Overseas signings in the modern game are now so commonplace that supporters barely bat an eyelid when a new recruit signs in from far flung shores such as Croatia, South Korea or the Ivory Coast.
However, in the post-War days of the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was still considered somewhat exotic for clubs to even contemplate casting their net across the Irish Sea, so you can imagine the excitement generated when Preston were tipped off about a defender in his early 20s who was flying all the way from Australia in a bid to return Preston to the top division of English football.
Little did Joe Marston realise that by heading in the opposite direction as so many pilgrims from these shores, he was about to become a trailblazer for Australian footballers and in turn gain a reputation as one of the greatest and most heralded Socceroos of all time. He explained:
"I'd always had an interest in British football because one of our neighbours had moved out here from Scotland and used to lend me the Scottish papers to read all about the game. I was only about seven or eight at the time but it got me hooked because I went to a football-playing school rather than a rugby league-playing school as many in the area were.
"The move to England came about when I was playing for a Sydney team, Leichhardt-Annandale, in the first division of the state competition, and a friend of mine, Percy Sewell, who had contacts in England asked if I'd like to go over there for a try out. That was in August 1949, but it wasn't until December that I got a call from my mother while I was working as a lifeguard down at the beach telling me that Preston were interested.
"It turned out that my friend had got in touch with Blackpool who said 'thanks but no thanks' because they were ok for full-backs, but reckoned that Preston would probably be interested. One club didn't want me but the other one did, and that's how it all started.
"My wife, Edith, and I flew out to England and then got a connecting train to Preston. We were met at the station by two directors, and there were quite a lot of other people there waiting to witness our arrival - probably about 150 or so - and I think they probably thought I was a kangaroo that was going to come bouncing off the train!
"I met up with the players at Deepdale and then went to a weekend in Scotland with them because they had a free weekend, and after one game in the reserve grade they signed me on. It was very different to what I was used to, but it was enjoyable and challenging all the same.
"I remember losing three teeth in one game, and there was another time when I got a huge bruise on my leg in the shape of the outline of the ball's stitching because it hit me so hard in the cold - it stayed there for days. When the pitches were frozen we'd often cut ourselves on the ground, but the cold proved to be an advantage in one game. I slipped and got a bad cut but it was so cold that it didn't bleed all that much, so when half-time came round they just put whiskey on the cut as a disinfectant and then gave me a swig before they put the stitches in. Then I went back out for the second half!
"There were some big moments in my career like playing in the World Cup with Australia, but three of the proudest moments were at Preston. Being the first Australian to play in the FA Cup Final in 1954 was a great achievement, and captaining Preston was a brilliant honour because the Preston people really took to me and made my family feel really welcome.
"I always had a good rapport with them, and the local paper often gave me good reviews as well. I was also proud to play for the Football League against the Scottish League at Hampden Park - the only overseas player that played in the game that year.
"People say I'm a pioneer but I don't think so. I was just an Australian footballer going over to England to see if I could improve myself and make the grade. Luckily I went to a club that played my brand of football and I had a great time there. One of the other things that stands out is my last game at Deepdale when I'd announced I was going home at the end of the season.
"I'm 82 now, but I can still picture standing there in the middle of the field as the crowd sang 'Waltzing Matilda' and 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow'. That emphasised my very strong feelings for Preston - not only the team, but also the town and the people."
Marston returned home in 1955 to re-ignite his international career, as he went on to collect 37 caps for the Socceroos - the majority as captain and player-coach - before later coaching the national side outright. A distinguished coaching career with numerous clubs in New South Wales was coupled with a return to the brush-making business he'd known before the England move, and such was his devotion to the game of football that the Australian authorities moved to immortalise him on the grandest stage in Aussie soccer.
"I've been honoured that they present a medal to the man-of-the-match at the A-League Grand Final called 'The Marston Medal'. I played for 22 seasons and spent 16 years as a coach, so I'm proud and delighted that all my hard work has been recognised in this way. They've been presenting the medal at the grand finals for over ten years now, and I've been to every final along the way. My local team, Central Coast Mariners, were crowned minor premiers in the regular season, but unfortunately they lost in the final."
Despite now following a team close to his home, it's a team thousands of miles away that Joe still keeps close to his heart.
"I still get a Christmas card from Sir Tom Finney every year, and the former players association sends out an annual journal which is great for keeping in touch with how everyone's doing. I also follow the team's results very keenly in the papers, but that's been pretty awful at times this season - I think the side needs a Charlie Wayman!
"It's a shame that there's only three of us left from that 1954 FA Cup Final side - myself, Sir Tom and Tommy Docherty - but I'm lucky to have had a career largely free of injuries and I'm still keeping in good health now. The football is still in my blood and it keeps me occupied. I haven't got the football out of me and I still speak very highly of Preston because it was the chance of a lifetime - and it came good."
Photos courtesy of Ian Rigby
