Pegasus 'til I die!

Like any true football fan, the first piece of planning I did for my trip was finding out whether my stay would coincide with any football matches. I was in luck! Three games in the Hong Kong First Division would be taking place the day after I arrived in Hong Kong, prompting just one question - which game to attend? The afternoon kickoff between Sunray Cave JC Sun Hei and Yokohama FC was simply too far away, being played at the Tsing Yi Sports Ground. The evening fixture that pitted Hong Kong juggernauts South China against BC Rangers at the 40,000 seater Hong Kong Stadium was tempting. South China, who Nicky Butt turned out for in 2011, have won the First Division more times than all the other teams combined and are so famed that when they finished in the relegation spots in 2006 they were allowed to stay in the First Division as it was considered to be too humiliating for them to play in the Second Division. However, given that the average attendance in the league last season was only 999, I decided that the atmosphere at the giant ground might be a little flat, so instead I would be heading to the 6,500 capacity Mong Kok Stadium for the 2.30pm kickoff between Eastern Salon and Sun Pegasus. It was 3rd vs 4th and according to their Wikipedia page Sun Pegasus had recently acquired a team bus so it promised to be a classic. I wasn't wrong - it was a seven goal thriller!

Incredibly, I managed to persuade five fellow residents of my hostel who I had only just met to spend their Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong with me watching poor quality football. Even more remarkably, three of these five were girls. Attracting this group to the game and successfully taking them there was a fine display of leadership that I will not hesitate to mention in my next interview.

We chose to support Sun Pegasus as they had a more catchy name and sat amongst the "Pegasus Base", their drum lead support, in the magnificent Mong Kok Stadium, a beautifully designed arena scenically backdropped by mountains and city. Our lads got off to a slow start, one player sported gloves despite the weather pushing 20°C and support for giant Bosnian target man Admir Rascic was lacking. It was no surprise that we went into the break 1-0 down after a sloppy half of football.

Everything changed in the second half. An equaliser from Brazilian centre back Paulo Cesar ignited the game and was quickly followed by a brilliant goal from Hong Kong football legend Jaimes McKee. By this point we were singing along with the Pegasus Base and even belting out a few of our own chants imported from Britain.On the hour mark, a penalty won theatrically by Rascic was tucked away by the man himself to make it 3-1 and we seemed home and dry. However, Brazilian playmaker Itaparica, Eastern Salon's standout player, started pulling the strings in attack and played a part in both goals as Salon somehow pulled the scoreline level at 3-3. The Mong Kok was rocking, but it wasn't over yet. Some strong play form McKee down the right culminated in the ball finding its way to Cesar, who blasted into the roof of the net from six yards to win it for Pegasus! We went absolutely nuts, falling over each other in jubilant celebration that would have made onlookers believe we were lifelong fans of the club. There was still time for the dramatic ref to award a late red card to a Salon player for dissent. What a game. "Pegasus 'til I die!"

Sun Pegasus defeated Eastern Salon 4-3 in a classic at the Mong Kok Stadium.