The production line that churns out the talent that has made Liaoning the hotbed of Chinese soccer and Dalian Shide the masters of the professional era on the mainland, helped Citizen to a winning start to the Sunray Cave League Cup.
The First Division new boys defeated South China 2-0 thanks to a goal each from on-loan youngsters Yuan Yang and Ma Shuai at Mongkok Stadium, while Buler Rangers thrashed struggling Xiangxue 5-2 in the other Group A game.
Ma provided the cross for Yuan to head Citizen into an 18th minute lead, which should have been comfortably extended in a second half that saw South China fall for Citizen's rope-a-dope tactics. In the end it was left for Ma to settle the tie deep in injury time.
'We got ourselves a goal up, but we couldn't get the second and that made it a difficult game,' said Ma with a broad grin after the victorious start in the five-team group. 'I'm confident we can get into the semi-finals. Our team spirit is very high and we're getting more and more confident with every game.'
The lanky 19-year-old has himself grown in self-belief, helping fill a dip in form from fellow-striker Stephan Ambassa whose fitness and physique have slumped due to knee and shoulder problems.
Yuan is following suit from the left-side of midfield, and like his Dalian teammate wears a smile as wide as the Bohai Bay. 'We're happier here. It feels really good,' the teenager said. 'In Dalian the games are tighter, the competitions fiercer and the training is harder too; comparatively it is easier in Hong Kong. But in Dalian we aren't playing every game, we're just coming through. Here we get to play every game and we're having fun.'