Perfect league record ends as 10-man Tai Po hang on- Tai Po 1 Kitchee 1

Summary

Kitchee's unbeaten league start continued as they came away from Tai Po with a draw. A very dull first half was followed by a much more exciting second, as both teams scored just after the hour mark. The final twenty minutes of normal time plus the additional sixteen minutes stoppage time saw a red card, a disallowed goal, and a ridiculous amount of unpunished timewasting by the defending champions. Kitchee will probably feel the win was there, but given the tough fixtures to start the season, emerging with ten points from twelve can be seen as a success.

Team news

Calderon made four changes to the starting line-up from last week's League Cup victory. He kept the 3-4-3 formation, but brought in Wang in goal, Dantas and Beattie into central defence and captain Tan Chun-lok into midfield. Enikar, Law, Jason and Lung dropped to the bench. There was no long-awaited debut for Illarramendi, and after his goalscoring cameo last week Kim Shin-wook was also in the stands. Seventeen year old Ari Lam continued at right wing back for his league debut.

Wang, Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Juninho 65); Ari Lam (Law 65), Martinez (Mingazow 46), Lok (c), Jordan, Kanda (Lung 87), Kendy (Li Siu-hin 87), Adrian

Unused subs: Tuscany, Haddow, Slattery, Jason, Chan Shing-chun

Match events

Early on Adrian almost latched onto a ball into the box, and he went close again, blasting over. Tai Po went close when Law Chun-ting hit the bar from range. Martinez had a shot blocked, which looked like handball, VAR denying Kitchee's appeals as Adrian was marginally offside in the buildup. Former Kitchee man Ngan Cheuk-pan went close with a free kick, but a largely uneventful first half ended 0-0.

Mingazow came on for the cautioned Martinez at half time, with Tai Po making two changes, including Kitchee legend Fernando. Paulinho went close for Tai Po, before Adrian was denied by a great save. Just after the hour Kitchee failed to deal with a high cross in, and despite Wang making a good save to deny Fernando, substitute Renner headed in the rebound. Calderon instantly brought Law and Juninho on, and within minutes Kanda's cross from the right was buried home by Adrian for his 4th goal in 4 games. Tan Chun-lok was later cut in half by a poor tackle. After initially giving a yellow, following the VAR advice the referee upgraded it to a red. Not long afterwards Juninho wonderfully controlled and scored from Kanda's pass, but the linesman's flag and VAR came to Tai Po's rescue, ruling it out.

The final stages became a bit farcical, with Tse Ka-wing going down repeatedly, and Lee Lok-him taking an age over every single throw in down the Tai Po right. Fans were stunned that the officiating team gave sixteen added minutes, although the timewasting continued. Dantas went close with a late free kick, but on balance a draw is a good result for Kitchee.

Fan feedback

Kitchee could and probably should've won especially with Tai Po resting so many key players before the ACL 2 clash with Beijing Guoan. At the start of the game most fans would have taken the point to extend the unbeaten league run. In the second half Tai Po sat very deep and wasted a lot of time, somehow not being punished for any other offences. On multiple occasions Tai Po's players surrounded the referee, but somehow the only card given for dissent all game was to Kendy after Tai Po had their man sent off. Kitchee should have dealt with tai po's goal better, and need to get bodies into the box- Adrian is doing well, but if he drifts wide to pickup the ball we need to get men in the box, as well as working out how to break down low blocks. Youngster Ari Lam had a solid game at wing back, and fellow teenager Li Siu-hin provided energy but is still quite raw. 

What's next

North District at home on 26th October at 6pm. The first official home game of the season. Let's hope that Kitchee can maintain the unbeaten start to the league campaign.

Throughout November, Kitchee will be supporting men's health initiatives alongside Movember and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, by moving as much as possible, including walking to Kitchee games during the months. Keep an eye on our socials for details of our fundraising campaigns. If anyone would like to join our efforts, please get in touch with us on Instagram.

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Match highlights

One cup win, one cup defeat, Wookie returns and two crucial games for Hong Kong

Its been a busy few weeks, with Kitchee taking part in two domestic cup competitions, and Hong Kong having two crucial games with Bangladesh. Read our reports below to find out how the boys got on.

Summary

Kitchee 2 North District 3

Team news

Photo by Scoop

Kitchee made two changes to the starting lineup, with Tan Chun-lok returning from suspension and Juninho coming in from the bench, with Law and Lung making way. Mingazow was rested with an eye on bigger games ahead. Haddow dropped back to right back allowing Lok to move into midfield, and Illarramendi continued to watch from the bench.

Wang; Haddow, Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Law 69); Martinez, Lok (c), Juninho; Kanda (Lung 60), Adrian, Kendy (Jordan 77)

Match highlights

Photo by Scoop

Wang had to be alert early, making a few early saves, before Kendy and Martinez both went close to giving Kitchee the lead. After a mixup in midfield, Haddow's last gasp tackle kept it 0-0. Five minutes before the break Vinicius gave North District the lead with a tapin, as Wang could only parry out Kayke David's longshot. But right on the verge of half time Adrian Revilla got his second goal in two games, heading in Beattie's outstanding cross from deep on the left hand side. In stoppage time Leandro Martinez was fouled, and Adrian converted to give Kitchee a fortunate lead. In the second half Wang kept Kitchee ahead with numerous saves, before Kitchee blew the chance to extend the lead. Rather than shooting Adrian selflessly laid the ball off to Juninho, who fired wide. More saves were needed from Wang as North District were relentless, and going into the last ten minutes Kitchee were still narrowly in front. North District got a slightly fortunate penalty for a foul by Martinez, converted by substitute Weverton. Two minutes later some pinball in the Kitchee box allowed Granada to fire home a winner, and they could have further extended the lead in the dying moments. Kitchee will leave disappointed with North District's late comeback, but the men from Sheung Shui played very well and had many more chances throughout the game, although they did pick up seven bookings for some tactical fouling, particularly towards the end of the game.

