Article body analysed

This video can not be played 'He was with me every kick of the ball' - Henderson dedicates FA Cup win to his father Dean Henderson said he knew which way Omar Marmoush was going to put his penalty in the FA Cup final. Maybe it was down to his preparation. Maybe it was down to his years as an outfielder in Carlisle's academy. Maybe it was down to his time at Shrewsbury for whom he saved a spot-kick in a Wembley play-off final. Whatever it was, Henderson produced an FA Cup-final performance for the ages - surviving a video assistant referee (VAR) red-card check, stopping a penalty, and pulling off a hatful of top saves to help Crystal Palace win their first ever major trophy. It is the peak of the 28-year-old's career. But how he got here is story of a rapid rise and plenty of setbacks. Crystal Palace fans in ecstasy after 'unbelievable' FA Cup win How Glasner led Palace through darkness to light of FA Cup glory From tears of rejection to FA Cup winner - Eze's story of resilience and faith Dean Henderson (front, centre) with Carlisle United Under-15s in 2010 Henderson was born in Whitehaven, a town of about 25, 000 people on the north-west coast 40 miles from Carlisle. Growing up his two brothers, one of them six years older and the other a year his senior, would take shots at him in the garden. , external But it was as an outfielder he was initially scouted by Carlisle United at eight years old. "At around under-11s the goalkeeper didn't show up for one of the games, " said former Carlisle Under-15s assistant coach David Hughes. "He just jumped in goal and took the spot. From there it just rolled. He was clearly a natural. " Eventually settling between the sticks, Henderson and his dad would make the two-and-a-half-hour round trip to Carlisle's academy up to five times a week. At 14 he was playing with the age group above. In the summer he would train alongside Carlisle's first-team goalkeepers. "He was technically the best player at the club and everybody was aware of who he was. Newcastle were after him at that point, " added Hughes. "He was small, he was undersized. We were just waiting for him to hit that growth spurt to go to the next level. "He was extremely dedicated. It's not always guaranteed that it's going to work out. The kid obviously had a lot of talent, but it takes a lot more than talent to get to the level he's got to. " Dean Henderson helped Shrewsbury go to Wembley twice in 2017-18 A childhood Manchester United fan, Henderson secured his dream move to the Old Trafford club's academy aged 14, though it meant he had to move away from his family and live in accommodation organised by the club. He had two short loan spells at Stockport County and Grimsby Town, but it was at League One Shrewsbury in 2017, aged 20, when he first made his name. "He was quite a flamboyant character, loved by the home fans and had a knack of winding up the away supporters, " said BBC Radio Shropshire sports presenter Nick Southall. "He was self-confident, yes, but he didn't have any sort of ego. He took to life at Shrewsbury. Moving from Manchester maybe with his own upbringing he felt more at home with a slower, more rural life. "He was somebody that everybody warmed to. He was very prolific on social media at the time and did a lot of work with the Shrewsbury foundation. "He was as good as Joe Hart and he seemed to thrive off fans' energy - especially at Wembley. " Despite Shrewsbury's small budget, the club reached both the EFL Trophy and League One play-off finals in 2017-18. In Shrewsbury's 1-0 cup final defeat by Lincoln, Henderson was at the centre of a controversial moment when he was struck by the elbow of striker Matt Rhead, who narrowly escaped a red card. In the play-off final at Wembley - which Shrewsbury lost 2-1 to Rotherham - Henderson saved David Ball's first-half penalty. It was at the same end and struck towards the same side as Marmoush's spot-kick on Saturday. "It was written in the stars, " added Southall. "Henderson said he'd love to one day return to Shrewsbury. This was the move that put him in the shop window. " Dean Henderson was second in line to David de Gea (left) for much of his Manchester United career After Shrewsbury, Henderson spent two seasons on loan at Sheffield United, helping them to promotion from the Championship and a ninth-place Premier League finish. Impressed with his success at Bramall Lane, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made him part of the 2020-21 first-team squad. At the time Henderson appeared set to become the next number one at Old Trafford. He made his senior England debut against the Republic of Ireland