true gentleman. My thoughts are with his family."

Finney, who died on Friday at the age of 91, enjoyed a glittering career for both club and country. He scored 210 goals in 473 games for Preston and 30 in 76 England appearances.

As a mark of respect, a minute's silence was held before Preston's home game with Leyton Orient on Saturday and Preston's players all wore black armbands and shirts bearing the name Finney above their squad numbers.

The statue of Finney outside Deepdale - known as 'The Splash' and inspired by the 1956 sports photograph of the year which features Finney beating two defenders at a waterlogged Stamford Bridge - was also covered with flowers, shirts and scarves left by fans.

Preston could not mark the occasion with a victory, beingworth far in excess of that in today's market. In fact, there is not enough money in football to buy him."

Finney was renowned as one of the game's great wingers and was famed for his double act in England colours with fellow wideman Sir Stanley Matthews.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said: "On behalf of the FA, I would like to send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sir Tom Finney.

"He was one of English football's all-time greats and will be much missed across the game. Sir Tom was a true one-club man at Preston North End and a fantastic player for England. He will rightly be forever remembered at Deepdale and Wembley."

Finney will be forever linked with Preston, his hometown club, and Docherty recalled how