Outside Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium there is an eye-catching statue of the club's greatest-ever player, the late Sir Tom Finney. The statue is known as "The Splash" as it was inspired by a dramatic photograph of Finney aqua-planing while playing against Chelsea on a waterlogged Stamford Bridge pitch in 1956.
Finney possessed a powerful shot and was effective at any position in the forward line. Nicknamed the "Preston Plumber" because he worked in his father's plumbing business, he scored 210 goals in 473 matches for Preston. His England performances were equally impressive, scoring 30 goals in 76 appearances.
Preston could really do with some of Finney's magic when they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-final at Deepdale today. The Lillywhites are the only non-Premier League club left in the tournament and will have to play out of their skins if they are to overcome the Villans who are ninth in the top flight.
Preston are 14th in the Championship and apart from the Cup are experiencing a rather ordinary season. Their fans are used to that however. In recent seasons they have been regularly finishing mid-table although they did attain seventh place in 2018.
Preston are one of those clubs who enjoyed their best success a long time ago. They were founder members of the Football League in 1888 and in the 88/89 season achieved the "double" by winning both the league title and the FA Cup. They won the league again the following season, but the closest they have come to the title since then was in 1958 when they were runners-up to Wolves Preston. They were relegated from Division 1 in 1961 and have never returned to the top flight.
They have fared better in the Cup winning it for the second time in 1938, beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 at Wembley. Preston have been FA Cup runners up on five occasions, the last being in 1964 when they were unfortunate to lose 3-2 to West Ham in a thriller. Preston were a Second Division team then but were the better team on the day. Their outstanding player was 17-year-old midfielder Howard Kendall, who became the youngest footballer to play in an FA Cup final.
Deepdale, which was originally a cricket ground when Preston moved in during the 1880s, is one of the oldest stadiums in the world. In the late 1990s it was knocked down and a new stadium built on the same site which was completed in 2008.
A few more words on Finney. His career is fascinating because it contrasts so much with present-day football stars. He was essentially a one-club man and was born just around the corner from Deepdale. Finney's name became synonymous with Preston.
Finney signed up for Preston shortly before World War II broke out in 1939. The war messed up his early career and he found himself fighting in Egypt with the Eighth Army. It wasn't until Aug 31, 1946, that he made his debut for Preston against Leeds United at the relatively old age of 24.
One of Finney's greatest admirers was Bill Shankly, who played at right half for the team, but went on to make a bigger name for himself as manager of Liverpool.
Shankly once observed: "Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age -- even if he had been wearing an overcoat."
