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Joe Marston

Joe Marston
Personal information
Full name James Edward Marston
Date of birth (1926-01-07)7 January 1926
Place of birth Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia
Date of death 29 November 2015(2015-11-29) (aged 89)
Playing position Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1943–1949 Leichhardt-Annandale
1950–1955 Preston North End 185 (0)
1955–1958 Leichhardt-Annandale
1959–1964 APIA Leichhardt
1969 Western Suburbs SC
National team
1947–1964 Australia 37 (0)
Teams managed
1958 Australia (Player-Coach)
1965 APIA Leichhardt
1966 Australia
1966 APIA Leichhardt
1967–1969 Western Suburbs
1972–1973 APIA Leichhardt
1974–1977 Auburn
1978–1979 Sydney Olympic
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

James Edward "Joe" Marston MBE (7 January 1926 – 29 November 2015) was an Australian association football player who became the first Australian to appear in a FA Cup Final when he turned out for Preston North End in their 1954 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

Marston was 28 when he played at Wembley Stadium alongside Tom Finney and Tommy Docherty. After the War, Marston had played for Leichhardt-Annandale in Division 1 of the New South Wales State League, supplementing his income by working as a painter and life-guard.

In December 1949, Marston received correspondence from a scout in England who had watched him play, informing him that Preston wished to offer him a trial. Their interest was such that they paid for Marston's wife, Edith, to join him on the journey to England.

Marston spent time in the reserves, until an injury to Harry Mattinson enabled him to get a run in the first team during the Second Division title season in 1951 and losing out to Arsenal for the 1952–53 season on goal average; remaining at centre-half at Deepdale as an ever-present until 1954, making 154 appearances and being selected for the Football League side against the Scottish Football League XI. Marston eventually returned to Australia in 1956 because of homesickness, despite pleas from Preston to stay. Marston was also the target of a purported 80,000 pound transfer offer made by Arsenal.

Marston was an Australian football international appearing for the Socceroos during Blackpool's 1958 tour of Australia in which Stanley Matthews appeared; and appearing and coaching the national side during Hearts tour of the country in 1959.


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