Edinburgh City striker Blair Henderson’s next goal is to join the 100 club

Blair Henderson admits topping last seasons haul is ambitious, but it wont stop him trying

The 25-year-old hitman has netted a whopping 95 times in just 158 starts (198 appearances in total) and, using his ratio of scoring a goal in every two games as a guide, he should reach 100 within the next two months.

“Every striker knows exactly how many goals they’ve scored and how many games they’ve played and stats like that, so I’m well aware I’m not far away from 100,” Henderson said ahead of tomorrow’s League Two trip to Stenhousemuir. “It’ll be a nice landmark to get to so hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later, but I don’t want to stop at 100 because I’ve got a lot of years left in me.”

Despite last season’s haul, Henderson is keeping his targets realistic this season, particularly in light of the fact his start to the campaign has been hindered by injury. “I always aim for a goal every two starts,” he said. “That’s good going at any level of football so I’ll go for that again and if it goes the way it went last year, then great. I think it would be very ambitious to aim for 38 again. We played five games in last year’s Challenge Cup and we’re already out of that so that’s a few games less I’ll have this year, and also I didn’t play much in the Betfred Cup this year due to injury. I think 38 might be a bit of a stretch.

“I’ve not scored in the league yet but I’ve only started two games so far and I’ve scored two goals. I know the goals will come. I missed all of pre-season through injury so I’m trying to get my sharpness back. I’ve missed a few chances in the last few games but that’s the sort of thing that will come with game time and getting match fit again.”

After a relatively underwhelming start, Henderson’s career has caught fire in the last two years with his campaign for Edinburgh City coming on the back of a return of 16 goals for Annan Athletic the previous season.

“It wasn’t just last season, it’s probably the last 18 months to two years that I feel I’ve grown as a player,” he said. “I’ve learned more about where I need to be to score goals. I’m probably doing a bit less work than I used to do and am just concentrating on keeping my energy for when the ball’s out wide and things like that.”

Henderson was the subject of scorn in his early years in the lower leagues – even among fans of the club he was playing for at the time. “I don’t really worry about my critics,” he shrugged. “I think if you look at my stats, they speak for themselves. I’m not everybody’s cup of tea but if you want a goal-scorer who scores one every two games, that’s exactly what I’ve done everywhere I’ve been. I’m not worried about what the critics at other clubs have to say – that doesn’t interest me.”