Thousands of people turned out in Preston today to say one last farewell to their hero, former Preston North End and England footballer, Sir Tom Finney, who died at the grand old age of 91. The cortege departed Deepdale at 12:15pm, winding its way along the crowded streets to the sound of raptuous applause, before halting at Preston Minster for the 1pm ceremony. Thousands of fans and well-wishers gathered outside the church to listen to proceedings through the tannoy, many sharing fond memories and shedding tears over Preston’s late favourite son.
Finney is best known for his gentlemen reputation, during a career in which he collected no bookings or red cards and was regarded by my professionals to be one of England’s finest and most complete players.
“To dictate the pace and course of a game, a player has to be blessed with awesome qualities. Those who have accomplished it on a regular basis can be counted on the fingers of one hand – Pele, Maradona, Best, Di Stefano, and Tom Finney.” – Sir Stanley Matthews
The forward/ winger was unquestionably loyal to North End, playing all 433 of his senior appearances for the club, amassing 187 goals. The tally is particularly impressive considering the fact he was also working as a plumber, and that his career was interupted by the Second World War - during which he served as a tank driver. In addition, Finney scored 30 international goals in the 76 caps he collected for England.
“To dictate the pace and course of a game, a player has to be blessed with awesome qualities. Those who have accomplished it on a regular basis can be counted on the fingers of one hand – Pele, Maradona, Best, Di Stefano, and Tom Finney.” – Sir Stanley Matthews
The forward/ winger was unquestionably loyal to North End, playing all 433 of his senior appearances for the club, amassing 187 goals. The tally is particularly impressive considering the fact he was also working as a plumber, and that his career was interupted by the Second World War - during which he served as a tank driver. In addition, Finney scored 30 international goals in the 76 caps he collected for England.
Alongside his gleaming reputation on the pitch, he was held in very high esteem amongst the Preston community and anyone who met him. It was impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about the ‘Preston Plumber’, as you can tell by the interviews below, Sir Tom is sure to be sorely missed by all.