Gavin Henson will take his bow for the Blues on Friday © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Gavin Henson

Teams: Cardiff Blues | Wales

Gavin Henson is set to make his debut for the Cardiff Blues on Friday and is already eyeing a long-term deal with the region.

Henson joined Cardiff on a short-term deal in October but his debut is yet to happen due to a broken wrist sustained prior to the 2011 World Cup. But after being named at fullback to face the Dragons on Friday, Henson already has his eyes set on impressing the Blues coaches.

"I'm incredibly grateful to the Blues for giving me a chance, it's kind of like a trial thing until the end of the season," Henson told BBC Wales. "So I'll be going all-out all season now to try and get another contract with them.

"Everyone knows I've been a little bit injury-prone over the last four or five years, so I'm not much of a signing to anyone - so very grateful the Blues gave me a chance. It's up to me now to repay that and just try and get that long-term contract with them."

But with the Blues currently hitting their straps both in Europe and in the league, Henson faces a mission to tie down his preferred fly-half berth. And despite being named at fullback, the likes of Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert can also turn out at 15 if needed - a fact Henson is only too aware of.

"I'm just glad to be starting; obviously not my preferred position, but nevermind. I'm just glad to be on the field and it'll be interesting to see how it goes," Henson said. "I've been training hard so hopefully I'm up to the standard and it could be an exciting night.

"With Leigh [Halfpenny] and Alex [Cuthbert] there they've been playing really well, so I'm going to enjoy playing alongside them and hopefully they'll help me out quite a bit because it's my first game for a while. It's an exciting backline and very hard to get into, but hopefully we'll have a good result now Friday.

"There's loads of experience throughout the team, but especially the backline. Hopefully it'll be a good turn-out, it's my first time playing in the Cardiff City Stadium so can't wait for that and hopefully it'll be a nice Christmas."