Kitchee determined to get past Eastern Long Lions

Determined to land the coveted Senior Shield trophy for the first time since the 2005-2006 season, Kitchee will take on arch-rival Eastern Long Lions in a heavy-weight Senior Shield final on Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong Stadium. The highly-charged finale will go underway at 3:00pm. Kitchee has gone more than ten years since last winning the elusive Senior Shield trophy. However, the side did manage to get to the finals on three separate occasions during that span, yet finding itself all on the losing side. The Blues are determined to make amends this season, first bringing in former South Korean international Kim Dong Jin, then recently signing Hungarian international Krisztian Vadocz to the squad. Adding a group of finely-gelled local and foreign players to the mix and Kitchee has likely become a much stronger force than the start of the season. Entering the weekend’s Senior Shield finale, Kitchee will seek to capitalize on the momentum of overcoming Hong Kong Pegasus in the quarter-final and Wofoo Tai Po in the semi-final by topping Eastern Long Lions in the very last hurdle, securing the Blues’ first Senior Shield trophy in more than ten years. Kitchee Head Coach Alex Chu reveals his squad has been progressing very well in terms of overall form and final preparation. The tactician hopes his players can lay everything on the line for the Club and come up with a long overdue Senior Shield trophy. “We are quite similar to Eastern Long Loins and the outcome of the final will likely be determined by the teams’ performances on match day. Despite not winning the Senior Shield for more than ten years, I do not think there is any pressure nor baggage on the players’ part. I just want to see them play up to their potential, do their best and end the Club’s Senior Shield draught through their own hands,” said Chu. Kitchee Captain Lo Kwan-yee indicates the team has enjoyed a great start in 2017, hence he would like to see the side continuing its positive momentum into the weekend and coming out with the Senior Shield trophy. “Now that we are entering the Senior Shield final, everyone within the team has a very clear target – give your absolute best and try to win the Senior Shield trophy for the Club. Both sides in the final are of similar stature and I expect nothing but a close encounter. At the same time, we have not won the Senior Shield for many years so our motivation and determination for this match should be very, very strong,” offered the Kitchee full-back.