Henderson: John Swinton Pryde (Jock)

1955-1956 (Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Glasgow: 13-10-1923

Debut: v Plymouth Argyle (a): 19-03-1955

5’6” 11st 4lb (1956)

Jock began his football career with Falkirk in 1940 and was still playing for them when they lost the Scottish League Cup Final to East Fife in 1948. He moved to Third Lanark in September 1948 and stayed with them until he moved south of the border to join Rotherham United in November 1953. He scored seven goals and played forty-seven times in the sixteen months he served the Millmoor club. After giving such good service to clubs both north and south of the border he wrapped up his League career with Leeds United, who he joined just before the transfer dead-line in March 1955. He added his considerable experience to the club’s promotion drive. They did not achieve their objective that season, but Henderson was there for the start of their promotion-winning season of 1955-56 and contributed several winning starts to the early season, but gave way to Bobby Forrest and John Charles who was pushed up into the forwards soon after. The public had got used to seeing his distinctive tattooed forearms, but he left for Non-League Weymouth at the end of the season, where he spent three seasons with them in the Southern League. This was followed by three years with Trowbridge Town and another two at Frome Town. In 1972 he was manager at Devizes and later coached Calne Town in Wiltshire while working for the South West Gas Board. At seventy-eight he was still fit and working for Claremont Automatics Ltd., in Melksham. He was still an avid football fan.