|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Tom Finney 'Splash' Statue |
|
|
|
|
| Tom Finney
spent the best part of 20 years playing for the Club
in the 1940's and 50's. A local plumber by trade, he
was seen as one of the most, if not the, complete
footballer of his generation. Able to shoot with
either foot and have the ability to play anywhere
along the forward line, he was endeared by the Preston
fans and many around the country. He spent his entire
career at Preston before retiring in 1960. However in
terms of honours he had little to show for his time at
Deepdale, with the Club finishing twice runners up in
Division One and narrowly being defeated by West
Bromwich Albion in the 1954 FA Cup final. He was
though capped 76 times by England. Always a true
gentleman. |
|
 |
|
| The statue
unveiled in July 2004, was inspired by a photo taken
at the Chelsea v Preston game played in 1956. After a
large downpour before kick off, parts of the pitch
were covered in water, but the game was still allowed
to start. Whilst with the ball and having just got
around a defender Finney ended up in one of the pools
of water. A photographer captured the moment and the
photo later won the 'Sports Photograph Of The Year
Award'. The statue sculpted by Peter Hodkinson, pays tribute to the player and that 'splash' moment. It is certainly more imaginative to any other footballing statue so far unveiled around the country. The original photo of the Splash can be seen on the official Preston North End website. |
|
|
