Pioneering Aussie footballer Joe Marston dies at 89

SYDNEY (AP) - Joe Marston, who was the first Australian to play in an FA Cup final, has died at the age of 89, Football Federation Australia said.

The cause was not specified but Marston had been frail for some time.

Marston made 185 appearances for Preston North End between 1950 and 1955, playing in the team's 1954 FA Cup final loss to West Bromwich Albion.

He was also capped 37 times by Australia between 1947 and 1964.

Football Federation Australia named the Joe Marston Medal in his honor, an award presented annually to the best player in Australia's A-League final.

FFA chief executive David Gallop said Marston "was a pioneer in the 1950s, showing that Australian footballers were capable of matching it with the best in the English first division."