Japanese Non-league Football News

After Volca Kagoshima's win on Saturday, Nippon Steel Oita joined them at the top of the table on Sunday with a 2-0 win over minnows Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki - but most ominously for the early season pacesetters, V Varen Nagasaki crushed Osumi NIFS United 6-0 in a match attended by 7164 local fans and are three points behind with a game in hand. New Wave Kitakyushu remain in touch, as they beat the Okinawans of Kaiho Bank SC 4-0.


V Varen's Yoshihiro Saisho beats the Osumi NIFS defence to score his hat-trick

Sun 16 Apr: New Wave Kitakyushu 4-0 Kaiho Bank SC
Sun 16 Apr: Nippon Steel Oita 2-0 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki
Sun 16 Apr: V Varen Nagasaki 6-0 Osumi NIFS United

1 Volca Kagoshima 9 (+8)
2 Nippon Steel Oita 9 (+7)
3 V Varen Nagasaki 6 (+9)
4 New Wave Kitakyushu 6 (+3)
5 Okinawa Kariyushi 6 (-)
6 Kaiho Bank SC 0 (-6)
7 Nanakuma Tombies 0 (-6)
8 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0 (-6)
9 Osumi NIFS United 0 (-9)



Tomoki Ikemoto gets in a shot for New Wave Kitakyushu

The first round of the Kanto League season in both Divisions 1 and 2 was completed in stunning style on Sunday, with reigning Division 1 champions Luminozo Sayama crashing 3-2 at home to newly-promoted Toshiba Fuchu. Hanno Bruder, who like Fuchu were also playing Division 2 football last year, conceded a late goal at Saitama SC to draw 2-2 on their top flight debut.



Shinya Kobayashi, scorer of two goals for Luminozo Sayama

Early indications are that Division 2 for 2006 will be dominated by the 2005 Tokyo Prefectural League winners, FC Machida Zelvia. The fixture list had given them one of the toughest possible matches for their first game at Regional level - away at Hitachi Tochigi Uva - but they were 4-0 up at half time and added one more after the interval just to make sure. Nirasaki Astros overcame one of last season's weaker sides, Furukawa Electrics Chiba, while new boys All Kamisu SC managed a draw at Aries FC.



"Number 22, what the hell are you doing?" All Kamisu FC on parade before their Kanto League debut

Division 1

Luminozo Sayama 2-3 Toshiba Fuchu
Saitama SC 2-2 Hanno Bruder


Division 2

Aries FC 1-1 All Kamisu SC
Hitachi Tochigi Uva 0-5 FC Machida Zelvia
Nirasaki Astros 2-0 Furukawa Electrics Chiba



Worst picture of the week? Hitachi Tochigi against Machida Zelvia, anyway

The Hokushinetsu League Division 1 title race - in recent seasons one of the tightest of all the Regional Leagues - has hotted up from the word Go following the completion of the round 2 fixtures on Sunday. Three clubs maintain a 100% record, with ambitious Zweigen Kanazawa top thanks to a stunning goal difference of +14 - for indeed, they followed up last weekend's 7-0 thrashing of Ueda Gentian with an identical scoreline against the luckless Teihens SC. Taro Sugahara, formerly with Kashiwa Reysol, Vissel Kobe, Sagan Tosu and most recently Ehime FC, notched up a further two goals to add to his brace last weekend to go top of the scorers' chart. Hot on Zweigen's heels are Japan Soccer College - 2-0 winners at Ueda - and, fascinatingly, promoted outfit Matsumoto Yamaga Club, who coasted to a 3-0 win over Fervorosa. Next week sees scheduled an early crunch match, in which Zweigen take on Matsumoto.



Action from Matsumoto Yamaga (green) against Fervorosa

In Division 2, last season's Fukui Prefectural League champions Maruoka Phoenix move to the top of the table following their 2-1 win over FC Antelope and as such are the only team to have won both their fixtures. FC Kanazu picked up a good win against surprise strugglers Toyama Shinjo Club to go second, level on points with Shinjo's local rivals Valiente Toyama, who themselves beat Nissei Resin 2-1. In the other match, LionPower Komatsu shared a goalless draw with TOP Niigata.

Division 1

Matsumoto Yamaga Club 3-0 Fervorosa
Niigata University of Management 0-4 Nagano Elsa
Teihens SC 0-7 Zweigen Kanazawa
Ueda Gentian 0-2 Japan Soccer College

1 Zweigen Kanazawa 6 (+14)
2 Japan Soccer College 6 (+11)
3 Matsumoto Yamaga Club 6 (+5)
4 Nagano Elsa 3 (+2)
5 Fervorosa 1 (-3)
6 Teihens SC 1 (-7)
7 Ueda Gentian 0 (-9)
8 Niigata U of Management 0 (-13)



Zweigen Kanazawa's goal machine, Taro Sugahara

Division 2

FC Kanazu 3-0 Toyama Shinjo Club
LionPower Komatsu 0-0 TOP Niigata
Maruoka Phoenix 2-1 FC Antelope
Nissei Resin 1-2 Valiente Toyama

1 Maruoka Phoenix 6 (+4)
2 FC Kanazu 4 (+3)
3 Valiente Toyama 4 (+1)
4 TOP Niigata 4 (+1)
5 FC Antelope 3 (-)
6 LionPower Komatsu 1 (-1)
7 Nissei Resin 0 (-2)
8 Toyama Shinjo Club 0 (-6)