Australian striker Sawyer out to wreck old club Tai Po’s return to AFC Champions League
Harry Sawyer says he’s ‘more mature physically and mentally’ than during his brief spell in Hong Kong as a young player
A more mature Harry Sawyer said his 2018-19 title-winning stint with Tai Po was “a massive learning experience” but there would be no mixed emotions as he tried to wreck his old club’s AFC Champions League Two campaign.
Sawyer will run into old teammates when he turns out for A-League side Macarthur at Mong Kok Stadium on Thursday, in what will be Tai Po’s first continental fixture since 2020.
The 28-year-old Australian scored 10 goals in 24 appearances for the Hong Kong side, whom he played for while on loan from Davao Aguilas in the Philippines.
“I’d like to think I’ve improved since then; I was younger and naive, and I have matured physically and mentally,” Sawyer said.
“Coming here was big for me, I won my first trophy in professional football and played in Asian competition for the first time. I was only 21, and it was a massive learning experience on and off the field.”
Sawyer will come up against former teammates Igor Sartori and Philip Chan Siu-kwan, as well as his old head coach Lee Chi-kin.