Australian football has lost one of its greatest trailblazers and icons of the game after Joe Marston passed away peacefully on Sunday morning at the age of 89.

The path of Australian players moving abroad to play in the top tiers of European football was set by Marston who became the first to play in the FA Cup final.

The tireless defender put Australia on the map of the world game when he  made the remarkable move in 1950 to join English club Preston North End.

Having impressed a scout while playing in the NSW Division One with Leichhardt-Annandale, he was offered the chance to move to the UK to join the club.

He went on to play over 200 games for Preston North End, including 196 in succession leading the club to an FA Cup final in 1954 which they lost to West Bromwich Albion.

Marston returned to Australia to play with Leichhardt-Annandale and then APIA Leichhardt. He was a regular in the national team having represented the Socceroos on 37 occasions between 1947 and 1963.

So highly regarded is Marston in the football community, the medal awarded to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final was named after him, an honour which the FFA carried into the A-League era.

APIA Leichhardt attempted to rename their ground, Lambert Park, in honour of Marston but due to difficulties with the local council were forced to settle for naming just their grandstand after the former star player.