YOUNG SHOWS VALUE OF MUCH OLDER, WISER HEAD
THE Jamie Young of old would crumble after making a crucial error.
But not anymore, and that’s good news for Brisbane Roar ahead of their A-League elimination final against Melbourne City at AAMI Park tomorrow night.
The Roar goalkeeper, arguably the season’s bestperformed A-League custodian, gifted Perth an early goal on Saturday night at nib Stadium.
Misjudging the flight of a long clearance from Glory counterpart Liam Reddy, Young was caught in no man’s land outside his penalty area, which allowed Perth striker Adam Taggart to chip him and put the hosts in front.
It was the last thing Young and the Roar needed in a game vital to Brisbane’s hopes of reaching the finals.
But rather than drop his head as he had on other occasions, most notably in his forgettable display in the Roar’s 5-4 semi-final loss to Western Sydney Wanderers two years ago, Young refused to cave in.
Instead, he went on to make a crucial penalty save late in the game as the Roar rebounded from Perth’s early goal to win 3-2, a result that when combined with the Wanderers’ 3-2 loss to Adelaide United the following night, ensured Brisbane qualified for the finals for an eighth successive year.
“These things happen in sport, people make mistakes all the time – it happens,” said Young, who admitted he had learnt from his horror night at Pirtek Stadium in April 2016.