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), AdrianUnused 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.
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 fans were counting down the minutes to full time. 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. Not perfect performance but 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, been too long for a coach to trust young players, and they were willing to try things. Over the past three seasons teenagers have only played 136 minutes in the league, 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) and Tan Chun-lok dominated midfield, although a few other players probably need some time to bed in properly.Debut watch
Roger Riera. Assured at the back with some good blocks and covered for Haddow's mistakesAdrian Revilla. Good workrate, 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.
Leandro Martinez. Recent signing on as a sub, probably needs time to adapt. The chemistry with other teammates will come.
Callum Beattie. Solid at left back, dealt with threats and passed well.
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. The squad has not been announced yet, but baring any last minute injury we anticipate Tan Chun-lok and Juninho to travel. 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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