News last evening that Preston North End football legend Sir Tom Finney has died at the age of 91 will sadden all people associated with football all over the world, especially football fans in England. Being a fan of Preston North End since the early 1970s (I was a big fan of fellow goalkeeper Alan Kelly), everyone I talked to about PNE always asked about Sir Tom.
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| Image source: The Mail On-line. |
Tom Finney played for only one club - Preston North End, and for his country, England. He was the first man to win the Footballer of the Year title twice, and of course contributed to the breaking of Irish hearts when his late cross was headed into the Irish net by John Atyeo during qualification for the 1958 World Cup (see report on this in the Irish Examiner).
I have been to Deepdale in Preston several times to see PNE play and I have sat in the main stand named in his honour, two other stands are named in honour of Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly. The club shop features many items remembering him, not since the early 1960s has the club had any player approaching his class. Tomorrow I will wear my PNE jersey to salute Sir Tom Finney - a football great.
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| At the Sir Tom Finney Splash Memorial for the PNE vs Wolves game 11-FEB-2007 |
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