League Cup

Team news

Photo by SportsRoad

Kitchee made six changes from the Senior Shield clash. Tan Chun-lok and Juninho were off with Hong Kong, and Jay Haddow had a minor leg injury. Wang, Dantas and Beattie also dropped to the bench. In their place, Enikar came in for a debut, with Jason Kam making his first start of the season, and seventeen year old Ari Lam playing only his second senior game. Cheng Chin-lung, Jordan Lam and Law Tsz-chun also came in. The bigger excitement was on the bench, with Illarramendi making his first match day squad for Kitchee, and Kim Shin-wook in a Kitchee squad for the first time in nearly two years. Bear remained out although is set to return in the next month or so.

Enikar; Law (c), Jason (Beattie 67), Riera; Ari, Lung (Siu Hin 67), Martinez, Jordan; Kanda (Kim 85), Adrian (Slattery 79), Kendy

Match highlights

Credits to Sing Tao

Law dawdled on the ball, and Ibrahim broke, but smart goalkeeping and defenders rushing back prevented disaster. Kitchee played a long ball forward which the Rangers keeper headed away, and Kanda's first time effort from range drifted harmlessly wide. Rangers definitely favoured a direct approach, and Lau Chi-lok went close. Martinez and Ari Lam both saw efforts saved, before Kanda missed an open goal on the rebound, after Adrian's shot was saved.

Soon after halftime, a nice 1-2 between Kanda and Adrian saw Kanda give Kitchee the lead. But a hospital pass from riera saw lung easily dispossessed, and Kitchee were fortunate Ibrahim couldn't finish. With fifteen minutes to go Adrian and Kanda linked up again, with the latter crossing for Kendy to score. Rangers pushed but could not get back into the game. With five minutes remaining the biggest cheer of the afternoon came when Kim Shin-wook made his first senior Kitchee appearance in over 18 months, and in stoppage time he headed in Kendy's corner sparking slightly ironic celebrations in the crowd. The game ended 3-0, and Kitchee advance to take on Kowloon City in the semifinals in March

Fan feedback

Fans were generally not too worried about exiting the Senior Shield, as much bigger trophies are still in play. Some thought Calderon's substitutions were a bit naive and invited pressure, and there was less scope to push on after they scored twice late on. Kitchee couldn't get much going.

Photo by Scoop

For the League Cup, it is also not really seen as a major trophy, but fans were happy that fringe players got a run out. Kitchee were exposed for a pace a bit at the back, but the attacking trio of Adrian, Kendy and Kanda combined repeatedly, with all three assisting and the latter two scoring. With no Mingazow and Juninho this week, it shows Kitchee have a bit more depth and there is less need to run those players into the ground. The goalscoring return of Kim Shin-wook shocked a lot of fans, and it remains to be seen how much more he may feature this season. Post match comments suggested he will retire at the end of the season, but also showed that Calderon was keen to use him provided Wookie's desire was still there. The celebrations from his teammates showed that no matter the complications of his time at the club, he is a popular figure in the squad.

Bangladesh 3 Hong Kong 4 

A crazy game saw Hong Kong conceding and scoring in stoppage time to win. Juninho played the whole game, while Lok was brought off in stoppage time.

Hong Kong 1 Bangladesh 1

A much less chaotic match in the boisterous atmosphere of a closed-roof Kai Tak. Juninho started (playing 86 mins), alongside six former Kitchee players. One of these, Matt Orr, captained and scored a first half penalty while another, Oli Gerbig, saw red for two bookable offences, which was Hong Kong's first red card since Tan Chun-lok (who came on for the final fifteen minutes) was sent off against Lebanon nearly eight years ago.

What's next

Tai Po away. A game with a lot on the line against the defending champions. Winning in early 2025 was only Kitchee's second win there in over seven years, albeit for some of that time Tai Po were in the second tier. Perhaps we will see the long-awaited debut of Asier Illarramendi, as Kitchee look to continue to push forward in the league.

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Kitchee vs North District highlights

Kitchee vs Rangers highlights

Bangladesh vs Hong Kong highlights

Hong Kong vs Bangladesh highlights

Kitchee survive late Lee Man onslaught to maintain perfect start- Lee Man 2 Kitchee 3

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Wenweipo

After four and a half years, Kitchee finally won a league game against Lee Man. Goals from Kendy and Kanda just before half time set the platform, before Adrian got off the mark with less than twenty minutes to go. Lee Man rallied, scoring twice in the last ten minutes, but Kitchee held firm for what could prove to be a monumental victory come the end of the season.

Team news

Sportsroad

Bear remained injured, while Tan Chun-lok was suspended after his harsh red card last week. Big name signing Asier Illarramendi continued to watch from the stands as he builds his fitness after his time out of the game. Kitchee made three changes, with Haddow, Lung and Kanda coming in for Lok, Juninho and Mingazow. Cheng Chin-lung captained the side for the first time, despite Law Tsz-chun taking the armband after Lok's sending off last week, and captaining the club on eight previous occasions.

