'He's a talented player, a good attack maker,' says coach
Sun Hei bench-warmer Chiu Siu-kei, who was only brought into the Hong Kong squad on the eve of their departure for Kuantan, has been rushed straight into the starting line-up for the opening World Cup Group Four qualifier against Malaysia tonight.
The 24 year-old attacking midfielder, who has played the majority of his nine matches for his club this season as a substitute, was only drafted into the squad when clubmate Wong Chun-yue mysteriously pulled out of the trip on Saturday.
Despite his late inclusion and relative lack of match practice, Chiu will play as Hong Kong's second striker behind Nigerian Lawrence Akandu, filling a role that would have gone to the injured Cheung Sai-ho - preferred by Hong Kong coach Kenny Lai Sun-cheung to his other two striking options, 18-year-olds Leung Tsz-chun and Chan Siu-ki of South China and Kitchee respectively.
'Chiu is a talented player. He's a good attack maker,' said Lai, who sent a very different message to the Malaysian media, telling them Chiu was not of a similar standard to Cheung. 'His passing, dribbling and shooting are good. The only problem is that sometimes he's not committed enough. He's a little scared sometimes in hard tackles. But he will show his ability.'
Lai's confidence comes from knowing the player for the best part of 10 years, having overseen his development through the Hong Kong Sports Institute. 'Obviously, he's not in Sun Hei's starting XI, but I've taught him for a long time, as a boy he played youth competitions at Under-14, 17 and 19,' said Lai, laughing as he recalled the rough ride he gave Chiu as a teenager.
'I have always given him pressure, when he was on his scholarship and also when he was with me for a year at Rangers,' he said. 'For a month he was always late. Every time I'd fine him $100. It cost him $1,000 from his salary that month.'
