CAPTAIN Dean Henderson has challenged Crystal Palace to “finish the movie off” tonight when their Conference League final brings down the curtain on Oliver Glasner’s glittering spell in south London.

The Austrian manager has already guided the Eagles to an historic FA Cup and a Community Shield, and tonight in Leipzig could leave Palace with the ultimate parting gift, should they beat Rayo Vallecano and require even more room in their trophy cabinet.

Far from the glamour of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Rayo is the Spanish capital’s third team, backed by passionate fans from a working-class neighbourhood.

Pirate imagery and left-wing politics make Rayo stand out, while fans even boycotted a game — which turned out to be a stunning 3-0 upset of Atletico — in protest at the club president, while the team briefly moved out of its stadium as the field was unfit for play.

Henderson inherited the armband following Marc Guehi’s January departure to Manchester City, and, despite admitting to feeling “depressed” during the post-FA Cup comedown, wants nothing more than to polish off a “sensational” script for his departing boss.

“The togetherness in this group is phenomenal,” said the England goalkeeper. “All the lads are pushing in the right direction for each other. All the staff at the training ground, everyone.

“It’s just like a family club. We’re all pushing towards the same end goal. Obviously, it would be a great way to finish the movie off for Glasner as well. Everyone wants that happy ending and everyone’s working towards that.

“It’d be unbelievable for him, wouldn’t it? Obviously the best manager this club’s ever had and to finish on such a high would be sensational.”

Henderson was instrumental in Palace’s 2025 FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, saving Omar Marmoush’s first-half penalty in their 1-0 win at Wembley, where they secured their first major silverware and a proper European campaign.

The passionate and popular skipper is candid about how he felt after that day, admitting: “The high to the low. I remember after the FA Cup final, three days after, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I was like, ‘what has gone on here?’

“I swear. I don’t know whether that was alcohol, or… but I actually think it was like, I felt depressed. It was mad. But I don’t know why. I’ve never really spoken about it.”

Palace is waiting on the fitness of American defender Chris Richards after he tore his ankle ligaments. Glasner said last week Richards was “50-50” for the final, which could leave Richards weighing up whether to risk his fitness ahead of the World Cup.

Rayo attacking midfielder Isi Palazon could be fresh for the final as he hasn’t played since the semi-final win over Strasbourg due to a suspension in the Spanish league for confronting a referee. He scored two vital goals in the 4-3 aggregate win over Greece’s AEK Athens in the quarter-finals.