The player ratings
Players are listed in order of minutes played, with those who played under 100 minutes not rated.
In part one, we looked at our performances in different competitions. If you missed it, please click here to have a look.
Cleiton 4.5/10 2690 mins, 32 games, 6 goals, 10 assists, 14 yellows
Nowhere near the same performance levels as in previous years. Missed three games through suspension with a lot of dissent leading to 14 yellow cards. Much better in the final two games, and chipped in with goals and assists throughout. Departed this summer after over a hundred appearances.
Mikael 6.5/10 2524 mins, 34 games, 25 goals, 2 assists, 13 yellows
Top scorer this season, his best goal was his spectacular equaliser in Jeonbuk. Missed four games through suspension, including the Sapling Cup final, like his countryman Cleiton he displayed a lot of petulant behaviour. Probably off to the Chinese Super League, which will be a big step up.
Charlie Scott 6.5/10 2472 mins, 32 games 4 goals, 6 assists, 3 yellows
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Credits to Scoop |
A fan favourite, he was overlooked at the start of the campaign in favour of Onazi. When that failed, the Englishman bounced back, with his long shots posing a threat, and his passing range and set pieces helping our midseason rally. His stoppage time penalty in the Senior Shield to force extra time. Fans are disappointed to see him leave, almost definitely to the Indonesian Liga 1.
Andy Russell 4/10 2400 mins, 32 games, 5 goals, 1 assist, 9 yellows
Far too slow for Kitchee's high line, and when paired with Helio we struggled, especially against Eastern and Lee Man. Also exposed in the ACL against much better players. Chipped in with useful goals throughout the season, and left the club in the summer.
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Credits to Scoop |
Turned 38 during the season, and watching his performances it is obvious he struggles in a high line if not paired with a much quicker partner, with Eastern's Noah Baffoe regularly exposing him. Sent off in the Senior Shield final. Still a key part of Hong Kong's squad this year, even if he didn't feature in the Asian Cup, partially due to ongoing fitness concerns. He captained Kitchee for the majority this campaign, and with Huang Yang's retirement will likely be club captain, although if recruitment is good he will likely feature less.
Shinichi Chan 4.5 out of 10 2144 mins, 31 games, 1 goal, 4 assists, 4 yellows
Struggled defensively at times, but offensively did not contribute enough. A decent first half of the campaign was disrupted with injury at the Asian Cup and he did not look the same afterwards. On a personal level, he captained Kitchee for the first time and played his 100th match in our final day defeat. The young left back secured a move to Chinese Super League title challengers Shanghai Shenhua in the summer, despite his poor form in the second half of the campaign.
Law Tsz-chun 5/10 2112 mins, 27 games, 4 assists, 7 yellows
His versatility was helpful throughout, most notably filling in for over a hundred minutes at left back in the Senior Shield final. Like his fellow full back Shinichi, looks more assured going forward, but we need more end product from him. Captain on four occasions, he will have a big role to play next season with so much squad turnover. Has fallen down the pecking order for Hong Kong, limited to a handful of substitute appearances.
Jakob Jantscher 6/10 2057 mins, 30 games, 11 goals, 9 assists, 4 yellows
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Credits to Jarly |
Fantastic in the ACL, with 4 goals giving us hope in a disappointing campaign. Kitchee struggled to get the best out of him domestically, as he played across the front three and in attacking midfield, but he still our third top scorer. Likely retiring as a professional player after a career that saw him play predominantly in Austria, with spells in Russia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey.
Juninho 5/10 1768 mins, 27 games, 13 goals, 7 assists, 7 yellows
Injury prone in the first half of the campaign, and in the second half he moved around the attack as Kitchee tried to find his ideal position following his naturalisation. His stats on paper were good, but he needs to be more clinical. We missed him during the ACL- he only played 108 minutes due to injury. Seems to be a favourite of the Hong Kong setup, starting both games in June.
