Tong’s first ever Kitchee goal marks the Blues’ FA

Kitchee conceded early in Tuesday evening’s FA Cup first round fixture against HKFC but settled down and turned on its attacking prowess, storming back and soared past its opponent through a 5:1 victory while resting most of its regulars, punching its ticket for the quarter-final of the competition. Full-back Tong Kin-man also marked the occasion with his first ever goal in Kitchee colors. With the side being occupied in both, the FA Cup and the Senior Shield, this week, Kitchee rested most of its regulars on Tuesday’s FA Cup encounter with HKFC, allowing squad players Sham Kwok-keung, Tong, Kin-man, Law Tsz-chun and Ngan Cheuk-pan to shoulder starting duties. Despite allowing an early goal, the Blues stood its ground and went on to tear apart the HKFC backline. Rufino Segovia first secured a penalty for Kitchee, then went on and fired home the spot-kick, equalizing for the Blues in the process. Moments later, Lam Ka-wai received the ball through a Sham Kwok-keung header and put his side in front with a rocket blast inside the box. Lam Ka-wai then turned into provider and assisted Jared Lum for the third goal for Kitchee on the evening. First team rookies Robert Stamp and Barak Braunshtain came on as substitutes and the former almost netted a memorable goal in the second half but saw his shot saved by the HKFC keeper. However, Rufino Segovia managed to latch onto the rebound and drilled the ball home, expanding Kitchee’s lead. Late in the game, Tong Kin-man sealed HKFC’s fate with a fine strike and made it 5:1. Left-back Tong Kin-man was a constant attacking threat to the HKFC backline and capped off the evening with a superb left-foot goal, his first ever since joining Kitchee. “I really wanted to become more aggressive and to shoot more in the second half. With limited playing time, I just want to show that I can play no matter it is on the left side or on the right side,” Tong commented. “Regardless of shooting and whipping in crosses, my left peg has become more and more steady. I just try to improve and to keep practicing with my left foot. If I am not getting too many chances on the right side, then why not give it a go on the left? Practice makes one improve anyways so that is a no brainer for me.” Moving from attacking midfielder to the defensive midfielder position this season, Ngan Cheuk-pan knows he still has a lot to learn, especially from someone like mentor Huang Yang. “The intensity in training has been extremely high this season, enabling me to get ready for matches. I am now playing the number six position and it is a very important role linking up attacks. This is my first real game of the season and I am not quite at my peak form just yet, maybe rushing things a bit during transition. I still have a lot to learn from teammate Huang Yang in order to become a complete midfielder, including improving my heading,” said the Kitchee youngste