DEFENDING champions Football Club meet leaders Kowloon in a match crucial to both sides' title aspirations today at Mongkok Stadium, while across the road a Hong Kong international is standing by to make his long-awaited return from injury.
Sevens specialist Gary Cross, who has had two knee operations in the last 10 months, is ready to make his playing comeback for Police against title-chasers Valley at Police Boundary Street.
Cross, who missed last year's Hong Kong Sevens and World Cup Sevens in Edinburgh, said he has fully recovered and can play anytime, despite the threat of causing more damage to the knee.
And he may be forced into action for Police, who are missing scrum-half Murray Collins, fly-half Vaughan Going and centre Jim Walker through injury.
''I'm ready to go,'' said Cross, 27. ''I've been training hard and have done everything but tackling.
''I was going to retire last year after the Sevens, but got injured. I know the knee could go again anytime, but hopefully it will happen after the Sevens because I will retire from playing anyway.'' Cross, who played for Valley for three seasons, has been coaching Police in this campaign.
Police got their season off to a promising start but have since failed to reproduce the form which saw them beat Club in the early part of the campaign.