Wang; Law, Riera, Dantas, Beattie; Haddow (Jason 61), Lung (c) (Juninho 61), Martinez; Kendy (Jordan 73), Adrian (Slattery 82), Kanda (Mingazow 73)

Unused subs: Buddle, Tuscany, Chan Shing-chun, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin

Match highlights

Ultrasbluewave

A very wet day at Mong Kok, but still over 1600 fans were in attendance. Wang had to be alert early to deny Barak Braunshtain and Cy Goddard, before Baffoe's dangerous cross evaded everyone. Martinez went close from a freekick, before controversy arose towards the end of the first half, as poor work on the ball from Kitchee saw Everton break through, being fouled by Riera with no one covering. Arguably Riera was extremely fortunate to avoid a red card first time around, and VAR agreed with the referee which wound up a number of Lee Man players. This sparked Kitchee into life, and with the weather rendering tikitaka ineffective, Kanda played it long to Martinez who had come out to the right hand side. His cross was met by Kendy running into the box late. Minutes later Kitchee doubled their advantage. A Kitchee corner was cleared away, but good recycling of possession from Lung and Beattie teed up Kendy on the left wing, and his right footed cross was headed in by Kanda. Despite the linesman's flag, VAR allowed the goal giving Kitchee a remarkable 2-0 lead.

Scoop

Wang denied Baffoe as the ever-worsening pitch made the second half a complete mess with no chances of note. Adrian Revilla became the third Kitchee player to open their account when he scored after Kitchee's corner was not cleared. Former Kitchee man Poon Pui-hin went close, before Lee Man grabbed two consolation goals. After good work by Everton, William Gaucho's shot was deflected in, and then Poon's cross was inadvertently diverted in by Law for an own goal, and Kitchee fans were tense for the closing stages. Two counter attacks almost saw Mingazow secure the win, but he was denied by Chan Ka-ho twice, and Kitchee held on for a memorable victory.

Fan feedback

HK01

Kitchee rode out the first half storm as Lee Man's attack sought to cause chaos, and began to looked imperious as the first half came to an end. There were some slipups at the end but Kitchee held on, with Calderon's substitutes freshening up the lineup. Kitchee were able to adapt better to the weather conditions, not being afraid to go a bit more direct. Keeping Mingazow and Juninho back until the second half is a welcome change from previous managers who seemed intent (although hamstrung by a lack of options) of burning these players into the ground. Mingazow turns 34 in November, and Juninho 35 in December, and both players are critical to Kitchee's success, so being able to rotate them and reduce their risk of injury and burnout will hopefully pay off long term. A couple of cup games await before a title crunch game with Tai Po in mid-October, which we hope Illarramendi is fit to start for.

What's next and other news

Scmp/Edmond So

North District in the Senior Shield. 6.30pm Sunday 28th September at Tsing Yi. No league games until after the October international break. Teenage centre back Yu Ching-wai has become the latest Kitchee youngster to move temporarily on loan to the lower leagues in Spain, following in the footsteps of Shinichi Chan and Jason Yuen Chun-him. Following this we take on Rangers in the League Cup during the international break (unlimited foreigners allowed) before the crunch league game against Tai Po in October.

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Match highlights

Scrappy win secures another narrow Kitchee win with big name signing watching on- Eastern District 0 Kitchee 1

Credits to Scoop

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Kitchee secured a second consecutive 1-0 away win through Leandro Martinez's late penalty. In a game where Kitchee played over an hour with ten men after Tan Chun-lok's early red card. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done.

Credits to Kitchee

Kitchee confirmed the signing of Asier Illarramendi on Wednesday night. The thirty-five year old Spanish midfielder arrives in Hong Kong having been a free agent since the start of 2025. He played almost a hundred times for Real Madrid (winning the Champions League in 2014) and played over two hundred and fifty times for Real Sociedad. He last played for FC Dallas, and has three caps for the Spanish national team, while he also won the under 21 Euros. Unfortunately we did not see him in action on Sunday, as the player was awaiting confirmation on his work permit and getting into good condition after so long out of the game. Chen Ngo-hin moved on loan to Southern, following previous loan spells in 22-23 and 23-24. We wish him the best, whatever the future holds.

Team news

Photo by Scoop

Calderon made three changes to the starting lineup, with Haddow, Lung and Jordan dropping out and Law, Martinez and Juninho coming in. Pong Cheuk-hei (Bear) remains out with a shoulder injury, and unlikely to be back before November, and the aforementioned work permit issues (and conditioning) meant Illarramendi watched on from the stands.

Wang; Law (Jason 45), Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Jordan 65), Lok (c), Mingazow, Martinez (Haddow 88), Juninho (Kanda 65), Kendy (Lung 30), Adrian

Unused subs: Buddle, Tuscany, Slattery, Chan Shing-chun, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin, Cheung Yiu-hin

Match highlights

Photo by Scoop

Martinez went wide early on, as Kitchee dominated the opening exchanges. But this changed in the26th minute, when Wang's poor pass went straight to Sri Lankan international Wazeem Razeek, and Tan Chun-lok fouled him as he neared the box. The referee showed a straight red card, presumably believing Lok to be the last man (despite Riera looking as if he could cover). There was no VAR at this game as HKFA does not possess the infrastructure or personnel to man multiple games at once, meaning Lok was not reprieved. Kendy was sacrificed for Cheng Chin-lung on the half hour mark to give Kitchee another body in midfield. Eastern District went close from the resulting free kick, and grew into the game, with Kitchee fans frustrated at half time.

