South China restart Hong Kong football with win – and coach targets top flight
- Heavyweights beat Eastern District as competitive action, on hold since January, resumes with League Cup
- ‘As a club with such a long history in Hong Kong football and a strong fan base, South China should play in the top tier,’ says coach Ku Kam-fai
The traditional heavyweights drew a small but committed crowd of fans who had waited almost five months to watch them, and they did not have long to wait for some incident on a hot Sunday afternoon at Happy Valley Recreation Ground.
The very first minute brought a goal – but for Eastern District, as a lapse in concentration caused the Caroliners to fall behind to Kwok Ho-lam’s strike.
That was the best Eastern District could offer, however, and a low drive from Leung Chong-yip equalised before the break, with Kwok Ting-him and Ho Shing-yuen netting in the second half to give South China a 3-1 victory.
It was a reminder that the 41-time Hong Kong champions should be back in the top-flight Premier League – whose teams have yet to return to action – rather than featuring in the amateur divisions, according to their coach Ku Kam-fai.
“We will stay in the First Division next season, but as a club with such a long history in Hong Kong football and a strong fan base, South China should play in the top tier,” Ku said.
“South China always have a role to play in Hong Kong football. Whether we can put together a team to mount a serious challenge in the Premier League may be a question of time, but we should be there.”
Ida Lee, who has supported the club for more than a decade, was among those present on Sunday to watch them in more modest surroundings.
“I watched their last game in January when they played in the junior FA Cup in Sha Tin, and have been waiting for them to play again,” she said.
“We are running a fan page to update all South China news, so that the fans can get first-hand material as soon as possible. The pandemic may have stopped the season for a while, but it won’t stop us supporting the club. Hopefully they can do well in the tournament.”
Ku said his players had only four training sessions before returning to the fray.
“The boys are not yet at their best, because they are far from regaining their match sharpness,” said the former Hong Kong international, who spent most of his playing career with the club, making more than 350 appearances.
“The heat also gave us some problems. I hope they can get better as the tournament goes on.
“They are happy with the opportunity to play again. The cup also gives us a chance to check out players, and see who we want to keep for next season and which positions we need to strengthen in. I am sure other clubs also need that opportunity, so they can prepare for next season.”
Of the 14 First Division teams, 11 have entered the League Cup, with three giving up the opportunity. They are divided into two groups and will play a round robin to determine the semi-final line-up.
League Cup results
First Division:
South China 3-1 Eastern District
Wofoo Tai Po 1-2 Happy Valley
Golik North District 2-1 Wing Yee Property
Central & Western 4-0 Wong Tai Sin
Sham Shui Po 1-0 Best Union Yuen Long
Second Division:
Leaper St Joseph’s 0-1 Fu Moon
EnGenis Kowloon City 3-1 Kwun Tong
Chelsea FC Soccer School (HK) 0-2 Wan Chai
Tung Sing 1-0 Tuen Mun
Lucky Mile 0-3 Kwong Wah
Mutual 0-0 Kwai Tsing
Third Division:
Tsuen Wan 1-2 Sai Kung
City 2-2 Wing Go
Lansbury 4-1 Islands
WSE 4-0 Lung Moon
HK Pegasus 1-0 Kai Bo
3 Sing 4-0 Tsun Tat
Kuitan 1-0 Kowloon Cricket Club