Rejuvenated Darren enjoying new lease of life under Jeffrey

The striker has been one of the most improved United players since Jeffrey took over, underlined by his two goals in Saturday’s 4-2 win at Dungannon.

Remarkably they were Henderson’s first league goals of the campaign and the 30-year-old has hailed the impact of the new manager’s arrival.

“He told me he had always liked me as a player and that he had the confidence in me to play me,” said Henderson.

“I believe I can score goals in this league but obviously you can’t score them if you’re on the bench or not in the squad.

“I couldn’t really miss the first one after Jonny Frazer had hit the bar with a header.

“I’m not really the type of player who will score wonder goals but I would take 10 of those tap-ins a season no bother!

“For the second goal, there was good pace on Willie’s (Faulkner’s) ball when he put me through so I just took one touch. I was going to go to the far corner but for some reason I thought I would try to catch the keeper out at his near post.

“It would have been nice to get a hat-trick. I was through at the end but I heard Tony Kane shouting so I knocked it into him but there was a man on him - if I had known that, I would have gone on myself!”

“Everyone knows I wanted to go in January because I wanted to play football. I had more or less agreed to go to Dungannon but it fell through for various reasons.

It’s not that I wanted to leave Ballymena because I really enjoy the club - it was just the fact I wanted to play more games - but obviously the manager has now changed since then.

“There’s just something about him (Jeffrey). I’m not a fighter as such but he gets you that you want to run through doors for him.

“I worked under Marty Quinn at Coleraine he reminds of that type of motivator who really gets you up for games.

“He has you going out wanting to fight for every ball and it all starts with hard work and hopefully the goals come after that,” added Henderson.