FC Anyang stand on the brink of glory after last week’s 98th-minute winner in Gimpo. The Violets opened up a six-point gap at the summit, with a game in hand, but before they firmly lock one hand on the K League 2 trophy, they must overcome rivals Ansan Greeners and then Seoul E-Land. With Anyang’s faith in their own hands, how much would it mean to Ansan to derail the train?
FC Anyang and Ansan Greeners are just two of nine clubs in K League 2 in the south Seoul/southern Gyeonggi-do bubble. The destination of the K League 2 trophy will surely end up in this region (even if Jeonnam Dragons are still in the thinking) but this Saturday (7 pm kick-off), leaders Anyang will have more on their minds than simply three points.
Their guests are Ansan Greeners, located nine stops down Seoul Metro’s Line 4, towards the western seaboard. The derby, of the same name, is a curious one. It hasn’t been around in its current form for long, and one team (Anyang) has enjoyed significant success, but the match means a lot to both clubs and their supporters. On Saturday, Ansan know they can stick a Wa~ sized spanner in Anyang’s promotion chase. A loss, however, will mean Anyang can begin to breathe in the sweet aroma of K League 1 football.
Kyle Gobler, a familiar face amongst long-time readers of K League United, loves the derby and credits his old friend for coming up with the derby’s distinctive name. “The Line 4 is always a fun one, especially considering the phrase was coined by Ansan Foreign Supporters Club’s own Mike Brandon. That was back in the first year of K League United when I was covering Ansan.”
This match has significance to Ansan, too. They aren’t arriving just to spoil the party. The Green Wolves are two places and five points clear of 13th (bottom spot). No matter what happens, they’ve surpassed last season’s total of 25 points, when a victory on the last day, coupled with Cheonan’s loss in Anyang, meant Ansan avoided the ignominy of last place. A promotion spot is an unrealistic target but finishing 9th isn’t.
That would represent significant progress from 2023 and the feelgood factor would be ramped up significantly with three points this weekend. The two clubs are separated by 33 points in the table, but Ansan know what it takes to beat Anyang. In their last meeting, Kim Do-yoon’s 91st-minute winner settled the derby 3-2 in Ansan’s favor. Given Anyang won the first match of the three-game season series (thanks, this time, to a 96th-minute winner), the rivalry is finely poised heading into Saturday’s finale.
Over the past 10 games, Anyang have five wins to Ansan’s two. You must return to March 2021 for Ansan’s last victory on enemy soil, thanks largely to Kim Ryun-do’s second half-brace. Anyang have generally enjoyed superiority over the western neighbors, but seven of their 13 total wins have been by a single goal. If you offered Anyang that scenario this Saturday, they’d bite your arm off.
Alex Grevett and Mike Brandon will both attend Saturday’s game in Anyang Stadium. Their view, in the away end, will be one of the worst in the division. For those unfamiliar with Anyang’s stadium layout, the city (and club) did a great job minimizing the impact of the running track by constructing three temporary, pitchside stands. None of those stands are reserved for away supporters. They must sit in the original structure, behind a track, to see their team. And Mike hates it.
“They (Anyang) seriously need a new stadium move soon. While the current ground is better than some of the more isolated ones in terms of accessibility and amenities around, it is not a great place for the away fans tucked away so far in the corner looking into the funnel of temporary standards. At least at Bucheon,” Mike concludes, “you are behind the goal!”
So how big is the Line 4 rivalry to these visiting fans. “It definitely feels like a derby,” Alex says, “and we (Ansan) always seem to perform well against Anyang, which is nice.” Mike agrees. “Ansan do get themselves up for it. The problem is, the derby is typically asymmetric and we are missing a real crunch game to make the derby have more depth. You could say the 3-2 comeback win to claim the title on the last day at Anyang in 2016, but that was the Police team, and the away end was not exactly packed.”
What’s the most important thing for Ansan fans then? Another win to climb clear of the basement or a victory to make the Violets suffer. Alex believes it is both. “I’d obviously love a win for those reasons (climbing the table and hurting Anyang), but realistically, I’d take a draw and a good performance. It could still mess up their campaign further, too.”
Mike is not in two minds. “Pulling clear of 13th is the focus. Denting Anyang’s title hopes seems a little sour grapes considering their setup is everything Ansan’s is not. The infrastructure around the club, having partners with bars and restaurants around the city, etc, it is one of the best in K League 2 and K League 1. If they get promoted Ansan need to take a good look at how they got there.
With the constant threat of relegation being introduced, I am more concerned with Ansan finishing with as many points as possible to try to attract more sponsorship. Km Gil-sik recently gave an interview on this being a real challenge. A playoff Line 4 Derby in the future would be great for us, and transform the meaning of the original question.”You can listen to Mike talking to Matthew Binns on the issue of relegation here.
Kyle won’t make the weekend’s game as he’s back home in the US. That doesn’t mean he’ll be missing out on one of the season’s marquee fixtures. “Ansan has been on a slow crawl out of the basement,” Kyle elaborates. “I would say another surprising result isn’t outside the realm of reality/ I’m not sure how hopeful I am of them beating Anyang, but it would make my week if they did pull it off.”
When Ansan walk out on Saturday, they’ll be met with a wall of noise from one of the league’s best-supported clubs. Anyang boasts the best attendance in K League 2 this season when Suwon Samsung are factored out. It feels appropriate to do so because Suwon are bringing more away fans to games than any club manages for their seasonal home averages. They are a K League 1 club in all but practice, languishing in midtable of the second tier. Anyang have averaged 4,548 from their 13 home games, for a total of 59,142.
Ansan, understandably given years of underachievement and poor results, are adrift at the bottom of the attendance ladder. Only 23,914 fans have paid through the gates to see an improving Ansan this term, an average of 1,840. But this is a significant jump from 2023. Besides, Saturday’s match will not be in their vast citadel of Wa~ Stadium. They’ll play down the train line in Anyang.
The incentives are clear; a good league position and denting Anyang’s promotion push. It should be a cracker. How much of a cracker? “A hopeful 2-2 draw,” Kyle predicts.
