 Marston in 1964 | |||
| 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) | ||
| 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 | ||
| International career | |||
| 1947–1958 | Australia | 13 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Edward "Joe"MarstonMBE (7 January 1926 – 29 November 2015) was an Australianassociation footballer who played as adefender. He became the first Australian to appear in aFA Cup Final when he turned out forPreston North End in their 1954 defeat toWest Bromwich Albion.[1]
Marston was 28 when he played atWembley Stadium alongsideTom Finney andTommy Docherty. After the War, Marston had played forLeichhardt-Annandale in Division 1 of theNew 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 toHarry Mattinson enabled him to get a run in the first team during the Second Division title season in 1951 and losing out toArsenal for the 1952–53 season on goal average; remaining at centre-half atDeepdale as an ever-present until 1954, making 154 appearances and being selected for theFootball League side against theScottish 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 whichStanley Matthews appeared; and appearing and coaching the national side duringHearts tour of the country in 1959.
Joe Marston and his wife Edith retired on the New South Wales Central Coast and maintained their passionate interest in association football.
Marston was awarded an MBE (1980)[2] and anAustralian Sports Medal (2000) for services to his sport.[2][3] He was inducted into theSport Australia Hall of Fame in 1988.[4]
Marston is an inductee into the NSW Hall of Champions. In September 2008, he was a recipient of one of the two inauguralAlex Tobin Medals awarded by the Australian Professional Footballers Association.[5] TheJoe Marston Medal, awarded to the man of the match in theA-League andNational Soccer League grand finals, was named in his honour. In January 2012, Marston was featured on a postage stamp issued byAustralia Post in a series commemorating notable Australian footballers from several codes.[6]
On 29 November 2015, it was announced that Marston had died of natural causes after having been in frail health for a while.[7]
Preston North End