Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth was full of praise for Stephen Henderson after the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper extended his loan move at Adams Park for another week. After the 30-year-old kept a clean sheet in his debut against Barnsley, Ainsworth said Henderson “did extremely well” on the day and has “fitted in well” with the team.
Ainsworth said to the club’s official website: “Stephen did extremely well on his debut for us and it was a no-brainer for us to secure another seven-day loan for him. He’s worked hard in training, he’s fitted in well with the boys and I’m really pleased we’ve been able to keep him.
“Ryan and Yves are making good progress in their recoveries from injury but they’re still a little while off returning to the team, so in the meantime we’re grateful to Stephen and Nottingham Forest for allowing him to help us out in goal.”
Henderson’s move to Wycombe came about due to injuries to Ryan Allsop and Yves Ma-Kalambay. Ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Gillingham, the goalkeeping pair are still out of action so Henderson looks in line to start in League One again. He’ll relish the chance to pick up first-team football as he’s been on the periphery for so long at Forest.
The Irishman has only made 16 appearances in all competitions since arriving at the City Ground from Charlton Athletic. He’s unlikely to get much of a look-in at Forest as Karanka has the likes of Costel Pantilimon, Luke Steele and Jordan Smith ahead of him in the pecking order.
Despite whatever rustiness Henderson may have had ahead of his Wycombe debut, his performance was highly praised in the EFL Cup. He may put himself in the shop window for January.