Photo by Yin

Jason Kam came on for Law Tsz-chun as Kitchee seemed to switch to a lopsided three at the back formation, and a goalmouth scramble at a corner saw Riera go closest to poking Kitchee in front. Adrian missed a sitter where any goalbound touch would've surely found the net. As the game wore on fans got more irate, before Jordan Lam was taken out inside the box while attempting to reach Mingazow's cross in the dying moments. On his first start Leandro Martinez fired the penalty home, and Kitchee had the lead. But more lax defensive passing saw Haddow under pressure, and he passed it straight to former Chinese Super League forward Cesar Lobi Manzoki, who skied a simple chance, and Kitchee got out of jail. Scrappy and tense, but three points is three points.

Debut watch

Yumemi Kanda- decent cameo off the bench trying to get Kitchee going. Probably the most likely foreign player to drop out of the squad in the coming weeks with the recent arrival of Asier Illarramendi.

Fan feedback

Photo by Ultras Bluewave

Lots to work on moving forward, but two wins from two is a good start, especially with two clean sheets. Hopefully the nature of the wins means Kitchee won't get too complacent and recognise the shortcomings. It was a resilient display with ten men where they still had a lot of the ball, but some really careless errors in possession (one leading to the red card, and one should have lead to an equaliser). Calderon was not afraid to make changes, sacrificing Kendy early to balance the midfield (despite much of Kitchee's play coming down the left) and bringing on Jason Kam to switch to a back three. It did seem strange that after a couple of years of seeing Helio get pressed by opposition forwards, Kitchee did not look to exploit this during the game. The red card was harsh and HKFA rules mean while it can be appealed (with VAR not in action at this game), the relevant committee does not meet until after our game with Lee Man next week, so it seems he must serve the ban regardless.

Photo by Scoop

Fans are not the biggest fans of Siu Sai Wan, being a cavernous stadium- having nearly twelve thousand seats). But they were impressed by the efforts of the Eastern District staff to make the environment family friendly and increase the attendance, with additional transport links, carnival games and better refreshments than LCSD grounds normally deliver. It clearly worked with over two and a half thousand people through the doors on a hot Sunday afternoon with another HKPL game at HKFC (a much easier ground to travel to for the neutral fan), which had less than 700 fans. It should be noted that there have already been three Hong Kong Premier League games this season with over two thousand fans, suggesting a bounce from previous levels. Both of Kitchee's games so far (albeit 'away' games for us) and Lee Man vs Tai Po had bigger attendances than any game in the league since May 2023. Can the HKPL maintain this high fan engagement moving forward, building on from forty thousand plus who saw Hong Kong beat India at Kai Tak Stadium in June

Other news

Photo by HKFA

Hong Kong played two friendlies in Thailand last week, participating in the King's Cup. In the first game against Iraq, former Kitchee striker Matt Orr gave Hong Kong a shock lead from the penalty spot, after Juninho was fouled, before two late goals from an Iraqi substitute sealed the win for the team ranked 89 places higher than Hong Kong. Juninho and Tan Chun-lok played 75 and 86 minutes respectively. Hong Kong then played Fiji in the third place playoff, where Fiji's two early red cards made it something of a walkover. Juninho got two goals and an assist in the first half before being withdrawn at half time, while Tan Chun-lok was an unused substitute. 

Photo by HKFA

Hong Kong U23 took on Iran, the UAE and Guam in qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup, Haddow and Slattery started as Hong Kong held out for 70 minutes against Iran, before capitulating 4-0. In the second game against the UAE Hong Kong lost 2-0, with Haddow and Slattery starting again, and Chen Ngo-hin on as a late substitute. The third game saw Hong Kong beat Guam 1-0. Jay Haddow was sent off early in the second half, with Slattery playing half an hour off the bench as Hong Kong held on to win, but were eliminated.

What's next

Lee Man 'away' at Mong Kok on the 20th, 4pm kickoff. We will also face North District in the Senior Shield quarterfinal on Sunday 28th September at Tsing Yi. We will be without Bear in goal again, and Tan Chun-lok through suspension, but it is possible we will see Asier Illarramendi make his debut, subject to sorting his work permit and being in good condition, after so long out.

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Match highlights

Kitchee emerge victorious from derby day season opener- Eastern 0 Kitchee 1

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Kitchee won their season opener in the first game under Inigo Calderon as Cheng Chin-lung's first half header proved the difference between the sides. The 2700 fans were not deterred by the heavy rain shower just before kickoff, and this was the highest HKPL attendance since May 2023.

Team news

Kitchee handed debuts to four of the new signings, with Beattie and Riera in defence, Kendy in midfield and Adrian up front. The second half saw debuts for Leandro Martinez and Chan Shing-chun, along with a league debut for Cheung Yiu-hin, as Calderon put his trust in young players to get the job done. 

Wang; Haddow (Law 74), Riera, Dantas, Beattie; Lok (c) (Adrian Chan 74), Lung (Martinez 59); Mingazow (Cheung 61), Kendy, Jordan (Juninho 59), Adrian

Unused subs: Kanda, Hin, Buddle, Tuscany, Jason, Li Siu-hin, Ari Lam

Match events

An early long ball from Wang found Adrian, whose shot was blocked. Jay Haddow missed a header from a crossfield ball which allowed Gil Martins to run through on goal, but Roger Riera got the block in. Mingazow's cross from the right was met by Adrian, but his flick goalwards was saved by Yapp. But just after the half hour mark Kitchee got the breakthrough; Jay Haddow made an underlapping run inside Mingazow, who played him in. Haddow's cross was headed in by Cheng Chin-lung of all people, for his first goal in over three years. Just before half time Adrian and Mingazow teed up Kendy, but he was denied by Yapp, who single-handedly kept the score at 1-0 through a number of sharp first half saves.

