FOND FAREWELL: Callum Hendry reflects on his special journey from trialist to first team star

Released from Blackburn Rovers and with two horrible knee injuries already behind him, Callum Hendry was ready to give up on his footballing dream.

It was 2017, he was still young, although there remained a lingering thought about packing the boots away for good and exploring alternative options.

“I was fit again after doing my knee for the second time and actually said to my dad that I wanted to call it a day,” revealed Hendry, beginning a lengthy interview with The PA this week.

Determined in nature and not one to shy away from a challenge, there was to be one more crack at making it.

Contact had been made with St Johnstone and a trial was arranged. There was a week to show off his ability.

“It was probably the best I’ve ever trained,” Hendry laughed.

“I went home after the week and I was then offered a one-year deal. It was more of a youth deal and not a lot of money, but I thought why not?”

He moved into digs, was playing primarily for the club’s under-20 team and was homesick.

But away from the club, two people played a particularly special role in keeping his spirits high and providing the platform for an enjoyable journey.

“I moved into digs with Rich and Shona in Almondbank,” Hendry smiled.

“They played a massive part in me being in Scotland for as long as I was. I was so homesick. Away from training and McDiarmid Park, they were massive for me and made me feel right at home.”

Gradually, Hendry would edge closer to Tommy Wright’s first team and would net his first goal in professional football on August 18, 2018. It arrived in Dumfries in a 4-2 (after extra time) League Cup win against Queen of the South.

He pointed to the sky in celebration, bursting with pride and thinking only of his mum who had sadly passed