Why one of sport's most iconic images resonates 70 years on

What the report says

A BBC Sport Football article revisits “The Splash,” the famous 1956 image of Preston North End and England forward Sir Tom Finney running through standing water during a match at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge in August 1956. The picture, taken by Press Association photographer John Horton, has remained widely admired for seven decades and is now closely associated with Finney’s legacy.

The article says the game went ahead in conditions that would likely cause a modern top-flight match to be abandoned, reflecting how differently football was played in the 1950s. Finney, already a major name in the sport after England appearances at the 1950 and 1954 World Cups, is described as maintaining control despite the deluge, which helped turn the photograph into a lasting symbol of resilience and old-fashioned football grit.

The piece also places the image in the wider context of Finney’s life and status in Preston. A one-club player for North End, he made 433 appearances and scored 210 goals, while also working as a plumber under the wage restrictions of the era. The photograph has since appeared in books, magazines and memorabilia, and inspired a statue outside Deepdale, completed in 2002 with water jets to echo the original scene.

Fans and the sculptor quoted in the article describe Finney as Preston’s greatest player, and the story shows how a single sports image can become part of club identity and local memory long after the match itself.