Uninspired Caroliners toil to victory over ten-man Fourway

South China failed to make the most of playing for most of the second half with a one-man advantage as they scrapped to a disappointing 1-0 win in last night's top-of-the-table clash with Fourway Rangers in the BMA First Division at Hong Kong Stadium.

Fourway's midfielder Fan Weijun was sent off after receiving a straight red card 14 minutes after the break, but the Caroliners - fielding a team costing HK$30 million - never lived up to expectations and struggled to add to their slender lead.

Brazilian striker Leandro Silva found the net in first-half stoppage time after tapping home winger Kwok Kin-pong's accurate cross.

The Caroliners, who play Neftchi, of Uzbekistan, in next week's crucial AFC Cup quarter-final return leg, had hoped to use last night's match to boost their confidence.

However, Kim Pan-gon, South China's Korean coach, admitted that their performance had been far from ideal. 'It was not very successful. Perhaps the players were mentally tired. We now need to make a few adjustments to ensure the players are fresh when they take on Neftchi.'

Philip Lee Fai-lap, Fourway's director, criticised the referee, saying the decision to send off Fan - signed from South China this summer - had been harsh and that some of South China's players should have been booked for bad tackles. 'Our players also failed to finish off a number of good second-half chances,' he said.