Japanese Non-league Football News

There was one late result from Division 2 (North) of the Tohoku League, with relegated side Hokuto Bank losing 4-1 to the students of Fuji Club 2003.

Sun 28 Oct: Fuji Club 2003 4-1 Hokuto Bank

1. FC Akita Cambiare 32 (+33)
2. Mizusawa Club 29 (+17)
3. Tono Club 27 (+9)
4. Fuji Club 2003 21 (+4)
5. Saruta Industry 19 (-)
6. Vanraure Hachinohe 17 (-3)
7. Omiya Club 9 (-19)
8. Hokuto Bank 4 (-41)

Late confirmation here of the final batch of results in Division 1 of the Tohoku League. It has long been clear that Grulla Morioka would take the title, after TDK Akita gained a sensational promotion to the JFL last season, but Grulla rather blotted their copybook by losing the last match of the year at home to their nearest challengers, NEC Tokin. It is NEC that will therefore join Grulla in the Regional League Championship Winners' Play-off tournament next week, aiming to follow in the footsteps of TDK.

At the other end of the table - although things could yet change if Grulla or TDK are able to seal what would be a remarkable move upwards - after several seasons of struggle Nippon Steel Kamaishi were finally relegated to Division 2,(North) while Morioka Zebra face a play-off against ambitious Viancone Fukushima after they are to retain their place in the higher division.

Sun 14 Oct: FC Primeiro 3-10 Grulla Morioka
Sun 14 Oct: Furukawa Battery 0-2 Wiese Shiogama
Sun 14 Oct: Morioka Zebra 2-2 Nippon Steel Kamaishi

Sat 20 Oct: Grulla Morioka 1-2 NEC Tokin

Sun 21 Oct: Furukawa Battery 3-1 FC Primeiro
Sun 21 Oct: Sendai Nakata Club 4-1 Nippon Steel Kamaishi
Sun 21 Oct: Wiese Shiogama 1-1 Morioka Zebra

1. Grulla Morioka 39 (+51)
2. NEC Tokin 34 (+41)
3. FC Primeiro 22 (-4)
4. Wiese Shiogama 18 (-3)
5. Sendai Nakata Club 16 (-10)
6. Furukawa Battery 14 (-27)
7. Morioka Zebra 12 (-18)
8. Nippon Steel Kamaishi 6 (-30)

After some confusion over results published elsewhere in Division 2 (North) of the Tohoku League, it can finally be confirmed that FC Akita Cambiare have retained their title and will go forward to take on Viancone Fukushima in a play-off for the one automatic promotion place. But Cambiare's triumph was made certain only after a final round victory over runners-up Mizusawa Club, who put together a strong series of results in the second half of the season to emerge from the pack as the likeliest challengers to the supremacy of the reigning champions.

Tono Club, on the other hand, faded from the scene to finish in third, after disappointing results against the likes of Vanraure Hachinohe and Omiya Club. And it is the latter side that seem likely to face a play-off to stay in the division, after having been promoted from the Prefectural Leagues themselves only a year ago. With one re-arranged fixture against Fuji Club 2003 still to be played, Hokuto Bank are guaranteed to finish last and would appear to be heading for automatic relegation at the end of their eighth season in the Tohoku League.

Sun 05 Aug: Saruta Industry 5-3 Fuji Club 2003
Sun 05 Aug: Vanraure Hachinohe 0-5 FC Akita Cambiare

Sun 12 Aug: Hokuto Bank 1-5 Saruta Industry

Sun 19 Aug: Hokuto Bank 3-3 Tono Club

Sun 09 Sep: Fuji Club 2003 5-3 Omiya Club
Sun 09 Sep: Mizusawa Club 4-0 Tono Club
Sun 09 Sep: Saruta Industry 2-2 Vanraure Hachinohe

Sun 16 Sep: Tono Club 2-1 Saruta Industry

Sun 23 Sep: Mizusawa Club 2-0 Omiya Club

Sun 30 Sep: Mizusawa Club 4-3 Hokuto Bank
Sun 30 Sep: Tono Club 4-1 Fuji Club 2003

Sun 07 Oct: FC Akita Cambiare 2-1 Fuji Club 2003
Sun 07 Oct: Hokuto Bank 2-6 Mizusawa Club
Sun 07 Oct: Omiya Club 1-2 Saruta Industry
Sun 07 Oct: Tono Club 1-2 Vanraure Hachinohe

