Why one of sport's most iconic images resonates 70 years on Image source, PA Media Image caption, The Splash was captured in August 1956 at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium A dramatic sporting moment frozen in time 70 years ago remains as popular as ever with football fans, and even inspired a statue. One of the finest players of his era - Tom Finney of Preston North End - was photographed during a deluge at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge in August 1956. Like a water-skier cutting through the wake of a speedboat, Finney somehow manages to stay upright and in control.

These days, there is little doubt that top-flight referees facing similar conditions would abandon the match. But in August 1956, the Football League first division game - the equivalent of the Premier League - continued and the players were expected to roll their sleeves up and get on with it. Decades before the advent of digital cameras and images appearing on readers' screens within minutes of them being taken, the photographer who captured The Splash would also have had no idea of how amazing a picture he had just taken.

That would only have emerged later in the eerie light of a darkroom as his roll of film was developed.'Preston legend'Finney had already played for England at two World Cups (in 1950 and 1954) and was a household name - the David Beckham of his day. So many eyes - and photographers' lenses - would have been trained on him that wet late summer's day in 1956. Marauding down the right wing, Finney slipped and slid through a massive puddle, sending water high into the air.

John Horton was there for the Press Association, which supplies photographs to media organisations around the country. He somehow managed to catch Finney's wave perfectly. As one auction house which sells replicas of the image later put it: "Even though he was sliding in a sea of water, Finney still managed to maintain control of the ball. "The photograph has become symbolic of football's gritty, old-fashioned spirit, and it captures the essence of Finney as a player: resilient, skilful, and unwavering, no matter the conditions."It symbolises the tenacity and adaptability of players in the 1950s, who often played through difficult conditions that would see modern matches postponed."Image source, Peter Hodgkinson/John Hughes Image caption, The photograph was recreated in a statue - complete with jets of water - outside Preston's Deepdale stadium Finney, a one-club man who resisted offers to leave his beloved hometown team, only ever earned a maximum of £20 per week (about £400 in today's money) because of Football League rules capping wages at the time.

To boost his income, the future knight of the realm famously continued to combine his football with being a plumber. A year after he was demobbed as a tank driver in World War Two, Finney made the first of his 433 appearances for North End and went on to score 210 goals. For England, he won 76 caps and found the net 30 times.

His final World Cup appearance came in 1958. At 31, Preston fan Jack Bridge is of course way too young to have ever seen Finney in action. While Jack has watched a handful of videos, it is The Splash which holds a special place in his heart."He is our greatest player," he said."I think of my Grandad, who used to tell me stories about him and how if he wasn't playing people would leave the ground."That photograph is iconic of a man who is a Preston icon - when he died [in 2014 at at the age of 91] the crowds were five deep lining the streets."Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Fans gathered at the statue following Sir Tom Finney's death 12 years ago Finney said he was surprised by how much attention the photograph received at the time and in the years that followed.

The picture has been reprinted in countless football magazines and books and even adorned the Preston North End's manager's office, T-shirts and mugs. And when Finney appeared on ITV's This Is Your Life programme, The Splash provided the backdrop.