in November 2020, and started 10 of United's final 12 Premier League games that season. "There was a growing feeling De Gea would be moved on that summer, " said BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone. "Henderson thought he had been promised he would become United's number one in 2021-22. "Solskjaer never said so publicly so no-one knew what the situation was, and then Henderson caught Covid-19 a week or so before the next season started. "The virus lingered for a while, by which time De Gea had started the season, had done well in a winning team and kept his place. "It all unravelled in the space of five Premier League games in a month. De Gea played in them all but Solskjaer got sacked and first Michael Carrick, then Ralf Rangnick, chose the Spaniard over Henderson. " Desperate for more first-team action Henderson went on loan to Nottingham Forest in July 2022. Just over a year later he was allowed to join Crystal Palace permanently, on a five-year deal worth up to £20m. "New United manager Erik ten Hag made it pretty clear that ultimately he wanted Andre Onana as his first-choice keeper so there was never any chance Henderson would stay as he felt he should be number one, " added Stone. "He actually made quite a few mistakes at Forest, so I never got the impression United felt they had made a mistake by letting him go. " This video can not be played Henderson denies Marmoush from the penalty spot with a brilliant save And what about his time at Selhurst Park? "When Palace brought in Dean Henderson, there was some surprise amongst fans, " said BBC Sport football news reporter Alex Howell. "The transfer fee in the region of £20m seemed to be high, especially when the Eagles had Sam Johnstone on the books who at the time was playing his way into the England set-up as Jordan Pickford's number two. " Last season a thigh injury kept Henderson out for two months, and he was briefly dropped after a 3-1 defeat by Chelsea halfway through the campaign. He won back his place though, and last summer Johnstone was transferred to Wolves, with Henderson given the vacant number one jersey. "His passion and character has endeared him to Palace fans and they now sing that he's England's number one, " added Howell. "He started the Nations League game against Finland for England under Lee Carsley in October. "That could be a big indication that Henderson could be able to force his way into Thomas Tuchel's plans. " Latest Crystal Palace news, analysis and fan views Get Crystal Palace news sent straight to your phone Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Premier League: Szoboszlai restores Liverpool lead at Brighton before break Mc Ilroy and the 'non-conforming' driver controversy Impressive Raducanu beats Kasatkina in Strasbourg A dramatic retelling of a terrorist attack on UK soil Louis Theroux visits the West Bank to meet Israeli settlers The lifeblood at the heart of every fridge A con artist with multiple fake identities hides a dark past 'They now sing England's number one' - Henderson's rise against the odds 'Scheffler's Woods-like mentality should worry chasing pack' England bolters, Steward's potential switch & a 'Carewell' 'It can't all come from the manager' - Keown on how Arsenal can become winners Mc Ilroy and the 'non-conforming' driver controversy How 'Beckham-like' Rice inspired Arsenal win. Video How 'Beckham-like' Rice inspired Arsenal win How 'delicious' Verstappen move caught Mc Laren by surprise Can anyone stop 'unrivalled' Chelsea after treble? Baltimore scores twice as Chelsea beat Man Utd to secure treble. Video Baltimore scores twice as Chelsea beat Man Utd to secure treble Ratcliffe absence obscures the big issues at Man Utd Winning first trophy like a switch going off - Kane 'Inspirational' Vardy's perfect Leicester parting. Video'Inspirational' Vardy's perfect Leicester parting 'The old place will live on - but this was end of an era for Goodison Park' A tale of nine points & the 99th minute - how Ajax blew title 'This is the year of the underdog - and I love it! ' Palace shock Man City to win first major trophy in their history. Video Palace shock Man City to win first major trophy in their history 'Just get rid of VAR! ' - Rooney baffled by Henderson decision. Video'Just get rid of VAR! ' - Rooney baffled by Henderson decision 'You see ghosts of your mates' - what Goodison means to Everton fans Unknown to Real Madrid's £50m man - the rise of Huijsen 'That's very cheeky' - was Tebogo 'disrespectful' in Diamond League win? Video'That's very cheeky' - was Tebogo 'disrespectful' in Diamond League win? Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.