KARL Henry has been in a scrape or two down the years but says he hasn’t picked up a relegation vibe at Wanderers.

The combative midfielder has made a career out of rolling up his sleeves and thus seems tailor-made for Phil Parkinson’s survival requirements.

Thrust into action just 24 hours after signing for the club at Bristol City, Henry has had little time to make himself at home. But the 34-year-old’s first impression of his new team-mates was not one of a side who had accepted their fate 10 games into the season.

“I have been in so many relegation battles throughout my career and seen the way things go down with a load of struggling lads,” he told The Bolton News.

“When I turned up, I half-expected to see a load of disgruntled players, which happens, or for training not to be quite a sharp as it should be, people walking around and moping. It was the complete opposite.

“In the short space of time I’ve been here I’ve seen a group who are right at it, albeit one who are not getting results.

“I have been in football for a long time now and sometimes you just lose the woods for the trees and it seems like it’ll never end. One win turns things around, inspires confidence and you go from there.

“It’ll be tough, but there are loads of games to go before the end of the season.

“You can’t keep losing, the rot has got to be stopped somewhere, but from what I have seen the manager is doing everything he can and there certainly doesn’t seem to be any issue with team spirit, which is good.”

Henry found himself out of contract for the first time in his career in the summer and trained privately with some of his former Wolves team-mates to keep in shape. He also got help from West Brom, managed by his former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis, and assisted by ex-Bolton boss Gary Megson.

“Gary was brilliant,” smiled Henry, perhaps unaware of the Boltonian taboo he was breaking. “West Brom let me go there to train and I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Henry had other offers to resume his playing career but accepted Wanderers’ offer to muck without hesitation after a conversation with manager Parkinson.

“He seems to be a man of integrity; you get a good vibe from some managers,” he said. “I have spoken to several managers over the last few months and I wouldn’t say I’ve had that view from all of them.

“I like a challenge and I’m 34 now and I could have gone elsewhere and had an easy time but that’s not what I’m about.

“It’s a tough time with the club’s transfer embargo as well it just seems as though it’s one of those situations where everything is against you and all you can do is come out fighting with nothing to lose.

“I’m competitive and I want to achieve things and staying in the Championship beyond this season would be a great achievement and hopefully I’ll do enough to earn myself another contract next year.”

Henry heads back to the Midlands to face Aston Villa in the final game before the international break. Wanderers are resigned to spending the week in the bottom three but a result at Villa Park may just revive some of the optimism which has waned in the worst run of defeats since 1903.

Wanderers are now 6/1 ON with some bookmakers for an immediate return to League One but Henry remains optimistic there is time to fix the problems which have surfaced in the last two months.

A survivor on the last day with Wolves in 2011, the midfielder would ideally like to get Bolton into a safer position well before such a dramatic finale.

“I wouldn’t say I have fond memories of it,” he said. “I’ve heard people use the analogy that it’s like surviving a car crash, and it’s exactly like that. No adulation, just relief.

“We needed a point against Blackburn but went 3-0 down. We lost 3-2 but Stephen Hunt scored in the closing stages and we stayed up. It was huge, you’re talking about a club, a city and it’s more than just winning a game of football.

“We know that keeping Bolton up is more than just for ourselves and our own pride. It’s for the everyone who works here, the fans, the whole place.”