執柒佢啦
2024-11-18 13:42:18
The unlikely combination of fast and physical American university football, and one season with Sham Shui Po, has been responsible for Ngan Cheuk-pan’s emergence as a key figure in Ashley Westwood’s Hong Kong revolution.
The midfielder, who played an integral role in Thursday’s fine 3-1 victory over the Philippines, is poised to start his third match under Westwood when Hong Kong face Mauritius at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday.
Before starting against Liechtenstein last month, Ngan, 26, had played just 62 minutes, across three outings as a substitute, for the representative side.
He made his first-team debut for Kitchee aged just 17, in 2015, but dropped off the radar during his three years studying in the United States. He played for MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas, then New York-based St Bonaventure, before coming back to Hong Kong to rejoin Kitchee in 2020.
Returning Stateside to complete his sports management degree after the Covid-19 pandemic further interrupted Ngan’s career. But he said going abroad made him more outgoing as a person, and stronger as a player.
“Before I went, I didn’t talk too much with the foreign players, but when I got to the States, I had to get into that circle,” Ngan said. “The players were stronger and faster, so I got used to that and applied it in Hong Kong.
“It’s not enough for the international game, though, so I still need to work more.”
Ngan said he was grateful to Kitchee that he did not follow down the same path as several of his university teammates, who have drifted away from football.
“The boss [Ken Ng Kin] and coaches helped me,” he said. “Whenever I was back in Hong Kong, they asked me to come [to training], they wanted to make sure I didn’t lose my ability, and I’m really lucky they took care of me.”
Part of Kitchee’s 2022-23 treble-winning squad, Ngan was “shocked” to be told he was going on loan to lowly Sham Shui Po for the following season.
“They had been really struggling and I was thinking, ‘am I going to waste time and lose momentum?’” Ngan said.
He captained Sham Shui Po as they recovered from a predictably chastening start to achieve a handful of notable victories, and reached the Hong Kong FA Cup final.
“The coaches helped me and I am really happy I went – that experience was valuable for me and it helped me get into the Hong Kong squad,” Ngan said.
Ngan was preferred to reigning Hong Kong player of the year Philip Chan Siu-kwan for Westwood’s first match, the 1-0 loss in Liechtenstein, and was recalled for a key role in front of the defence as the hosts largely contained dangerous Philippines at Hong Kong Stadium.
Only one change is expected against Mauritius, with Jesse Yu Joy-yin set to drop out for Wong Wai, who will reach his half-century of caps.
“I focus more on defending, so we can be balanced,” Ngan said. “Against the Philippines, I helped [defenders] Ollie [Gerbig] and Fernando, and let the attack do what they wanted.
“[Westwood] tells us to not think about the result, or the identity of our opponents, to just be confident and enjoy our football. He knows we want to play with a smile. We suffered a lot against the Philippines, but we stuck with it and that brought us the victory.”
The versatile Ngan, who is also comfortable at centre-back, has started the past four league games for steadily improving Kitchee, with boss Edgar Cardoso appreciating the player’s composure, vision and prodigious work rate.
“I began the season wanting to become a consistent starter for Kitchee, then to catch the eye of the Hong Kong coach,” Ngan said. “I had to be myself … then if my style fits [with Westwood’s], I thought things would work out.”
After seeing off world No 145 Philippines, Ngan is cautiously optimistic about the clash with 178th-ranked Mauritius.
“It’s always a better atmosphere at Mong Kok,” he said. “If we focus on ourselves and follow the plan, we can get the victory.”