Guild Hall honour for The Doc

Tommy Docherty (right) with Sir Tom Finney

The fourth Sir Tom Finney Tribute Dinner will celebrate the life of one of the game’s biggest ever characters, who served North End as both a player and manager.

A former team-mate of the legendary Sir Tom, The Doc became an integral member of the great PNE team of the 1950s, after arriving at Deepdale from Celtic in 1949.

In his nine-year stint, he helped the club finish runners-up twice in the old First Division and reach the  FA Cup final in 1954.

He played more than 300 times for North End, before earning a move to Arsenal in 1958.

He later played for Chelsea and also represented Scotland on 25 occasions.

Although he enjoyed a stellar playing career, he will perhaps be best remembered for his varied and eventful ventures into management.

A larger-than-life character, Docherty, who is now aged 88, experienced plenty of ups and downs in charge of a whole host of clubs in the UK and abroad.

He is arguably best remembered for his spell in charge of Manchester United between 1972 and 1977.

It was a period which saw the Red Devils suffer the ignominy of relegation from the top flight before bouncing back at the first attempt by winning the Second Division Championship in 1975.

He later led the club to the FA Cup final at Wembley in successive seasons – losing to Southampton in 1976 before famously beating Liverpool 2-1 the year after.

Before his stint at Old Trafford, Docherty enjoyed a successful spell as Chelsea manager and also took charge of his country for a couple of years in the early 1970s.

He tainted his reputation slightly among North End supporters during an ill-fated spell in the Deepdale hot-seat in 1981.

The Doc won only three league games out of 17 and was sacked after just six months.

“Tommy Docherty – This Is Your Life” will take place on April 20 and tickets are priced at £50 per person.

All proceeds from the dinner will go towards the Sir Tom Finney Soccer Development Centre in Preston.

For further information and to purchase tickets, please call organiser Tom Rowe on 07813 678 889.