Brisbane keeper Jamie Young on fire, but Roar still searching for first win

JAMIE Young doubts there has been a finer moment in his goalkeeping career, but the Brisbane Roar custodian would gladly have swapped his memorable weekend double save in Perth for a win over the Glory.

Jamie Young produced a pair of stunning saves against the Glory. Picture: AAP

JAMIE Young doubts there has been a finer moment in his goalkeeping career, but the Brisbane Roar custodian would gladly have swapped his memorable weekend double save in Perth for a win over the Glory.

Young and his Roar teammates returned to Brisbane still searching for their first victory of the A-League season after losing 2-1 on Saturday night at NIB Stadium.

The Glory’s winning margin would have been greater if not for Young’s heroics just six minutes into the match when he denied two headers from Perth skipper Andy Keogh in the space of seconds.

TOUGH LOSS: ROAR DOWNED BY GLORY

Jamie Young produced a pair of stunning saves against the Glory. Picture: AAP

While his first save was superb, Young’s ability to get himself off the ground to keep out Keogh’s second effort was nothing short of phenomenal.

“They probably are the best saves I’ve made,” Young told The Courier-Mail.

“The first one I put myself in a great position to make the save. I was quite close to the goal line, so that means I could get more time to react to the header.

“Then when I got to the header and put it back in the air a little bit further so Keogh had to stretch in the air, I knew he would find it difficult to head it down. I thought he would head it back up again.

“Luckily I had that reaction save in there — it’s pretty incredible stuff.

“When you make a save like that, that’s when you know how much work you put in at training every week.”

Young’s agility has improved, having dropped 4kg from his frame in the off-season.

Young says he would have preferred a win than his ripper save. Picture: Getty Images

Despite his joy at making an early contender for save of the season, Young would have traded the individual glory for team success.

“If we’d have got the win that would have been a great result for everybody,” he said.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t to be … but if we keep going we’re going to hit a tipping point where things will change for us positively.

“We just have to keep believing in ourselves. We’ve got so much quality in our team this season.”

The loss to Perth amplified the Roar’s failure to do better than draw both their opening two games of the season, both at home against last season’s two worst teams, Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix.

“If we’d have had more than two points on the board it might have softened the blow of the defeat,” Young said.

Roar coach John Aloisi insisted there was no panic in the Brisbane camp ahead of Saturday’s clash against Western Sydney Wanderers in Mudgee.

“Things will definitely be OK,” Aloisi said.

“Obviously people are just going to look at the points tally, which is the way it is, but as a group we have to make sure we keep improving and the results will definitely come.”

ROAR’S BIG W-LEAGUE BREAKTHROUGH

AMERICAN import Carson Pickett scored for the second week in a row as Brisbane Roar secured their first win of the W-League season at Marconi Stadium.

Pickett’s first-half goal — gifted to her by some ordinary work from Western Sydney goalkeeper Jada Whyman — proved the difference as the Roar beat the Wanderers 1-0.

The win moved the Roar to four points from two matches following their first-up 1-1 draw against Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium.

Carson Pickett celebrates her goal with Jenna McCormick during Roar’s win over the Wanderers. Picture: Getty Images

The Wanderers’ loss was their second in succession after being beaten 3-0 by Sydney FC on the opening night of the season.

Western Sydney had chances to equalise but were foiled by the work of Roar goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, who was making herfirst appearance of the season.

In contrast, Whyman made a costly error in the 39th minute when she failed to deal with Pickett free-kick that dribbled inat the near post.

The Roar were again without star Japanese signing Yūki Nagasato, who is yet to make her W-League debut.

In yesterday’s other W-League match, Perth fought back from 4-1 down with just eight minutes left to draw 4-4 with CanberraUnited at McKellar Park.

Perth were boosted by the return of Matildas star Sam Kerr, who missed her side’s 1-1 draw with the Roar through suspension.

The Glory’s fightback was all the more remarkable after they played the final 25 minutes with just 10 players following thesecond-half dismissal of Sarah Carroll, who was given a red card for her second bookable offence.