Cian Coleman and Charlie Weston Join Hong Kong FC

Buxton have confirmed that Cian Coleman has left the club for Hong Kong FC, and he's not travelling out there alone, Charlie Weston makes the same move. Two National League North graduates heading to the same club in the same window is a proper story, even if the paths that got them there look quite different.

Coleman's is the more settled tale. A Leeds United academy product, he went out on loan to Buxton in October 2024 while still finding his feet, impressed enough to be recalled and sent straight back for a second spell through to the end of 2024/25, then made the move permanent. Four goals last season from midfield showed he'd become a proper asset at the Silverlands.

Weston's story carries a bit more weight behind it. He was part of a Curzon Ashton side relegated from the National League North on the final day last season, a dramatic 3-3 at Alfreton going down to goal difference rather than anything Weston himself did wrong, and the Nash have started life back at Step 3 in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. That relegation makes this the right kind of moment for a fresh challenge, and Weston clearly wasn't short of takers, with his move to Hong Kong FC coming just a handful of games into Curzon's new season. Whatever the club's circumstances, it's clearly Weston as a player that's caught the eye here.

The Leeds connection: Darren Arnott's pull

A fair bit of the pull here comes down to Darren Arnott. The Scarborough-born coach cut his teeth at Leeds United, working across the academy setup including spells with the U16s and U18s, before heading out to Hong Kong where he's built a proper reputation, first with the U20s and U23s, then working closely with the senior national team too. He knows the English non-league and academy pipeline better than most, and it's not hard to see the logic in going back to that well for both of these signings.

For Coleman there's the obvious Leeds thread running through it. For Weston it's more a case of a club moving quickly to snap up a player just as his old club's fortunes took a dip, the kind of timing that non-league clubs abroad can exploit better than most.

Coleman off the mark

Coleman's already had his moment in Hong Kong colours, on the scoresheet in his first outing for the club, which is about as good a start as anyone could hope for after a move like this. All eyes now turn to Weston to see how quickly he can settle and start making his own mark, with a fresh league and a fresh challenge in front of him after Curzon's rough end to last season.

Two National League pyramid players catching the eye of a club on the other side of the world in the same window is a genuinely nice story, and with Arnott clearly keeping tabs on this end of English football, I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the last move of its kind we see.