Reesby the hero as 10 man North Pine secures derby win

North Pine shot stopper Jake Reesby put a horror fortnight behind him to lead his side to a morale boosting 2-1 victory in the local derby against rival Peninsular Power at Bob Brock Park on Saturday.

The young 'keeper’s heroics between the posts ensured North Pine could finally break free of their recent poor form and record their first win in seven weeks, even after going down to 10 men in the 44th minute following a crude challenge from captain Steve Melville.

Peninsular Power will look back on the match as an opportunity lost, the away side failing to capitalise on extended periods of possession and a number of clear scoring opportunities.

The away side controlled proceedings from early on in the piece and went close to taking the lead in the 11th minute when Warren Moon’s diving header forced an acrobatic save from Reesby.

Power’s prolific striker Matt Hornby caused some anxious moments for his coach midway through the first half when he went down clutching his shoulder after a throw in. The burly marksman however managed to play out the first half and even had a header effort knocked over the bar by Reesby in the 28th minute.

Courageously defending wave after wave of Peninsular attacking movements throughout the majority of the first stanza, North Pine went on the offensive in the 38th minute and took a surprise lead courtesy of a flawless Anthony Roulston finish.

Receiving the ball just outside the 18 yard box from a sublime pass from Shane Coffey, Roulston unleashed a powerful shot that hit the top right corner of the net and left Power goalkeeper Marko Radmanovic grasping at thin air.

After going into the break with a narrow one goal lead, North Pine looked to double their advantage early on and nearly struck a second blow in the 55th minute when winger Jason Keune missed an easy opportunity to score after finding himself one on one with Radmanovic.

The half time addition of Dominik Hudak for Peninsular Power gave the Redcliffe based side a new lease of life in the second stanza, with the Slovakian creating a number of chances to draw level.

Although creating chances, Power failed to capitalise on their opportunities and saw their deficit double when they were once again burnt by a precise North Pine counter attack, Anthony Roulston claiming a second goal in the 75th minute to make the score line 2-0 to the home side.

Peninsular Power finally got one past an in form Reesby in the 85th minute courtesy of a well taken free kick from Moon, however it was too little too late for the away side.

Fittingly it was another magnificent save from Reesby in the final second of the game that saw North Pine deny Peninsular a late comeback and secure all three vital competition points.