With 14 matches on the continent now under their belt, the Eagles’ debut European adventure is now entering reaching its culmination in the final month of the 2025/26 season.
Over the next week, Palace’s first-ever European semi-final awaits. Henderson’s side are set to take on the Ukrainian league leaders, with the first leg taking place in Krakow, Poland, on Thursday night (30th April, 20:00 BST / 21:00 CEST local time).
The Palace skipper, however, refused to entertain the prospect of reaching the Final in Leipzig – well aware of the quality and danger that Shakhtar will pose in the final four.
Asked to sum up the team’s journey so far, Henderson said: “It's difficult to put into words really, because obviously we've exceeded expectations.
“I think ultimately, when we come to the business end of the season with this group of players, I think we show up. We don't take a backward step, we take a forward step, and I think that's the most important thing.
“Ultimately, we've got absolutely nothing to lose, so that's the message we keep giving each other: enjoy it and don't freeze – just embrace everything.”
Of the latter stages of the Conference, Henderson added: “It’s not something I think about, lifting the cup. It's more thinking about the process of how we lift the cup.
“And I think ultimately it's a cliché, but we've got the semi-final to come and we know Shakhtar are going to be a very tough team to play against.
"How do we get ourselves through that [away] game? And then, obviously, we bring it back to Selhurst."
