Kitchee crowned Hong Kong Premier League champions after thrashing Happy Valley 4-0 on dramatic final day
- Rivals Eastern needed to beat R&F in their final match to snatch the title but were frustrated in a goalless draw
- Kitchee complete a season disrupted by Covid-19 with 20 points, one point ahead of Eastern while R&F finish third
Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin became an R&F fan on judgment day for the Hong Kong Premier League, as his side made the most of their rivals’ favour to claim a third title in four years and 10th overall.
Substitute Wellingsson de Souza scored a second-half hat-trick after Gavilan Manu’s 36th-minute opener as Kitchee thrashed Happy Valley 4-0 at Mong Kok Stadium on Sunday.
Ng and his players then waited for the result of Eastern Long Lions’ game against R&F, which kicked off at the same time at Hong Kong Stadium. Once news of the 0-0 full-time score reached the Kitchee team, they were able to start the celebrations, with Ng’s team finishing on 20 points, one ahead of Eastern with R&F in third place on 18.
It was a dramatic end to the season, which was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic with only six teams deciding to complete the programme after four others pulled out.
“It was like riding a roller coaster in the closing stages because teams have in the past taken the lead during the closing stages. It was an exciting game for everybody,” said Ng, referring to the Eastern game. “Of course I became a fan of R&F in the final day, hoping they could stop Eastern and allow us to win the championship. In fact we had a team monitoring the progress of the other match until we knew we’ve become the winners.
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“You need to handle the restart of the season with a different set of techniques because the remaining matches needed to be completed within a tight schedule of only three weeks. Kitchee have the advantage as we have vast experience playing the regional cup ties and home competitions at the same time. That has given us the know how in terms of player rotation. The depth of our squad is good with a lot of promising players and that’s why we handled the situation well.”
Ng said he was frustrated by Kitchee’s 1-1 draw against Southern in their previous match, which meant they had to rely on Eastern slipping up if they wanted to win the title.
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“The frustration only lasted for few hours because we had to prepare for the last match against Happy Valley. We knew will still had a chance to win the league because it would not be easy for Eastern to beat R&F,” he said. “In the end, we were able to deliver against Happy Valley while the other match also helped us.”
Kitchee will now be able to represent Hong Kong in the 2021 AFC competitions and Ng said they would strengthen the squad with better foreign players if they can start in the AFC Champions League. They will also continue to give more opportunities to their up-and-coming young players.
“We have some very good young guns and they are now coming through the ranks after their baptism this season. We will have to continue to give them opportunities next season to give the club and Hong Kong football a better future,” said Ng.
Cheng Chin-lung, Law Tsz-chun, Shinichi Chan, Matthew Orr, Mark Swainston and Ho Chun-ting are all future prospects for Kitchee.
