Sir Tom Finney - RIP.

No college or early morning breakfasts to attend this morning but I did have an appointment at Amesbury Costa Coffee to meet up with a potential joining member for Sarum Lodge.  We chatted for about an hour during which he received news that his mother's partner had passed away that night so the meeting was cut somewhat short.  As it happened, Mark and Amanda Zammit were also having coffee there and we chatted for about 15 minutes about my placement and how Amanda was getting on with her academic studies.  She has been unwell and has not started her portfolio so there are at least four of us struggling with last terms module.  It was quite re-assuring and I now have some ideas on how best to put the portfolio together.  Back home, after some shopping at Lidl's, Thom and I watched the Sunderland v Saints FA Cup Round 5 game n TV which a weak Saints team lost 1-0.  I really don't understand why we put out such a weakened team.  We are more than safe in the Premier League and this year we had a really good opportunity to go far in the Cup.  Quite disappointing.  Sunderland are already through to the League Cup Final against Manchester city who, later on this afternoon, beat Chelsea 2-0 to also go through to the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.  Grimsby lost the first league of their League Trophy semi-final against Cambridge United 2-1 but will be playing Cambridge again in the second league at Blundell Park.  It was announced that Sir Tom Finney has died and there was a one minutes period of applause for this great England and Preston North End footballer. Perhaps the greatest England footballer of all time.  I have a really soft spot for PNE and I am really sorry that he has died.  However, he was aged 92 which is an incredible age.  My good friend Malcolm, a lifelong PNE supporter, told me that Sir Tom was often seen around the ground and along Sir Tom Finney Way, the road outside Deepdale Stadium which was renamed in his honour.  A great footballer and a great man.  His fountain, outside the Stadium, is a really fitting memorial already depicting the famous photograph of Tom playing football on a waterlogged pitch. Very iconic.