Kitchee interim boss in dark over his future amid team’s quadruple hunt

Kim waits for club’s decision as champions set sights on fourth straight league title

Kim Dong-jin, the Kitchee interim head coach, remains in the dark over whether he will be permanently appointed, despite leading the reigning champions one step closer to a unique quadruple this week.

Hong Kong midfielder Tan Chun-lok scored deep into stoppage time against Tai Po on Wednesday to earn a 4-3 win and book Kitchee’s place in May’s Sapling Cup final.

Kim’s team won the Senior Shield in February, and will play Eastern in the FA Cup semi-finals. The club’s bid for a fourth straight league title is going to the wire, with Kitchee trailing Lee Man by two points but having one game in hand over the league leaders.

Kim, who had a spell in caretaker charge in 2021-22, took over in September after owner Ken Ng Kin fired previous boss Alex Chu Chikwong following a poor start to the season.

“I am not sure what will happen; we have to wait until the end of the season, then let’s see what decision the boss [Ng] makes,” Kim said.

“There is an audience [to see what we are doing], but the club has to decide. I cannot say if I deserve the job. I just need to work hard with our coaching staff, because we have good momentum, and we want our players to show their best on the pitch.”

Kitchee have looked unconvincing for most of the season, but a never-saydie attitude and flashes of individual brilliance have decided key matches in their favour.

They clung on for large parts of the meeting with Tai Po, before stealing it at the end. Against Eastern in the Senior Shield final, Kitchee trailed into the closing minutes, and were eventually indebted to an exquisite Ruslan Mingazov strike deep into extra-time for the victory.

Kim acknowledges there is no room for slip-ups when Kitchee resume their league campaign against Eastern at Mong Kok Stadium today.

“It is another very difficult game, and they keep coming,” Kim said. “We rotated some players [against Tai Po], because the Eastern match is very important for the title.

“We cannot afford to drop off in any match. The pressure has been the same for two months. We are chasing Lee Man, and if we win we go top.

“We have to plan from game to game, and every match until the end of the season is a final.

“We put in all our effort and energy against Tai Po. The players have a winning mentality, and the mindset to not give up, to keep going until the end. I am so thankful to them [for their attitude and application].”

Kim, a fine former defender who represented South Korea at the 2006 Fifa World Cup and the Olympic football tournaments in 2004 and 2008, insisted he had not heard about forward Jakbob Jantscher’s plans to leave the club at the end of the season.

Austrian Jantscher, 35, nevertheless confirmed to the Post he would not renew his contract when it expired in the summer.

Kim is confident injury-plagued striker Kim Shin-wook, who has made only six appearances this season, is nearing match fitness following a training setback. He additionally expects imminent returns for Fernando, who damaged a shoulder in the Senior Shield final, and Mingazov, who was hurt on international duty with Turkmenistan last month.

Tan, meanwhile, embarked on a cathartic celebration following his midweek heroics. The 28-year-old, one of Hong Kong’s stand-out players at the Asian Cup finals in January, has struggled for game time since joining in the summer, with 13 of his 24 appearances coming off the bench.

“He improved a lot after the Asian Cup,” Kim said. “We needed to give him the chance, and he gave 100 per cent. He is the connector with the defensive line, he keeps the ball, and when he defends, he is very aggressive. He deserved the goal, because he was very good.”

I cannot say if I deserve the job. I just need to work hard with our coaching staff KIM DONG-JIN, KITCHEE INTERIM HEAD COACH