FC PHUKET trained last night ready for a weekend of warmup matches as the first season in Thailand's Division One looms from February 13.

Beneficiary of the round-robin matches tonight and Sunday with neighboring teams will be Camara Ahmed, the FC Phuket player from the Ivory Coast who suffered a heart attack in a game at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City last season.

Although he ''died'' on the way to hospital and lingered in a coma, the young athlete is now on the way to full recovery and could even be on a flight home as early as March.

His recovery was as much of a fairtale as the rise and rise of FC Phuket, which now has a budget of 25 million baht - five times last season's budget - and is hunting for big-number sponsors.

The starting lineup for the weekend's matches turned out last night to pose for the cameras. Dramatic changes have taken place, with some of last year's team moving on and other players coming to replace them.

With a new coach who was once a defensive stalwart in the Thai national team, the Hulks are raring to go when they come up against Rayong FC in the first of their Division One fixtures on February 13.

As well as the weekend games, there's a serious hitout on January 25 against Muangtong United from 6pm at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City (tickets 50 baht, 100 baht) with all proceeds again going to assist Camara Ahmed.