Roberto 5/10 1739 mins, 27 games, 1 goal, 4 yellows, 1 red
Started the season as a player-coach without a proper preseason as the club were not planning to use him much at the age of 40. Injuries and poor form meant he played regularly, either at right back or centre back, and played the 10th most minutes out of the entire squad. Was dependable throughout, chipping in with a goal in the FA Cup quarter final, but did sent off at Tai Po away.
Igor Sartori 3.5/10 1563 mins, 24 games, 4 goals, 9 assists, 2 yellows
Often criticised by fans for his lack of end product in tougher games, with the majority of his goals and assists coming against sides at the bottom of the table. Even when he played in his preferred position on the left wing, he was still underperforming, with a glaring miss at Tai Po away with the goal at his mercy.
Tan Chun-lok 5/10 1514 mins, 31 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, 8 yellows
Strangely underused throughout the season, switching between the 6 and 8 roles in central midfield either from the start or off the bench. Put Kitchee into the Sapling Cup final with his late winner. He will likely play a bigger role next year. Despite the lack of minutes for Kitchee, he has started every game for Hong Kong this season, and is approaching 50 caps.
Paulo Cesar 4.5/10 1455 mins, 16 games, 6 clean sheets, 17 goals conceded, 1 yellow, 1 red
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Credits to Scoop |
Wang Zhenpeng 5/10 1452 mins, 18 games, 10 clean sheets, 15 goals conceded
After only making a handful of cup appearances in the opening months, the veteran stepped up when Paulo got injured, playing his most minutes in a season since 2020/2021. Some would argue he was harshly dropped when Paulo returned in April, but Wang started the last two games and was retained for next campaign. Likely to be backup to a young goalkeeper that we bring in.
Ruslan Mingazow 4.5/10 1439 mins, 21 games, 6 goals, 4 assists, 2 yellows
Reigning Player of the Year but did not get near the same levels this season. Struggled with injury throughout, and poor club results meant the Turkmen winger was rushed back to the side while not fully recovered. His late winner in the Senior Shield won our only major trophy, but his season ended at Hammer Hill, only lasting ten minutes off the bench before suffering another injury. Under contract until January 2025, there have been murmurs of a departure, but many fans want him to stay as they know the levels he is capable of reaching.
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Credits to Scoop |
Just before Christmas he looked like his younger self, scoring three goals in three games playing on the wing again after mainly playing at full back. After his shoulder injury in the Senior Shield he didn't look the same, but finished the season off with a nice goal against Southern, and his 11 assists was our highest this season. Staying for next season, and if he remains fit will likely reach 200 appearances
Sherzod Temirov 5/10 1370 mins, 22 games, 8 goals, 3 assists, 3 yellows
Fans were sceptical of his signing, but his workrate has changes their minds. Chipped in with goals throughout, although fans will hope for more consistency now he is more settled at the club. One of few foreign players to survive the summer exodus.
Oli Gerbig 5/10 1169 mins, 16 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 yellows
Solid performances led to a debut for Hong Kong, and he played every minute at the Asian Cup. Signed for Henan in the CSL in February, and Kitchee did not prepare for this departure, causing us problems throughout the second half of the season.
Poon Pui-hin 3/10 1053 mins, 24 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 3 yellows, 1 red
Still unsure what his best position is, with his inability to offer much direct attacking threat one of many issues offensively. Only scored twice this season, as well as being harshly sent off in Bangkok. For Hong Kong its a different story, scoring 3 goals for the senior team. Linked with a move to China League One in the summer.
Cheng Chin-lung 3/10 931 mins, 25 games, 2 goals, 5 assists
The former wonderkid has not lived up to his earlier potential. Chipped in with 2 goals and 5 assists, and filled in at right back at times. Under contract for next season but the lack of gametime means a move could be imminent.
Tuscany Shek 5/10 810 mins, 9 games, 3 clean sheets, 13 goals conceded
Debuted in the Sapling Cup aged 15 and the youngster has a bright future ahead, playing most of our Sapling Cup campaign. Still very raw, his stats would likely be better if the defence did not change every game throughout the competition. Kept a clean sheet on league debut (albeit HKU23) and we expect big things for him moving forward.
