Take one for the league: HKFC need ‘best show’ to halt runaway Valley before the winter break

Hong Kong Football Club on Saturday have the last chance before the Christmas break to end Valley’s eight-match win-streak in the HKRU Premiership, but success will require their best performance this season according to head coach Phil Bailey.

At the top of an otherwise even 2015-16 league table Societe Generale Valley have built a commanding 15-point lead going into the ninth round and only third-placed Natixis HKFC can slow their arch-rivals when they meet at Happy Valley, with Hong Kong’s Ranfurly-style Broony Quaich also up for grabs.

“Valley are clearly the best team in the league. They are a quality side with a lot of star players and a lot of internationals. We’re going to need to put on our best show to have a shot at them,” said Bailey.

“We've got to be better than last week, that’s for sure,” the coach added referring to last Saturday’s away loss to Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers.

“We need to do the little things well. Keep the ball and not put ourselves under pressure, like we did last week. We uncharacteristically took our foot off the pedal and [Tigers] took advantage of that.”

HKFC’s task this weekend has been made more difficult by injuries to influential forwards Adam Butterfield and Dan Falvey, and exacerbated by the recent return to Canada of their new front-row signing Andrew Tiedemann.

But Bailey refused to concede any significant advantage to the opposition.

“Obviously, Andrew’s early departure was a big loss. He was one of our top players and we don’t have a response to that at the moment so we’re just buckling down and pressing on,” he said.