Hong Kong Premier League: new coach, same old Sham Shui Po – Kwok’s first league match ends in another heavy defeat
- New boss Kenneth Kwok apologises to fans after home side suffers 4-0 defeat to Wofoo Tai Po
- Elsewhere, Football Club go top after beating BC Rangers 1-0, but defending champions Kitchee are hot on their heels
New Sham Shui Po coach Kenneth Kwok Kar-lok said he needed time to reshape his team after watching a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home at the hands of Wofoo Tai Po on Sunday, his first match in charge in the Hong Kong Premier League.
The visitors took an early lead through a Remi Dujardin own goal, before hammering in three more in the second half through Naveed, Alex Chan Hiu-fung and Paulo Simionato.
A disciplined Tai Po side exposed the home team’s defence frailties almost at will, and had it not been for Sham Shui Po’s new goalkeeper, Oleksii Shliakotin, who made a number of saves, the result might have been worse.
Kwok, who replaced Poon Man-tik two weeks ago, apologised after the match to the 860 fans who were mostly supporting the home side at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground.
“The result let them down and hope they can be more patient,” Kwok said. “We did show some improvement but of course it was not enough. The players were struggling when playing under difficult circumstances, especially after losing an early own goal that knocked their confidence.
“But we are a relatively young side with most of the players lacking top-flight football experience. We have to take it step by step and need not only more training but real matches to improve. Hopefully the team can have some real changes by January.”
The two sides have already played once this month, a Sapling Cup encounter that Tai Po won 5-1, a result that hastened Poon’s departure.