North Star vs Brisbane Lions - 1987 Premier League Match - Part 1

According to the Courier Mail this match between 2 of the top teams in the Brisbane competition in 1987 was played in a "Grand Final atmosphere". Around 3,000 spectators and the Channel 7 camera team packed into O'Callaghan Park to see a good old fashion blockbuster. North Star took an early lead through brilliant team play that Ross Swan finished from outside the box, finding the bottom left hand corner past a diving Jason Kearton (the same keeper who would a few seasons later become Neville Southall's understudy at Everton). Russel Stewart equalised for Lions from long range with one of his typical rasping strikes.
Unfortunately the match video was almost completely destroyed in a dying video player and the Lions goal and the North Star winner were lost entirely. I played in the match but cannot recall who got our winner and the newspaper cutting also is silent on the matter.
Two minutes from time Lions had the chance to equalise when Pat Latham pulled down Brett Druery in the box. Former Birmingham City and Australian representative player Alan Niven uncharacteristically put the spot kick wide. In the video I can see myself standing for an extended period after the spot kick missed staring at Nivsey, because he took the kick with his right foot? Here was one of the most gifted left footed players I ever saw, yet he chose his standing foot that night. I was stunned!
A famous and well deserved victory for North Star over a National League strength opponent. It was summed up in the press by mercurial North Star midfielder Gerry Lindsay -- "it was North Star 2, Queensland 1" referring to the 8 Queensland representatives in the Lions team that night.
Not one to rest on its laurels, North Star followed up with a 4-3 win on penalties over the same Lions outfit in the President's Cup a few weeks later, taking out the first piece of silverware available in 1987. Lions would ultimately win the league and championship and secure a pace back in the National Soccer League competition in 1988. But for a good while in 1987, before a spate of late season injuries took their toll, the outstanding on field efforts of this particular North Star group ensured that the dream of the North Star faithful to see their team advance to the National Soccer League play-offs looking like a real possibility.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• North Star
• Brisbane Premier League
• Football
• Buchanan