Ricky relishes move back to South China

Former Footballer of the Year Ricky Cheng Siu-chung has joined South China for the third time, a week after a collaboration between defunct Instant-Dict - his former club - and Hong Kong Football Club fell through.

However, a number of former Instant players are still awaiting decisions from Dickies president Thomas Tam Wai-tong about their future after the HKFA voted down a proposal to include seven Instant players last week.

Cheng, who had a one-year contract with Tam, decided to head to South China for another spell following his time with the Caroliners in the 1995-1996 and 1999-2000 seasons after having held talks with Tam and South China official Peter Leung Shou-chi in the past few days.

The former Costa Rica under-21 national said he relished the prospect of playing alongside his ex-teammates and stressed he was prepared for the pressure of playing for South China.

'We're always under a lot of pressure when playing for South China because you're expected to win everything. South China didn't achieve what they should have achieved last season and many people will be keen to see if we can redeem ourselves in the forthcoming season,' said the 28-year-old. South China failed to win a trophy last season.

'South China is the biggest club in Hong Kong and its performance has a direct impact on the local soccer scene. It's going to be a huge responsibility for me. I must also play well so as to earn myself another contract next year.