play in one position and it’s just been a question of what level he would make his mark.

“He’s 22 now and he really had to be looking to move on and I wish him all the best. I’ve worked with him now for four and a half years and always thought he would make a good living from the game.

“I think that’s summed up by the fact that Brighton are going to pay a small fee and we’ll also get sell-ons. He’s the same height, he’s got the same build and he has got the same attributes as Shay Given (Newcastle and Republic of Ireland). And he just needs the chance to go and play.

“He’s been away at Wycombe and been away at Notts County, who would have signed him had they had the money. He’s done it in the Second Division and the First, now he’s got the chance to do it in the Championship.”

Even if supporters of the club he’d just joined had doubts about his merits, the Republic of Ireland selectors were confident enough to give him a first senior call up in February 2006, and he made his full international debut on 1 March 2006, as a second half substitute in a 3–0 win over Sweden.

After the Albion had forfeited their tier two status that season, and the omitted Kuipers had been transfer-listed after falling out with McGhee, Henderson opened his heart to the Argus.

“Michel is liked by the fans and hopefully one day I will get the respect of the fans I feel I deserve,” he told Andy Naylor. “Michel has that because he has been at the club for a long time. I have mixed feelings about him being on the transfer list because it’s good to have someone with his reputation at the club pushing me, but sadly he fell out with the manager.

“Hopefully, I can prove the fans who are criticising me wrong but if they are set in their ways there is nothing I can do about that. It’s a shame if that is the way they feel but I couldn’t care less. I am not going to worry about it.

“I know myself how well I have done, and I am an international player because of that.”

Although he started the new season as first choice ‘keeper, three defeats on the spin saw McGhee sacked and Kuipers back in the starting line-up.

New boss Dean Wilkins restored the Irishman to the team in October which was enough to convince Eire manager Steve Staunton, a former Aston Villa colleague, to put him into a Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic, when first choice Shay Given and back-up Paddy Kenny were unavailable.

“I knew Stan from Villa, yes, but I like to think I’m being picked on merit not just because he knows what I’m capable of,” said Henderson. “I’ve got a long way to go in all aspects but being at Brighton and playing first-team football means I’m developing under pressure and getting a chance to show Stan (Staunton) what I can do.”

The Irish drew 1-1 and, having been to Dublin to watch the match, Albion goalkeeping coach John Keeley believed Henderson could be Albion’s ‘keeper for 10 years.

“I’m so pleased for Wayne. It proves what a good goalkeeper he is,” said Keeley. “He has taken some stick but people should appreciate him.”

The coach praised his handling at Lansdowne Road, the way he had made himself available for back-passes from his full-backs, and his composure. Highlighting a fine one-handed save he made to deny Milan Baros, Keeley said: “The save that he made just before half-time was world class.”

He added:“I honestly believe that Wayne is a better ‘keeper than Paddy Kenny. His all-round game is more suited to international football.”

Henderson makes his Eire debut, replacing Shay Given

Keeley reckoned: “He’s 22 and we’ve got a world-class player. With Wayne being so young we’ve got a goalkeeper now for the next ten years. That’s the way I look at it.”

The following month, Henderson even made the headlines when he wasn’t playing! Injury ruled him out of Albion’s side to face Bradford City at Valley Parade on 4 November and he decided to watch from the seats behind the goal.

When Dean Bowditch scored an 89th-minute winner for the Seagulls, the exuberant ‘keeper jumped over the hoardings – and was promptly escorted out of the ground by a steward!

“It was over-zealous stewarding,” he said afterwards. “Alex Revell made the goal and he was celebrating right in front of where I was sitting in the front row of the stand.

“The natural thing was to go and celebrate within him but one of the Bradford stewards – who knew I was one of the non-playing squad members – took exception to my celebration.

“I think he was a Bradford supporter and perhaps he thought I was trying to rub his nose in it – but I wasn’t. I was just pumped up to see the lads score a last-minute winner.

“The next thing I was being grabbed by a steward and then I was marched out of the ground where the police took my name and address, but I think they saw the funny side of it.”

Henderson wasn’t laughing a few weeks later. He’d returned from injury but the side was on a losing streak in December. Away to Bournemouth on New Year’s Day, it looked like Albion might come away with a point but in stoppage time the ‘keeper lost his footing and gifted the Cherries a win, and a section of Brighton supporters booed him off the pitch.

After a 3-0 defeat to West Ham in the FA Cup third round, the Seagulls entertained Millwall at Withdean and a mix-up between Henderson and Joel Lynch led to the visitors winning by the only goal of the game.

Manager Dean Wilkins dropped him and it was the last time he played for the club. The barracking had got to him to the extent he had submitted a second transfer request of the season and, referring to the fans who’d got on his back, he told the Argus: “They love their football as much as anyone else but the way they reacted was pathetic really.”

