May 6, 2004

Home United Coach Steve Darby is delighted his team have taken another step towards the quarter-final of the AFC Cup.

With a full injury & suspension free squad which is a novelty for the Double Champion this year, the Double Champion went on to defeat the Hong Kong Champion 2-0.

Steve Darby felt the state of the pitch was bad & making it a technically poor game but he did not mind it one bit. Also the Hong Kong Champion were a physical side which resulted in them having 2 red cards in the game.

Overall he was again impressed with the professionalism of the players shown both on & off the pitch as they had come to look for 3 points, which are more important than anything else & they got it.

When asked to compare the South China team which beat Home 2-1 in Hong Kong, back on 8 October 2002 in AFC Champions League, & the Happy Valley team. Steve replied the South China were a good team & much stronger than Happy Valley.