Sun 14 Oct: Mizusawa Club 2-1 Fuji Club 2003
Sun 14 Oct: Omiya Club 1-1 Vanraure Hachinohe
Sun 14 Oct: Saruta Industry 2-0 Hokuto Bank
Sun 14 Oct: Tono Club 2-2 FC Akita Cambiare

Sun 21 Oct: FC Akita Cambiare 1-0 Mizusawa Club
Sun 21 Oct: Fuji Club 2003 3-2 Saruta Industry
Sun 21 Oct: Hokuto Bank 0-5 Vanraure Hachinohe
Sun 21 Oct: Tono Club 2-3 Omiya Club

1. FC Akita Cambiare 32 (+33)
2. Mizusawa Club 29 (+17)
3. Tono Club 27 (+9)
4. Saruta Industry 19 (-)
5. Fuji Club 2003 18 (+1)
6. Vanraure Hachinohe 17 (-3)
7. Omiya Club 9 (-19)
8. Hokuto Bank 4 (-38)

FC Perada Fukushima may have scored the biggest win of the day in the final round of the Tohoku League Division 2 (South) season, putting thirteen without reply past poor Kureha, but the ambitious outfit have still been pipped for the title by deadly local rivals Viancone Fukushima. A 5-1 triumph for Viancone over Marysol Matsushima means that they go forward to take part in the promotion play-off with Division 2 (North) winners FC Akita Cambiare to compete for a place in the top flight for next year.

Kureha, on the other hand, seem set to drop down to the Prefectural Leagues after another difficult campaign that has seen them pick up just a single point from their fourteen matches. The likelihood is that they will be automatically relegated, while second bottom Kanai Club may face a play-off in order to retain their own Regional League status. But the two have struggled for some seasons now, whilst promoted sides Soma SC and Nakaniida SC have both demonstrated more of a capability to cope with the level of football.

Sun 21 Oct: FC Perada Fukushima 13-0 Kureha
Sun 21 Oct: Kanai Club 2-3 Soma SC
Sun 21 Oct: Nakaniida SC 0-3 Shichigahama SC
Sun 21 Oct: Viancone Fukushima 5-1 Marysol Matsushima

1. Viancone Fukushima 40 (+81)
2. FC Perada Fukushima 37 (+76)
3. Soma SC 25 (+3)
4. Marysol Matsushima 20 (+15)
5. Shichigahama SC 18 (-14)
6. Nakaniida SC 16 (-18)
7. Kanai Club 7 (-68)
8. Kureha 1 (-75)

A round-up of results now from the second half of the season in Division 2 (South) of the Tohoku League, whose season has just one game to go. Almost certainly champions are Viancone Fukushima, the ambitious side previously known as Northern Peaks Koriyama, who have handed out a series of hammerings to allcomers since their crucial 2-1 defeat of their deadly local rivals FC Perada Fukushima back at the beginning of July. Bottom side Kureha, on the other hand, have just a single point to show for their endeavours this year.

Sun 19 Aug: Kanai Club 0-8 FC Perada Fukushima
Sun 19 Aug: Viancone Fukushima 5-1 Shichigahama SC

Sun 26 Aug: Shichigahama SC 3-1 Nakaniida SC

Sun 02 Sep: Nakaniida SC 4-0 Kureha
Sun 02 Sep: Shichihagama SC 0-6 Marysol Matsushima

Sun 09 Sep: FC Perada Fukushima 10-0 Nakaniida SC
Sun 09 Sep: Kanai Club 0-11 Viancone Fukushima
Sun 09 Sep: Marysol Matsushima 7-0 Kureha
Sun 09 Sep: Shichigahama SC 0-3 Soma SC

Sun 16 Sep: Kanai Club 2-2 Kureha

Sun 23 Sep: Kureha 3-4 Shichigahama SC
Sun 23 Sep: Marysol Matsushima 0-1 FC Perada Fukushima
Sun 23 Sep: Viancone Fukushima 8-0 Soma SC

Sun 30 Sep: Kureha 1-3 Nakaniida SC
Sun 30 Sep: Soma SC 3-0 Kanai Club (bye)

Sun 07 Oct: Kureha 0-11 Viancone Fukushima
Sun 07 Oct: Marysol Matsushima 0-4 Shichigahama SC
Sun 07 Oct: Soma SC 0-2 Nakaniida SC

1. Viancone Fukushima 34 (+69)
2. FC Perada Fukushima 31 (+59)
3. Soma SC 22 (+6)
4. Marysol Matsushima 17 (+12)
5. Nakaniida SC 16 (-15)
6. Shichigahama SC 15 (-9)
7. Kanai Club 7 (-60)
8. Kureha 1 (-62)