Early in the second half Eastern's veteran captain Leung Chun-pong hit the crossbar after Kitchee didn't deal with a corner. Then Kitchee's subs got involved; Juninho's left footed curler got tipped over, before seventeen year old Cheung Yiu-hin drove through the Eastern defence and forced a stop from Yapp. At only 1-0 Kitchee fans were counting down the minutes to full time; while Kitchee had been the better team, they had not hammered home the advantage. Eastern's last chance for an equaliser came when Gondra's freekick was palmed away by Wang, and Kitchee scrambled the rebound away. Three points and a clean sheet to begin the Calderon era.

Fans feedback

A lot of fans were happy for Cheng Chin-lung, after he scored his first league goal for three years. By no means was it a perfect performance but there were a lot of positive signs from the side. Fans very happy with Calderon's trust in the youth- Chan Shing-chun and Cheung Yiu-hin  helped see out the win and did not look overawed, and it has been too long for a Kitchee coach to trust young players in big games, and not just for short cameos. The two youngsters were brave and battled hard and hopefully we see more in the coming weeks. Over the past three seasons teenagers have only played 136 minutes in the league for Kitchee, so hopefully this increased trust continues. Wang's distribution was very good (and in a welcome change, a Kitchee goalkeeper was allowed to go route one on occasion) and Tan Chun-lok dominated midfield, although a few other players probably need some time to bed in properly, whether they are new signings or playing new roles.

Debut watch

Roger Riera. Assured at the back with some good blocks and covered for slips from the rest of the defence

Adrian Revilla. Good work rate, and his physical presence allowed Kitchee to go direct. Got stuck in and drifted wide to allow others to lead the press. Dropped deep to receive the ball and went close to scoring.

Kendy. Possibly not fully fit, but looked bright. Got into good positions and linked well with other attackers.

Leandro Martinez. Recent signing on as a sub, probably needs time to adapt. The chemistry with other teammates will come over the coming weeks.

Callum Beattie. Solid at left back, dealt with threats down the Eastern right and passed well. Arguably a contender for man of the match

Chan Shing-chun. Surprising sub for captain Tan Chun-lok with 15 minutes still to play. Did not look like an eighteen year old making his pro debut.

What's next

International duty, with the Hong Kong team going to Thailand to participate in the King's Cup, a four-way competition with two semi finals, a third place play off and a final. They play Iraq on Thursday, and then either Thailand or Fiji on Sunday, depending on the result against Iraq, with Tan Chun-lok and Juninho named in the squad. The under 23s travel to Abu Dhabi for the Asian Cup qualifiers, where they will take on Iran, the UAE and Guam. Jay Haddow and Matthew Slattery have been called up, and there was a late callup for Chen Ngo-hin.

For Kitchee we next play on Sunday 14th, away at newcomers Eastern District at Siu Sai Wan. This week they announced the signing of Leon Jones, who joins a huge former Kitchee contingent both on and off the pitch.

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Match highlights

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Thailand Preseason roundup

24 of the 28 man first team squad travelled to Thailand, with Pong Cheuk-hei (injured until October), Kim Shin-wook, Jason Yuen Chun-him and Yu Ching-wai all missing out. The club played T1 side Chiangrai United and T2 side Kasetstart FC, drawing against the former and conceding a last minute winner to the latter.

Law Tsz-chun and Ruslan Mingazow missed the first game against Chiangrai United, with Wang Zhenpeng captaining and a first Kitchee appearance from the start for Kanda. Slattery went close early, before a quick free kick caught Kitchee's defence off guard. Wang brought down the forward in the box, and Chiangrai took the lead from the spot. Kanda went close, but Chiangrai came close to extending their lead on a couple of occasions before half time, where a number of changes were made, including first games for Riera, Adrian, Beattie and Kendy. New signing Adrián Revilla went close from range early doors, before good work down the left from Li Siu-hin and Adrián played in Juninho to equalise. Little happened after this, and the 1-1 draw was probably a fair result, with a much-improved Kitchee second half.

The second game against Kasetstart FC saw Calde make six changes to the starting lineup, with Anikar, Beattie, Tan Chun-lok, Juninho, Cheung Yiu-hin and Adrian Revilla starting. An early defensive mix-up almost allowed an early goal for our opponents, before Cheung Yiu-hin thought he might have had a penalty after being pulled down. Both sides had chances to take the lead, with Kasetstart probably the stronger of the two as the first half ended. Early in the second half Juninho cut in from the right to score a lovely goal, his second in preseason. But soon after Buddle was caught out on halfway, and the resulting counter saw Kitchee concede an equaliser. Slattery went close twice; first a tight offside ruled out his goal, before he blazed over with the goal at his mercy. As the game drew to a close Kasetstart carved Kitchee open to score a last minute winner.

It is always hard to know how much to read into preseason fixtures. Kitchee's travelling twenty four man squad included five of the six new signings, plus four youngsters promoted from the academy. You also had a number of players with very limited experience with the Kitchee first team squad. Mingazow did not feature in the first matchday squad, while Law Tsz-chun missed both games- we assume this is due to injury. Combined with a new coach with limited time to work with the players, you can therefore see positives even if Kitchee were winless. Lots of different combinations were used, with the flexibility allowing previously subbed players to come back on meaning Calde got to see how players worked together, which will go a long way towards working out the best starting line up to play his style of football. The club also played a behind closed doors game which further allowed opportunities for players to impress. From the two televised games, fans noted that the younger players look sharper and more ready for senior football than in previous years, and with a smaller squad they are likely to get opportunities, especially if no more signings come in.

