TWO out of three ain’t bad!

TWO out of three ain’t bad!

Ian Henderson’s brace was the foundation for Colchester United’s eye-catching 4-2 win at newly-relegated Preston North End on Saturday, although the ex-Norwich wide-man could have bagged a hat-trick.

Henderson would have loved to have buried a third chance in stoppage time, to finally celebrate the first senior hat-trick of his career.

But the 26-year-old is aiming to put that record straight this season.

“I have never got a hat-trick at professional level, though I got one for the Reserves last year,” confirmed Henderson.

“I’ve got a few braces now, and hopefully this season will be the time that I break my duck and get my hat-trick.”

Henderson showed terrific composure with both his goals, making it seem as easy as shelling peas. On both occasions, Iain Turner advanced off his line to narrow the angle, only to be left red-faced by Henderson’s clinical finishes.

“I used the right techniques at the right time today,” explained Henderson, who netted the U’s second and third goals on 48 and 65 minutes.

“I always feel confident when going through on goal.

“For the first goal, Woody (Anthony Wordsworth) slipped me in. The goalie (Turner) has come out into no-man’s land, I feel, so I took the ball around him and stuck it into the net.

“Kayode (Odejayi) led the front-line extremely well on his own all afternoon, and he won the ball for my second goal, dominating Clarke Carlisle in the air.

“It was then just a flat race between me and (Paul) Parry, the left-back. Luckily I got there in front of him, and again the keeper has come out too far. I saw my opportunity and was able to pass it into the net.

“Near the end I fancied trying to get a hat-trick, so I had to be selfish. I got the defender backing into the box and saw an opening, but this time the keeper did well to save it from going into the corner.”

Carrying on from his prolific form at the back end of last season, when he scored five goals in the last six games, Henderson made it seven-out-of-seven at Deepdale.

He continued: “I didn’t know it was seven in seven. They are good stats.

“But it’s not just about me. The manager John Ward has got us playing an attractive style of football.

“We scored four today, so some people might have sat up and taken notice of us, but we would rather just go under the radar and get on with our own business.”