JAMES Henry is on course to reach a personal landmark this evening as he makes the 500th appearance of his career.

It is more than 13 years since his first – as a late substitute for Nottingham Forest against Cheltenham Town in League One.

Henry has turned out for eight clubs in all, with the bulk of his games coming for Millwall, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Oxford United.

If he stays fit, then later this season Henry will have played more games for the U’s than anyone else – and he has already scored more goals for the club (42) than for any of the others.

The versatile attacker has been given the captain’s armband in recent games and is hoping to mark the occasion with three points.

He said: “Being one of the senior players, I feel like I can talk to the boys and help them.

“Tuesday is going to be my 500th appearance, so I think I have to step up and be a bit more of a leader.

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“I’m really enjoying myself here and I want to be successful here.

“It’s a nice milestone, but it will be even better with a win.”

Henry was on Michael Appleton’s radar, but by the time he signed for United in 2017 it was for Pep Clotet.

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  • James Henry signed while Oxford United were on tour in Portugal

After a bumpy start, the former Wolves man found a new gear, first under caretaker boss Derek Fazackerley and then Karl Robinson.

The head coach paid tribute to Henry’s achievement yesterday at the training ground.

The United head coach said: “In front of everybody I thanked him.

“He’s top on the running stats most weeks, top in the sprints, leading assists, he’s been top scorer twice. What more do you want from the man?

“Probably, out of all the players at this club he’s been the person who has had the biggest influence on my time here.

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“When you look at the impact he’s had on games – that goal at Doncaster (in 2018) kept us up, the corner for the play-off game, the delivery for some of the goals, the combination he had with Cadds (Chris Cadden).

“He’s contributed a lot on the pitch and has been a tremendous ally of mine off it.”

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  • James Henry celebrates scoring a vital winner at Doncaster Rovers in 2018   Picture: James Williamson