Chiangrai highlights

Kasetstart highlights

25/26 season

Still nothing official yet, but other media such as SportsRoad and SCMP have hinted that the new season will start at the end of August (presumably the last weekend, just before Hong Kong travel to Thailand for the Kings Cup). It seems the format will be changed slightly with a ten team league- a double round robin as before, and then the top and bottom halves will split for an additional single round robin within the group (as the HKPL has done previously), meaning each side plays twenty two league games. Teams will also have the Senior Shield and FA Cup, alongside a new competition, highly likely to have no limitations on foreign players, meaning teams will play a minimum of 25 games in all competitions. These structures, as well as our home ground can expect to be officially confirmed in the coming couple of weeks. 

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Thanks to Kitchee (via Chiangrai United and Kasetstart FC) for the photos.

EAFF campaign over, more transfers and other news- preseason so far

By Adam O'Domhnaill

The EAFF Championships have finished. Hong Kong end their campaign with zero points and one goal, against tough opponents. Opening up with a 6-1 defeat to Japan, they looked much more solid in 2-0 and 1-0 defeats to South Korea and China respectively. Tan Chun-lok and Juninho both started all three games, former striker Matt Orr scored our only goal of the tournament against Japan, while former defender Clement Benhaddouche made his debut against China. Hong Kong will next be in action in early September, playing in the Kings Cup in Thailand, alongside the hosts, Iraq and Fiji.

Transfers

Kitchee confirmed the arrivals of two players from the Spanish lower leagues last week, filling key holes at centre back and centre forward. That brings our total incomings so far to six. Speaking with manager Iñigo Calderón at Kitchee's media day he is happy with the squad as it stands, eager to see how the young players get on first. The lack of incomings means there probably is room for new players should they be required.

Adrian Revilla

The versatile striker joins us from Barakaldo CF in the Spanish third tier, where he had seven goal contributions in thirty two games. Predominantly a striker, he has featured across the front line, and will likely play through the middle, with a combination of Mingazow, Juninho, Kendy and Yumemi Kanda playing alongside or behind him.

Roger Riera

The Spanish centre back came through Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, captaining at multiple youth levels, including when they won the UEFA Youth League in 2014. He has over two hundred and fifty games at the professional level, featuring predominantly in the Spanish third and fourth tiers (for the 'B' sides of established Spanish clubs), and in the Dutch second tier for NAC Breda, while also having two years in Nottingham Forest's academy. He helped FC Andorra get promoted to the second tier in 2022. His attributes and experience mean we expect him to start almost every week alongside Dantas.

The club also confirmed that Cheung Yiu-hin, Yu Ching-wai, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin and Chan Shing-chun have been promoted to the first team squad for the season. Pong Cheuk-hei's recovery from his shoulder injury will see him out of action until October. Thanks to offside.hk for helping us to get access to Kitchee's media day, where we were able to chat with players and gauge the mood of the squad. The squad are excited for the upcoming campaign, and hope the high standards of Iñigo Calderón (or Calde) prove to be beneficial for Kitchee moving forward. After a few years of limited opportunities for young players, it was great to see so many being used in the first team training, and of the twenty eight members of the first team squad, half are twenty three or under.

In terms of outgoings, we have seen Fernando and Ngan Cheuk-pan join Tai Po, with Poon Pui-hin moving to Lee Man, who also signed former Kitchee players Ellison Tsang Yi-hang, Barak Braunshtain and Mikael. Helio will join newly promoted Eastern District in a player coach role.

Other news

Kitchee will travel to Thailand next week to play two friendly games, against T1 Chiangrai United and T2 Kasetsart, alongside a closed doors practice match. Poon Man-chun, Fernando Recio and Guo Jianquo retained their places in the backroom staff, with Kobe Kou joining as strength and conditioning coach, and club legend Dani Cancela taking on a remote role from Spain as a technical analyst. Defenders Jay Haddow and Callum Beattie are still waiting on their passports, and both have to have this resolved by the time the new season starts. News of a start date for the season and a home ground are yet to be confirmed, but we will update you when we know more. We are also awaiting news of the structure of the league and cup competitions

Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest Kitchee news. We're very close to 500 followers on Instagram and are at over 400 on Facebook.

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Thanks to Sunny for photos. Find his work here 

Please also follow offside.hk who give a broader look into Hong Kong football. Thanks to working with them, we were able to get access to the media day and give a more in-depth look at how the club is getting on, watching training and speaking to players and staff.

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Confirmed ins and outs so far and Hong Kong in EAFF action.

Kitchee officially announced their first four signings of the summer at the start of the week, with three joining from Hong Kong clubs and the fourth having spent eighteen months here in recent years. We also saw fourteen players leave the club, a number of which we had previously mentioned here. Here we run down the confirmed ins and outs, as Iñigo Calderón's squad starts to take shape for the 2025/26 season. The club also confirmed another foreign striker and defender will be joining soon, and five under 18s are being promoted to the senior side for preseason, and perhaps moving forward.

We have two representatives in Hong Kong's 26 man squad for the EAFF Championships (Tan Chun-lok and Juninho), along with four of our fourteen departures. Hong Kong's games are on RTHK32, details below. We will be watching the Japan game in Barcode 23 in To Kwa Wan- let us know if you'd like to join us.

