Park Ji-sung wins first title in three years

Queens Park clinched their first Donald Gray title in three years with a 3-0 win over Old Boys on Friday night, with two games to go.

The win gave Surrey Park an unassailable lead at the top of the league table.

Park was clearly ready for the match, as just two minutes later Ganesh Thapa scored his first goal of the night. Ten minutes later Bryan Orobio doubled the lead again, the Park hitman firing the ball into the bottom corner with ease past the Old Boys goalkeeper.

Thapa extended Park’s lead with a fine strike, cutting in from an acute angle to all but seal the league title before the break.

The Old Boys created a few chances in the second half but it looked like they didn’t spoil the mood. Park Ji-sung’s shot was blocked off the line and the Old Boys goalkeeper made two excellent saves in quick succession to prevent Park from causing more pain for Waverley Park.

The significance of Park’s win cannot be ignored. This is a reserve team, while the senior team competes in the Southern Premier League. The club competing in Dunedin has never won a domestic league title.

Co-coach Jason McMath and manager Mark Bugden were delighted with the title win.

“We’ve been working hard to find guys all season long and we’re proud of the guys who stepped up and made this possible,” McMath said.

“To win two games early shows how special this team and club are,”

In fact, this is a reserve team, and Bugden is well aware of that.

Park will have no time to celebrate the win; the team will face First Division champions Winton FC in the Charity Cup on Monday.

If Portsmouth wins that match, they will play in the final, in addition to being drawn against Old Boys Fletcher Cup team. If Old Boys wins that match, they will earn the right to compete with Queenstown FC for a spot in the Southern Premier League next season. Since Portsmouth already has a team in the competition, their reward if they beat Old Boys is just bragging rights.

So, Park Ji-sung still has a lot of goals to strive for. They have won the pre-season trophy and now the league trophy, but there are still the Charity Cup and Larry O’Rourke Challenge trophies to strive for.