Kim Jeong-ho interview: "We have a very good head coach at Ansan." | OneFootball

Free agent Kim Jeong-ho doesn't know what the future holds just yet, but the centre-back, who has lined up 27 times for Ansan Greeners this year, spoke to K League United to reflect on a good season, thus far, for the club from Wa~ Stadium.

Kim Jeong-ho is 29 but he feels the winds of time catching up. For most players, pre-season is a release. It is the perfect moment to spend time with family or friends, go on holidays or catch up on hobbies. But not for Kim. Every preseason is a reminder that he's getting older. He doesn't know how many more he has in him. And this winter is extra important. The #20 will be out of contract.

"First of all, I will be a free agent this year, so we won't decide my future until after the next two games. Really, it is a pity there are only two games left, and I feel this way every time. As you get older, it would be good to gain more experience and to keep practicing but everyone seems to be a little sad to be getting older."

After featuring 31 times for his home town club last season, Kim was the perfect player to ask about the changes that have swept through the club this season. A reminder, if needed, of how bad Ansan were in 2023.

The Green Wolves were bottom - behind newly promoted clubs, Chungbuk Cheongju and Cheonan City - heading into the final weekend, sitting on a four game losing streak, having conceded a whopping 17 goals in the process. They kept 5 clean sheets all season. On one occasion, Gimcheon Sangmu hit them for seven.

But a surprise win in Seongnam, and Cheonan's defeat in Anyang, saw Ansan finish in 12th. They weren't popping the corks in the Tancheon dressing room. There was no parade on the streets outside Gojan Station. Last term was an unmitigated disaster.

They finished with 25 points from 36 games. Their goal difference of -32 was the worst in the entire division. So was their number of defeats (23) and goals conceded (wait for it....72). Wa~ Stadium holds 35,000 spectators; but their entire gate for the year was a shade over 21,000, at an average of 1,175 per game.

Approaching the penultimate game of 2024, the shift has been remarkable. Ansan are 11th, 12 points clear of Seongnam in last. 10th is within reach, but it'll be difficult to catch Cheongju. They have collected 11 more points and their negative goal difference has been obliterated. With two games to play, it is -12.

Kim hits the mark straight away. "Last year was really difficult. The team's performance over the season wasn't good enough," the former Incheon United defender adds. "Added to that, I had an injury which required surgery. I recovered well. But the change this year has been huge. We have a very good head coach at Ansan, and good staff members, so that's the biggest reason why we have been playing better this season."

It isn't often a player asks for a photograph together.

The manager is Lee Gwang-woo, the 42-year-old former Bluewings midfielder who took over the dysfunctional Greeners in August. The club was bottom when Im Gwan-sik was replaced. He won his first and third games in charge, against Bucheon and Cheonan. Suddenly Ansan started climbing the table as Seongnam went into freefall. The only blot was a 5-0 drubbing by Busan but Ansan are three games unbeaten heading to Yongin.

It might come as a surprise to many that reaching the playoffs was an objective of the team at the start of the year. This from the 12-placed team with no foreign players to provide the sort of impact Leonard Pllana or Matheus have for their clubs. But Kim was genuinely disappointed to miss out on the season-ending finale.

"The team should always make a goal to go to the playoffs but we can't achieve that goal now. This season has been good, however we didn't qualify for the playoffs. Even though we have missed out, we follow Cheongju by four points so if we win those two games, we can go above Cheongju. We need to do our best in the final two games (away to Suwon and home to Seongnam)."

The road to 10th starts with Suwon away this weekend. No matter what happens from here, Ansan have surpassed most peoples' expectations, even if the club was dreaming of a playoff push. Their celebrations will be muted, but everyone at Wa~ is entitled to be content with how the year unfolded.