Hong Kong's games are as follows 

8th July 6.24pm Japan

11th July 7pm South Korea

15th July 3pm China

Incomings

Beattie (credits Scoop)

Callum Beattie- 23 years old, left back, English. Most recently at HKFC.

The young defender has shown he can do it against the big teams. scoring against Kitchee, Tai Po and Eastern this season. Find his goal against us here. He is tough tackling and has played LWB and LCB at HKFC this year. We expect him to play left back for us next season, and probably start. Prior to this season, he spent three years in the North American college system, having come through the ranks at HKFC. His time spent in Hong Kong as a youth means he is eligible for a Hong Kong passport, which we understand is very close to being finalised, and may well be completed already.

Kendy (credits Joga Bonito)

Kendy- 26 years old, attacking midfielder, Brazilian. Most recently at North District.

The versatile attacker has been the talisman for North District since his 2023 arrival, and now Kitchee fans do not have to fear him, given his tendency to score against us every game. Primarily suited to playing central midfield, or in the number 10 role, he has also been used as a false nine, and could play on the wings. He has thirty four goal involvements (18 goals, 16 assists) in just under sixty games for a constantly struggling North District side.

Bear (credits HKFA)

Pong Cheuk-hei (Bear)- 21 years old, goalkeeper, Hong Kong. Most recently at North District.

The young goalkeeper has spent most of his career with Hong Kong's worst teams (HKU23, RCFC and North District) but has had admirers around the league, and he is on the fringes of the representative team, making the bench for the World Cup qualifiers with Uzbekistan last year. Definitely seen as a long-term prospect in goal, we assume he will start the majority of games, being backed up by veteran Wang Zhenpeng.

Yumemi Kanda- 30 years old, attacking midfielder, Japan. Most recently at Besa Dobri Dol (North 
Macedonia).

Kanda (credits onetwo.hk)

The Japanese attacker returns to Hong Kong having previously spent 18 months at Rangers, where he had 42 goal involvements in 48 games. Predominantly used as a number 10, he has featured on the wings and at centre forward in a career that has seen him play over a hundred games in the Japanese leagues, and most recently he was in North Macedonia, before leaving at the end of June. We hope he can contribute at a level similar to that as his time at Rangers.

Departures

Helio 225 games 8 goals 

A true club legend- his eleven years at the club brought six league titles, five FA cups, four senior shields and a Sapling Cup. Captained the club on over fifty occasions, and a key part of multiple trophy runs, being a bridge between different eras as he won six league titles and thirteen other trophies. Made the HKPL team of the year on three occasions. Heavily rumoured to be joining ambitious newly promoted Eastern District in a player-coach role.

Fernando 212 games 53 goals 

Over two hundred appearances across two spells, and leaves Kitchee near the top of the record goalscorers list. Player of the year in 2017, he made the HKPL team of the year on five occasions, including this season, and won fourteen trophies, including three league titles. He will likely be joining champions Tai Po.

Poon Pui-hin 76 games 12 goals 

Four years at the club, playing across the frontline. Saw his playtime massively reduced in 24/25, but chipped in with goals and assists when he did get on. He was just announced as a Lee Man player.

Ngan Cheuk-pan 68 games 5 goals

Ngan came through the academy and returned to Kitchee fulltime after graduating college. He stepped up into a regular starter with Tan Chun-lok's injury last season, and became a key part of the Hong Kong setup. Seems likely to be joining Fernando at Tai Po.

Sherzod Temirov 52 games 23 goals

Has worked hard in his eighteen months at the club. Is not the big goalscoring number nine Kitchee have needed, but poor recruitment of Kim Shin-wook and Welthon has massively increased his role. Always had time for the fans, but no news of a new club yet.

Aaron Rey 28 games 7 goals

He played almost every game, and over 80% of possible minutes. Contributed offensively and followed Kitchee tradition of accumulating petty yellow cards.He was quite popular with the fanbase, even if he didn't hit the heights expected. No new club yet.

Sohgo Ichikawa 28 games 3 goals

Moving permanently to Southern after two seasons on loan. Played a small role in our treble winning campaign. Recently earned his second Hong Kong cap against Nepal off the back of an impressive season.

Luis Machado 27 games 6 goals

He came in with high expectations, but could not deliver. Needed to show more consistently high performance levels. His fourteen goal contributions was only bettered by Temirov, but that number needed to be closer to twenty to fire Kitchee to glory. No new club yet.

Bae Jae-woo 24 games 1 goal

Dependable and started a lot of games. Needed more to earn a new contract. Always showed energy, even if he didn't always do a full 90. No new club yet.

Fynn Talley 23 games

Recovered from a shaky start to be one of our stand out performers in a disappointing season. Probably can feel harshly treated having kept six clean sheets. No new club yet.

Leon Jones 21 games

The most surprising of the four departures announced at the end of June. A regular for us and Hong Kong at the heart of defence, he has been linked with a move north, although owing to growing up in the UK he would not class as a local player in the same way that many Hong Kong players do. Unsure where he ends up next, he is currently playing in the EAFF Championships without a contract.

Welthon 19 games 9 goals 

Came in with big expectations, but was a disappointment. All of his goals came against bottom four sides and we finished the season trophyless. Hopefully he makes a full recovery from his head injury sustained in February to play somewhere. Left the club at the start of May. No new club yet.

Tom Yeung Cheuk-kwan 11 games 1 goal

Our club's youngest ever goalscorer (back in December 2023), he couldn't push on this year owing to injury, but did make a couple of league appearances. No new club yet.

