After underachieving last year, the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K League Classic have won three of their first four games to rank third among 14 clubs early in the 2013 season.

Suwon, though, has also been bitten by the dreaded injury bug and will be without two key players for an extended period, a tough break for a team that has looked poised to make a run for the league title.

Last Saturday, Suwon defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 on the road. It was Suwon’s first win over Jeonbuk since September 2008, spanning 12 matches.

The win, however, came at a cost.

Striker Cho Dong-geon sustained a stress fracture to his collarbone in a collision with a defender just 17 minutes into the game. He has been ruled out for at least 10 weeks.

Cho’s injury was the latest blow to Suwon, which had earlier lost key midfielder Kim Do-heon to a knee injury.

Kim, a one-time English Premier League player, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on March 17. The team said Kim will be out for six months. (Yonhap News)