Kitchee boss Ken Ng blasts 'terrible pitch' at Aberdeen Sports Ground

Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin slammed the government's policy of venue usage after watching his side scrape a 1-0 win over Royal Southern in the RedMR First Division yesterday.

Jorge Tarres converted an early spot kick to set up the victory on a well-below standard pitch at Aberdeen Sports Ground.

Frequent public use had damaged the pitch and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's remedial action was to spread sand on affected areas before the match.

Kitchee, whose fluid passing game has made them the most formidable force in domestic soccer, were never able to come to terms with the surface in front of the 580 fans. Ng did not blame his side, saying it was almost impossible to control the ball.

"It was very difficult for the players to deliver," said Ng, who is also on the Football Association board of directors. "The Aberdeen ground is frequently used by the public and other organisations and professional teams have to share with them and that why's the pitch quality is so terrible.

"Under the current policy, professional soccer and the public have equal chance to use soccer venues as the government wants to be fair to all parties. But we all know it won't work for professional sport because abundant public usage makes it difficult for ground maintenance.

The venue problem also hampers youth development, Ng said. "All our youngsters are training on terrible surfaces so how can you expect them to acquire good skills," said Ng.