Henderson Rescues Rochdale With Late Equalizer Against Grimsby

Rochdale secured a 2-2 draw against Grimsby Town at Crown Oil Arena on October 20, 2026, after veteran striker Ian Henderson came off the bench to score in the 88th minute. The late goal salvaged a point for the hosts after Grimsby overturned their first-half deficit and moved ahead during an intense League Two contest. According to the BBC match report and Rochdale's official account, Dajaune Brown opened the scoring in the 38th minute, before Kieran Green equalized after the break and Jamie Walker put the visitors ahead in the 72nd minute.

Henderson then converted Charlie Tasker's cross to complete the scoring. Rochdale manager Ian Watson made one change to the lineup that started the previous match against Crewe Alexandra, bringing Ed Francis into midfield in place of Kane Taylor. The hosts created several opportunities early on, while goalkeeper Sam Waller made important saves to keep Grimsby at bay.

Rochdale's breakthrough came when Baba Adeeko found Glenn Middleton in space and the winger delivered a cross into the penalty area. Brown slid in to finish from close range, giving the home side a lead they maintained until halftime.

Grimsby responded 12 minutes into the second half, according to Rochdale's official match report. Andy Cook directed a header toward goal, and although Waller stopped the initial attempt, Green reacted quickly to head in the rebound from close range. The visitors continued pressing and moved in front in the 72nd minute. After Rochdale failed to clear a corner decisively, Walker collected the loose ball near the edge of the penalty area and drove a low shot through a crowded defense.

Henderson entered the match as a substitute and needed only seven minutes to restore parity. The 41-year-old forward met Tasker's delivery from the right and finished from close range, extending his tally as Rochdale's all-time leading goalscorer, according to the club's official report. Rochdale threatened again in the closing stages. Henderson released Brown with a well-weighted pass, but the striker shot over, while Middleton saw a late effort deflect narrowly wide and Aden Flint headed just off target from the resulting corner.

Waller also produced a late one-handed save to deny Cian Doyle, preserving the draw after Grimsby had threatened to secure all three points. Rochdale's official report identified the goalkeeper's intervention as a decisive moment in the final stages. The result followed Rochdale's 3-2 defeat at Crewe Alexandra, which ended a five-match unbeaten run, according to the club's match coverage. Grimsby arrived after four consecutive league defeats, including a 2-0 loss to Northampton Town, making the draw a significant change in the visitors' recent run of results.