Grimsby Town struck gold with Preston North End deal - it lives long in the memory | OneFootball

The performances of Preston loan goalkeeper Wayne Henderson towards the end of the 2008/09 season were a big reason for Grimsby's EFL survival.

Grimsby Town fans didn't have too much to enthuse about during a very poor 2008/09 fourth-tier campaign that saw them almost relegated out of the Football League. One shining light, however, was the incredible end-of-season form of Preston North End loanee goalkeeper Wayne Henderson, without whose heroics may well have seen Mike Newell's side fall through the trap door.

Irishman Henderson began his career as a youngster on the books of Aston Villa, and while he didn't make a senior appearance for the Birmingham giants, he did have loan spells with the likes of Tamworth, Wycombe Wanderers, Notts County, and Brighton & Hove Albion over the next few years, the last of which he signed for permanently in early January 2005.

Spending two years in East Sussex, and making 56 appearances in total for the Seagulls, the Dublin-born shot-stopper joined Lancashire outfit Preston North End for an initial £150k fee in 2007.

Unfortunately, a serious back injury early on in his Deepdale career stalled Henderson's progress, ultimately limiting him to just a few appearances in a Lilywhites' shirt.

However, he did fight his way back to fitness just in time to join a Mariners side in real trouble at the foot of the EFL in 2009, struggling under the stewardship of former Premier League winner Mike Newell.

Henderson's heroics at Notts County were pivotal in the Mariners' survival

The 2008/09 season was a dismal one for Grimsby and their supporters. It started with the September sacking of manager and club legend Alan Buckley, and only served to get worse when former Blackburn Rovers striker Newell took the riens.

With off-field issues seeing Luton Town and Bournemouth beginning the season with points deductions of 30 and 17 respectively, any potential relegation scrap shouldn't have been on the cards.

However, poor recruitment and unprofessionalism led to Newell's men surviving on the penultimate weekend, finishing 22nd (below the aforementioned Bournemouth) on just 41 points, and having won just nine games all season.

It would likely have been even worse but for the intervention of Henderson, who initially joined on a month's loan in February as regular number one Phil Barnes struggled for form.

Putting in a string of fine performances between the sticks, the Irishman's form papered over some of the cracks left by a disorganised backline that conceded 69 goals over the whole campaign.

Henderson made 14 appearances in a Mariners' shirt, with his displays still revered by supporters to this day. None more so than in April's 2-0 success at Notts County's Meadow Lane, a game in which the Dubliner pulled off save after save on a nervy occasion, allowing goals from Rob Atkinson and Danny Boshell at the other end to bring a vital three points back to the East Coast, somewhat against the run of play.

That preceded a 3-0 win over Port Vale at Blundell Park that made it four wins in six games, a run which ultimately proved pivotal in Grimsby staying up.

Henderson was a key factor in that, keeping clean sheets in all four successes, and making himself something of a saving grace for Newell and co.

Grimsby were relegated the following season

Despite their close shave with the non-league trapdoor, lessons weren't learned, as a woeful Mariners side exited the Football League the following year.

Again winning just nine league matches, Grimsby were relegated on the final day and joined Darlington in heading to the fifth-tier.

Newell had been replaced by youth team boss Neil Woods in the dugout in October, but the former Grimsby striker couldn't repair the damage done by his predecessor, who'd left a poorly-assembled squad in dire straits and spiraling.

Henderson had returned to Preston following his earlier, hugely successful loan spell at Blundell Park, but, with injury to his back and spine flaring up with regularity, he was forced to retire in 2011 at the age of just 28.

The 41-year-old is now employed as a goalkeeping coach with Scottish League Two club Forfar Athletic, and though he made fewer than 100 senior appearances throughout his career, the ones he made in a Grimsby shirt live long in the memory of the Mariners faithful.