BLACKBURN Rovers defender Adam Henley has hailed his Wales recall as the ‘icing on the cake’ after a tough few years.

Henley was first called into the Wales squad by Chris Coleman in May 2012 after his breakthrough season at Rovers.

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But since then the 20-year-old has suffered a terrible time with injuries and, while he has been fit since the summer, he has not always been Gary Bowyer’s first-choice right-back.

But Henley has made the position his own since being brought back into Rovers boss Bowyer’s starting line-up last month.

And his fine form has led to Wales boss Coleman selecting him for Saturday’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Israel in Haifa.

“I was over the moon when I got the news that I’d made the squad,” said Henley, who is yet to win his first full international cap after being an unused substitute in Wales’ friendly with Mexico in New Jersey in May 2012.

“It’s been a tough time for me personally so it really was the icing on the cake to get the news and I’m really excited.

“I got an email earlier in the week saying I’d been provisionally selected and that the final squad would be announced around Wednesday.

“I woke up after the midweek game against Brentford, late morning, and it popped up in my email saying I’d made the cut.

“It was 2012 when I first got called up and it was an experience for me as a young lad because I was only 17 at the time.

“It was something else to go out there and train alongside players of Premier League quality and it’s something I’m really looking forward to doing again.

“Chris Coleman has kept an eye on me and called me a couple of times to see how I am and how my injuries have been. He’s been really good to me.”

Former Rovers defender Coleman has labelled the Israel clash as one of the biggest games in Wales’ history.

Victory would move them above their hosts and into top spot in Group B.

And Henley said: “It’s a massive game in a really competitive group and it’s really important for Welsh football to try and win it and put a marker down.

“It’s an exciting time for the country with the players we have coming through and the quality we have.”

Henley was part of the Rovers team that went down to a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

He said: “There’s no excuse for the way we started the game. We were all poor and we all recognise that.

“At half-time there were strong words and we tried to go out there and put right what happened in the first half but the quality sometimes just wasn’t there.

“We deserved the strong words. The players need to know when the performance isn’t good enough and in the first half we were nowhere near the standards we’ve set in recent weeks and it’s disappointing to go into the international break with such a bad result.

“But we’ll come back clear-minded and look forward to the back end of the season.”

Rovers return to action at Leeds United on Saturday week before welcoming Liverpool to Ewood Park for a big FA Cup quarter-final replay.

Henley said: “The break will give everybody a chance to recover and there will be no excuses before the Leeds game.

“We will be fit and ready for that and we’re going to need a big performance going into the FA Cup replay.”