K League's B Sides Kick-off the K4 League Season

While many eyes were transfixed on the top flight derbies at the weekend, The K4 League also got underway with a number of K League B teams making their professional debuts. Having taken up the option to establish the teams this year Daegu FC, Daejeon Hana Citizen and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors went about giving their larger rosters competitive game time while Gangwon FC's second string looked to improve on their 8th place finish from last season. 

After only Gangwon FC took up the option of a K4 League 'B Team' in the 2021 campaign, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Daegu FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen have followed suit this season, hoping to offer competitive minutes to a combination of youth and reserve players in the hope that these can then make the step up to their primary K League sides. With this season also allowing for players to switch between the A and B sides outside of the registration window, these second-string teams will allow for players performing well to be considered immediately for a call up. With this in mind, here is a look at the opening round for all four teams.

Daegu FC B 5-2 Yeoju FC

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Daegu's B side got off to a winning start in K4 League after seeing off Yeoju FC by five goals to two at the senior side's former home, Daegu Stadium. A looping header from 22-year-old forward Kim Tae-yang not long after the half-hour mark ensured the Sky Blues entered the interval with a one-goal lead. Yeoju FC's Han Seung-kyun quickly brought things level two minutes into the second half, knocking it past onrushing goalkeeper Lee Yoon-oh and converting. Kim Tae-yang restored the lead for Daegu with some fine footwork of his own to round scrambling Yeoju goalkeeper Kim Tae-in, before substitute Lee Jong-hoon converted when played through on goal. 

There were hopes of a comeback for Yeoju after Yoo Hyeong-kyu squeezed his late penalty under the body of the diving Lee Yoon-oh, but Lee Jong-hoon and Oh Hu-seong ensured all the points with a goal each respectively in the final five minutes to give Daegu a 5-2 victory.

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Yangpyeong FC 1-0 Gangwon FC B

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While not a new B side having formed last season, Gangwon FC's second-string also got their fourth division campaign underway, travelling to the Yangpyeong Civic Stadium to take on Yangpyeong FC. Having had a season to become accustomed to the league, you would have thought Gangwon would have not been so naive to have enforced such a high defensive line, yet it was this decision that took its toll on the half-hour mark when Jeong Seon-jin timed his run to perfection to calmly slot past goalkeeper Kim Jong-ho and give the hosts the lead. 

Both sides were given plenty of opportunities in the second-half with open nets presented to each of them in the dying moments, but the score remained 1-0 to the home side and provided them a winning start to the campaign.

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Daejeon Hana Citizen B 3-0 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors B

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Both Daejeon and Jeonbuk's second strings kicked off the campaign against one another at Daejeon World Cup Stadium's auxiliary pitch. Interestingly, both sides featured players that would normally be considered the starting U22 players in previous seasons. Lim Deok-geun and Shin Sang-eun started for the hosts while Jeonbuk, captained by ACL 2016 winner Jang Yun-ho, also featured last year's starting youth player Lee Ji-yoon.

[READ: The Under 22 Quota - The Challenge Facing Kim Sang-sik]

Despite Jeonbuk's considerable investment to create a B team to foster through U22 talent, signing their highest number of 'rookies' in two decades plus employing former Gwangju and FC Seoul boss Park Jin-seob to oversee this new side, the Green Warriors got off to the worst possible start. 21 year-old Daejeon forward Song Chang-seok found the net after just five minutes, before then scoring on the half-hour mark due to a horrendous clearance from Jeonbuk goalkeeper Kim Jong-hoon gave the ball back to Daejeon at the edge of his own area.

Despite second-half attempts to reduce the defeicit, Jeonbuk were most outplayed by Daejeon and the scoreline was to reflect this further when substitute Kang Se-hyuk stood up to convert the awarded penalty late in injury time, making it 3-0 on the day to the home side.

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