Australian football icon Joe Marston has died at age 89.
The Socceroos defender was capped 37 times for the national team between 1947 and 1964 and became the first Australian to play in an English FA Cup final in 1954, when his side Preston North End lost to West Bromwich Albion.
He died early on Sunday of natural causes having been in frail health for some time.
Marston became a legendary figure of the game, so much so that Football Federation Australia created the Joe Marston Medal, awarded to the best player in the A-League grand final.
FFA chief executive David Gallop described Marston as "a giant of the game".
"He was a pioneer in the 1950s, showing that Australian footballers were capable of matching it with the best in the English First Division. This was a remarkable achievement in itself," Gallop said in a statement.
"Joe was a much-loved and revered figure, but his humility ensured there was never any fuss. Joe was and will always remain a true Aussie hero."
A minute's applause in memory of Marston was to be held on the Central Coast - where he retired to - on Sunday afternoon at Central Coast Stadium before the Mariners' A-League match with Western Sydney.
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