Diego Bardanca 5 games 0 goals 

Disappointment on the pitch, but a mentor to young players off the pitch. Did not play after December, and seemed to leave the club in March, although this was not confirmed by the club until May. No new club yet.

Continue to stay in touch with us on social media to stay up to date with any Kitchee news. In the coming weeks we'll see a couple of new signings (maybe more), and confirmation of how next season will look- we know Eastern District will be promoted to make it a ten team league again, but whether the triple round robin will continue will be confirmed in due course. 

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Photo credits

HKFA

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Joga Bonito

Onetwo.hk

Kitchee appoint Iñigo Calderón as new manager- who is he and what can we expect?

Credits to Kitchee

Iñigo Calderón was announced as Kitchee's new manager today, and is the fifth Spanish manager in the clubs history, following in the footsteps of Josep Gombau, Alex Gomez, Jose Francisco Molina and Abraham Garcia, all of whom had varying degrees of success. But who is Iñigo Calderón? Here we delve into his career as a player and a coach, to give you a bit of background into him. So far it is unclear if any new coaches will join him, but we expect Fernando Recio and Poon Man-chun to still be involved.

Iñigo Calderón is forty three years old, and made over three hundred and fifty appearances as a professional, mostly at right back. His most notable spell was spent at Brighton, spending six years and making over two hundred appearances for them, but he also played in his native Spain, and finished his career with spells in Cyprus and India. As a player he helped Brighton win promotion into the second tier (making the team of the season), and won the Indian Super League in his penultimate season as a professional, and he retired as a player in early 2019. Although his time at Brighton ended before they reached the Premier League (although he did feature in three play off semi-final defeats), he is extremely popular amongst their fanbase for setting an example as a leader and role model, setting the high standards of professionalism which eventually saw the side promoted.

Calderón technically took his first backroom position at Brighton while still playing abroad, acting as a scout for his former club between 2016 and 2019- one player he is credited with scouting in this time is Pascal Gross, who played over 250 times for Brighton before moving to Borussia Dortmund. Following his retirement from playing he moved back to his native Spain to another former club, Alaves, where in over four years he managed the U19s side and assisted the B team. In July 2023 he moved back to Brighton officially, and was the U18s manager for a year and a half. He then took on the job at League One (English 3rd tier) Bristol Rovers in December 2024, with many Brighton fans sad to see him go, after an impressive recent spell of free-flowing attacking football with young players. Despite an upturn in fortunes at the start of 2025, a disastrous run across March and April saw them only win eight points from their final sixteen games and they were relegated. 

During his playing career Calderón played alongside England internationals Wayne Bridge, Ben White and Lewis Dunk, as well as former Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak. He has been managed by a number of well-known names- at Brighton he was managed by Gus Poyet and Chris Hughton, while in India he played under John Gregory, who managed Aston Villa in the Premier League. At Brighton he served on the coaching staff of Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi, so he has been around a lot of football knowledge which he can hopefully demonstrate with us.

There had been reports of HKFA technical director John Morling being involved in helping Kitchee find a new coach, and the two worked together at Brighton for a number of years. A win rate of 23% in his only senior job is worrying, but he did come into a bad situation for a first managerial role. Some fans of Bristol Rovers felt he was almost doomed from the beginning with a number of off-field issues. He came in with the club in 20th, and had his on-loan first choice goalkeeper recalled from a loan spell within a few weeks of taking over, and had a number of senior strikers getting injured in January, without the opportunity to bring in experienced cover. Fans of Bristol Rovers describe him as a likeable character who was grateful for the opportunity of his first job in senior management, and he spent a lot of time rebuilding the connection between the supporters and the team. While ultimately results towards the end were not good enough, a number of fans still believed he should have been given the chance to stay on and rebuild, although it is clear this was a divisive issue. 

Calderón was interviewed by the Athletic in July 2023 (linked below) where he talked about his love of coaching, being involved in youth coaching while still playing, and a lot of coaches earmarked him as a future coach from a young age. He has a love of the game that extended far beyond playing- he completed a Sports Science degree and a masters degree in Sports Psychology in his mid-twenties, before completing his UEFA Pro License aged 36, and he also has a teaching qualification from the Spanish national coaching academy. He tends to operate using a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, with a focus on possession-based football, which at youth level brought about a lot of goals.

We hope Calderón can blend the existing Kitchee players with the new signings and any academy players and help inspire Kitchee to some long-awaited silverware. While his senior managerial record may not be the greatest, he is clearly an ambitious manager with a philosophy on the pitch, and an ability to build connections with supporters, and work well with young talent. We wait to see how he sets the team up and whether his connections in England or Spain see us bring in new signings from either nation.

Sources and links

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx27kzry494o

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/21/bristol-rovers-inigo-calderon-i-needed-more-real-football-the-adrenaline

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/exclusive-lee-hendrie-reacts-to-inevitable-bristol-rovers-inigo-calderon-call/

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4678963/2023/07/13/inigo-calderon-brighton/ (subscription required)

https://archive.ph/XJ9EN (above article but no need for subscription)

https://x.com/brfcjacob/status/1871297678107349323?t=SbDnOJDF_EIOJIF8J5O2Vg&s=08

https://x.com/TheNextWave/status/1840370093852684373

https://x.com/seagulleaglepod

https://www.instagram.com/seagulleaglepodcast/

Continue to stay in touch with us on social media to stay up to date with any Kitchee news. We believe some new signings will be announced early next week, and we will post once this is confirmed. We'll also be posting as Tan Chun-lok and Juninho represent Hong Kong in the EAFF Championships over the next ten days.

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