After securing a deadline day move to Preston, he said: “It was disappointing the way it finished. I was devastated at being left out of the team. The mistake I made against Bournemouth could have happened to anybody and the Millwall game was a mistake by someone else that caught me out.”

Now free to air his feelings about the series of events, he said: “A lot of fans have certain opinions of players. For me the whole experience at Brighton was more like the X Factor.

“It just seemed to be a personality contest and I couldn’t enjoy my football.”

He continued: “I’ve never felt welcome at the club, except by the coaching staff and the players. The coaching staff have been magnificent, and I wish them all the best, because, if anyone is going to get anything out of the kids, it is Dean (Wilkins) and Dean (White), so I hope they are given a fair crack of the whip.

“Outside of them and the lads, a handful of fans have backed me lately and I really respect that but there were an awful lot of fans who didn’t and other people at the club who, for some reason, made it more difficult than it should have been.”

Within the tight confines of the small capacity Withdean Stadium, perhaps it was always going to be a tall order for Henderson to supplant crowd favourite Kuipers.

The ‘former Dutch marine – chef’ Kuipers, as he was serenaded by the singing section, had endeared himself to the Albion crowd after Micky Adams brought the previously unknown shot-stopper to the club in 2000. Subsequent managers brought in their own alternatives but Kuipers, always a reliable shot-stopper, had a habit of bouncing back.

If Henderson was perturbed by unfavourable crowd opinion at Brighton, it seems there was similar mood music when he made his debut for Grimsby.

Manager Mike Newell brought him in along with three other loan players (Joe Widdowson, Peter Sweeney and Barry Conlon) and, in 14 games he played through to the end of the season, five wins and three draws were enough to give them a finish four points above the relegation trapdoor (Chester City and Luton Town went out of the league).

The excellent Cod Almighty fans website observed some fans booed and jeered Henderson on his home debut because the gale force wind kept blowing his goal kicks into touch.

Pete Green, on the same website, later wrote: “These temporary Mariners have played an enormous part in preserving the club’s status in the Football League – even as repeated mistakes by experienced, longer-term Town players such as Phil Barnes and Tom Newey continued to jeopardise it. Henderson has already gone back to Preston, and we stand no chance of signing him permanently.”

While the other three loan players did sign permanently, Newell brought in another Irish international goalkeeper in Nick Colgan the following season.

Born in Dublin on 16 September 1983, Henderson followed in the goalkeeping footsteps of his father and brothers. Dad Paddy played for Shamrock Rovers; brothers Dave and Stephen played in the League of Ireland. Even his nephew, Stephen, was a goalkeeper – most notably for Portsmouth, Charlton and Nottingham Forest after also going through the youth ranks at Villa.

Wayne played for the same Cherry Orchard club in his home city that also spawned the likes of Mark Yeates, Dave Langan, Andy Reid and Stephen Quinn.

John Gregory was in charge at Villa Park when Henderson joined Aston Villa in July 2001. A year later, he was in goal when Villa won the FA Youth Cup (below), beating Everton – with Wayne Rooney playing up front – 4-2 on aggregate over two legs. Also in the Villa side that day was Liam Ridgewell, who later had a brief loan spell at Brighton, and Peter Whittingham, who went on to play more than 500 professional games and died in tragic circumstances aged just 35.

Joy for Henderson as Aston Villa win the 2002 FA Youth Cup

Although Henderson was chosen on Villa’s first team bench occasionally, he didn’t play any competitive fixtures for the first team. Those opportunities came via loans.

After a month at non-league Tamworth in the spring of 2004, he spent a month on loan at Second Division Wycombe Wanderers under Tony Adams towards the end of the 2003-04 season, when their last place finish meant they were relegated to the newly formed League Two.

The following season he joined Notts County, another of the clubs who’d been relegated with Wycombe, and had two loan spells, three months under Gary Mills and then a month under his successor, caretaker boss Ian Richardson.

Paul Simpson signed Henderson for Preston but when injuries forced him to retire at just 27, he told skysports.com: “I’ve decided to actually step out of football and give my body time to heal for once.

“It is exciting for me though because I’m looking to go into a completely different environment from playing but stay within football at the same time.

“I’ve been trying to get back fit for a few years now with injections and operations, but I’ve decided that rest is the way forward for it now.

“I’ve not signed anything yet, but there are a good few options for me to choose from, which I am really excited about.”

Henderson, who married 2010 Apprentice winner Liz Locke, now works as a licensed intermediary for agency YMU, who, among plenty of other elite footballers, represent Albion’s Evan Ferguson and Andrew Moran.