Nan Fung / Sewit Men’s Premiership: Hong Kong Football Club lose thriller to Sandy Bay but pip them to league title
- HKFC coach Logan Asplin credits winning start to season after lifting silverware despite his side’s third loss in a row
- Sandy Bay left needing one more try at the death, but Asplin’s players do enough to deny their late-season surge and retain the trophy
Hong Kong Football Club head coach Logan Asplin was wrestling with an “empty feeling” after his side retained their Nan Fung / Sewit Men’s Premiership crown despite losing a topsy-turvy encounter 21-20 against closest rivals Sandy Bay on Saturday.
HKFC crept over the line, finishing with three successive defeats following an unbeaten 12-match run from the start of the season.
Sandy Bay ended the campaign strongly, adding victory at So Kon Po Recreation Ground to slender victories over Valley and HK Scottish in the past fortnight.
When Sibusiso Sithole went under the posts and Charl Janson added the extras with around 15 minutes left, Sandy Bay needed a bonus-point fourth try to claim their first title.
HKFC, aware that defeat by no more than six points was sufficient to prevent that, manned the barricades and reined in their attacking instincts, although Asplin “had not talked about the potential permutations to the whole group”.
“They are smart enough, and our leaders were aware of the different scenarios,” Asplin said.
