Alston started all three of Australia's matches at the tournament as they suffered defeats to East Germany and West Germany and drew 0–0 with Chile. He lost his place in the side soon after to John Kosmina but did return to play in the qualifying stages of the 1978 World Cup as Australia failed to qualify after a series of disappointing results and he was never called up for the side again. In total, he represented Australia between 1969 and 1977 in 37 official matches, scoring 6 goals. Alston represented New South Wales in 1974 as a player and led the selection of the Illawarra region as coach in 2004.