Sedin Ramic 2.5/10 724 mins, 12 games
After a shaky debut in the Sapling Cup, the Bosnian was man of the match against Rangers on his league debut. Sporadic appearances across all competitions, but started the Sapling Cup final in an unfamiliar centre back pairing. His rare start against Lee Man to finish the campaign was a disaster, and after 5 bookings in 12 games he left the club in the summer.
Ibrahim Kurban 3.5/10 628 mins, 10 games, 1 assist
Only made 10 appearances, covering both full back positions. Nothing spectacular to report but he worked hard. Left the club in the summer, likely to return to the mainland.
Yuen Chun-him 4.5/10 592 mins, 9 games, 2 goals, 3 assists
Not enough gametime to fully assess his performance, but he made good contributions in the Sapling Cup group stage. Hopefully he can push on next year, and make some league cameos off the bench.
Matthew Slattery 3/10 592 mins, 10 games, 1 assist
Made his professional debut in the Sapling Cup, and played 9 out of 10 games as we reached the final. Unable to trouble the scorers, we need more from him next season. In a season where Kitchee did not use many young players in the league, it was nice to see him make a short cameo at Southern away.
Huang Yang 5/10 581 mins, 18 games, 1 assist
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Credits to Football Shirt Lover |
In his final season, the captain was predominantly used off the bench, only making five starts. We valued his experience in the Sapling Cup. In his final game he was applauded by both fanbases, retiring after over 300 Kitchee games and 71 Hong Kong caps. We wish him the best in his retirement.
Jason Kam 2.5/10 383 mins, 6 games
Played more minutes than in previous seasons, but only in the Sapling Cup, and when Hong Kong's internationals were available again he found himself on the bench. Unsure what the plan will be for him next season- maybe a loan would help?
Ogenyi Onazi 1/10 324 mins, 5 games
His time with Kitchee set the tone for a terrible club season. Came in with over 50 international caps and top level club experience in Italy and Turkey. Was absolutely abysmal, and took to social media to argue with fans who criticised him. Hopefully this season's summer recruitment is better.
Kim Shin-wook 1.5/10 312 mins, 7 games, 5 goals
A hat trick early on against HKFC gave fans false hope of success. The Korean only made one more start and a handful of substitute appearances as 'injury' and 'fitness concerns' kept him sidelined. On extortionate wages for at least another year, maybe a termination is the best option for the club moving forward?
Aleksandr Damcevski 1/10 180 mins, 2 games
A shambles, playing two games and was destroyed by Lee Man, never playing again. Eventually left in December to reunite with fellow Kitchee flop Onazi in the Italian lower leagues. His poor performance meant Roberto took on a much greater playing role than had previously been anticipated.
Yeung Cheuk-kwan 3/10 175 mins, 7 games, 1 goal
Made his professional debut in October, and scored his first goal in December, becoming Kitchee's youngest ever goalscorer. Will hope to push on next campaign, with more involvement in the Sapling Cup.
Pang Hing-hei 13 mins, 2 games
Another youngster to debut this season, he was limited to two short cameos. Hopefully more to come from him next season.
Another youngster to make their professional bow, he was limited to two short cameos and will hope for more if he stays at the club. Maybe a loan would help.
Seb Buddle 9 mins, 2 games, 1 goal
A strange free agent signing, with our former academy graduate returning to us after 6 months as a free agent. Rounded off the thrashing of HKU23 at home. Under contract for next season but unclear what his role will be.
Lau Yu-ho 8 mins, 2 games
Another young player only used briefly off the bench in his early professional career. Hopefully some more Sapling Cup appearances follow next year.
Yu Ching-wai 1 min, 1 game
One short cameo, with the defensive midfielder making his debut aged 16. Another teenager who will hope for more minutes next season.
Written by Adam O'Domhnaill and Samuel C
Photo acknowledgements for the season- please support their work
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