South China cruised into to the FA Cup second round with a 5-1 win over Citizen at Hong Kong Stadium yesterday, but club convenor Steven Lo Kit-sing insisted his players had to step up their game.
"Even though we had a big win, there is still plenty of room for improvement," said Lo after his side added to the 2-0 win the first leg for an aggregate 7-1 victory and set up a second-round clash against Sunray Cave Sun Hei. "The overall performance was not very impressive.
"Our new players still need time to blend in and hopefully they can make more of a contribution as the season progresses. We are, in fact, still looking for new strikers before the transfer window closes at the end of this month."
Newly arrived Brazilian striker Alessandro Celin, 23, made his Hong Kong debut yesterday, scoring a goal early in the second half, but he also missed a great chance towards the end of the match before being substituted.
"Celin showed that if he is 100 per cent fit, he can be a very good striker. Today, though, he was far from his best as he hadn't played for more than six months," said Lo.
Another newcomer, defender Chak Ting-fung, played the last 10 minutes but the former BC Rangers fullback will need more time to establish himself in the squad.