“Our preseason target was a top-five place which we once considered quite difficult to reach,” said Hong Kong’s Chan, who moved from Hainan Qiongzhong in the First Division to Jiangsu in the close season.

“Many of the players are very green, lacking proper experience, but they did an exceptional job on the pitch with some outstanding performances.

“Nevertheless, the mission is not yet over as we still have eight more matches to go when the League resumes in October.

“We would be very happy if we can maintain our second position at the end of the season, or even a third-placed finish would be welcome.”

Hong Kong’s Chan Yuen-ting named head coach of Jiangsu women’s team

Defending champions Wuhan are in a class of their own, according to Chan. The side features most of the Chinese national team, and is the only team bolstered by overseas players.

They have won all 10 of their matches so far, with Jiangsu securing seven wins and one draw, with two defeats. Beijing are in third place, and four points behind Jiangsu.

After becoming the first female coach to lift a top-tier league trophy with Hong Kong Premier League side Eastern in 2016, Chan moved to mainland China in 2019 at the invitation of Chinese women’s football legend Sun Wen, taking up a role as the nation’s Under-16 team coach.

She left the national team set-up last year when she joined the First Division team in Hainan before embarking on her first Super League campaign with Jiangsu this season.

With the pandemic still looming large over the season, the league has had to stick to a tight schedule, starting in April – all teams had to play five matches in 13 days, before another round of five matches in another 13 days.

“I have never come across such a hectic schedule in my experience as a coach and the players also found it difficult to play under the system with 10 matches in a row in a short period of time,” Chan said.

Pioneering coach Chan Yuen-ting leaves Eastern after winless run

“There was little time for players’ recovery between each match, little time for game analysis after each match and little time for the players to instil different game plans provided by the coach.

“The club did not start the season as any favourite, but thanks to a crucial victory over Changchun in the fifth round, we made the difference. It was the turning point of the season as we started to build up mutual trust between the coach and the players.”

China was once a world powerhouse in women’s football, especially in the 1990s when the “Steel Roses” won silver medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the Women’s World Cup three years later. But the standard has been falling ever since.

“China are still a top side in Asia against Japan and South Korea in women’s football with a big pool of players for selection and good facilities across the country,” Chan said.

“But the world trend is now in Europe where women’s football is a big business on and off the field. They have made big progress over the last couple of decades and China must step up against the European powers for future development, especially in club football.

“In China, club football is still not the priority as the authorities pay much more attention to the China National Games which is contested under a provincial base.

“The authorities prefer not to groom players for other provinces which may weaken their chances in the National Games and as a result there has been very little transfer made among the clubs.

“Also there are not too many female coaches at the top level, with only three in the Super League out of 10 teams. A lot more work needs to be done, and as a professional coach, it’s either ‘adapt or die’. But I will try to do my best under these constraints.”