Japanese Non-league Football News

It's shaping up to be a particularly close campaign in the Kanto League Division One after a full programme of fixtures in the league's two divisions on Sunday. Yaita SC are the unlikely leaders, although they let two points slip at champions Luminozo Sayama, who are struggling back in fifth. Toshiba Fuchu lost for the first time this season against the sailors of MSDF Atsugi Marcus but are still second. Saitama SC have had eighteen goals crammed into their three games, ending up getting the best of seven against YSCC - but in some senses the biggest surprise is the failure of Division 2 champions Hanno Bruder to adjust to life at the higher evel, as they are stuck to the bottom of the table after a 2-1 defeat at Toho Titanium.



Toho Titanium host Hanno Bruder

Things are actually more clear cut in Division 2, as FC Machida Zelvia gained a narrow win at Kanagawa Teachers to move three points ahead of Hitachi Tochigi Uva . Kanagawa, Aries FC, All Kamisu SC and Ome FC are all still looking for their first wins of the season.



Yaita SC on the defensive against Luminozo Sayama

Division 1

Luminozo Sayama 0-0 Yaita SC
MSDF Atsugi Marcus 2-1 Toshiba Fuchu
Toho Titanium 2-1 Hanno Bruder
YSCC 3-4 Saitama SC

1 Yaita SC 7 (+3)
2 Toshiba Fuchu 6 (+1)
3 YSCC 4 (+2)
4 Saitama SC 4 (-)
5 Luminozo Sayama 4 (-)
6 Toho Titanium 4 (-1)
7 MSDF Atsugi Marcus 3 (-3)
8 Hanno Bruder 1 (-2)



Kanagawa Teachers in blue take on FC Machida Zelvia

Division 2

Aries FC 2-2 Furukawa Electrics Chiba
Hitachi Tochigi Uva 1-0 Ome FC
Kanagawa Teachers 2-3 FC Machida Zelvia
Nirasaki Astros 2-2 All Kamisu SC

1 FC Machida Zelvia 9 (+10)
2 Hitachi Tochigi Uva 6 (-)
3 Nirasaki Astros 5 (+2)
4 Furukawa Electrics Chiba 4 (-1)
5 Ome FC 2 (-1)
6 All Kamisu SC 2 (-4)
7 Aries FC 2 (-4)
8 Kanagawa Teachers 1 (-2)

Banditonce Kobe are now three points clear at the top of the Kansai League Division 1 after scoring early in each half against Takada FC to retain their 100% record. Level in second place are FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu, Sanyo Electric Sumoto and last year's runners up, Kobe FC 1970 , who ran in three against an AS Laranja Kyoto side seemingly finding the going tough this season. Propping up the table, however, are promoted side Kyoto Shiko Club, still without a point and potentially heading straight back down to Division Two.



Ryosuke Tanzaki, scorer of Banditonce Kobe's opener against Takada FC

Speaking of which, relegated FC Kyoto BAMB 1993 hammered in five in the second half for a 7-0 thrashing of Kihoku Football Group to continue their excellent start to 2006, although they're joined at the top by Technonet Osaka, who grabbed a winner three minutes from time to defeat Kohga School. Hermano Osaka are third despite conceding a last-minute goal in a 2-1 home defeat by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe - but it was a historic day for Riseisha School, newly promoted to Regional League football and winners for the first time, as a last-minute goal of their own saw off Kobe FC Senior C 4-3.

Division 1

Saturday 29 April: Ain Food 2-1 Sanyo Electric Sumoto
Saturday 29 April: Banditonce Kobe 2-0 Takada FC
Saturday 29 April: Kobe FC 1970 3-0 AS Laranja Kyoto
Sunday 30 April: FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu 2-0 Kyoto Shiko Club

1 Banditonce Kobe 9 (+6)
2 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu 6 (+3)
3 Sanyo Electric Sumoto 6 (+2)
4 Kobe FC 1970 6 (+1)
5 Takada FC 3 (-1)
6 Ain Food 3 (-2)
7 AS Laranja Kyoto 3 (-3)
8 Kyoto Shiko Club 0 (-6)



Riseisha FC before their win at Kobe FC Senior C

Division 2

Saturday 29 April: Kohga School 0-1 Technonet Osaka
Sunday 30 April: FC Kyoto BAMB 1993 7-0 Kihoku Football Group
Sunday 30 April: Hermano Osaka 1-2 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe
Sunday 30 April: Kobe FC Senior C 3-4 Riseisha FC

1 FC Kyoto BAMB 1993 9 (+11)
2 Technonet Osaka 9 (+4)
3 Hermano Osaka 6 (+1)
4 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe 6 (-)
5 Riseisha FC 3 (-1)
6 Kihoku Football Group 3 (-7)
7 Kobe FC Senior C 0 (-4)
8 Kohga School 0 (-4)

For the first round of the new Chugoku League season, most eyes were on Fagiano Okayama, whose clash with Renofa Yamaguchi was watched by a cowd of 4184 - most of whom went home happy after a 5-1 win for the promotion hopefuls. Last season's champions Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku let slip a 2-0 half-time lead to newly-promoted FC Central Chugoku, but took two points from the match following a 4-3 win in the penalty shoot-out that the Chugoku League uses to decide drawn games.



Hideyuki Nakakawa in action for Fagiano Okayama v Renofa Yamaguchi

Sun 30 Apr: Fagiano Okayama 5-1 Renofa Yamaguchi
Sun 30 Apr: Hiroshima Fujita SC 4-2 JFE Steel
Sun 30 Apr: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 1-2 Iwami SC
Sun 30 Apr: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 2-2 FC Central Chugoku (PK 4-3)



JFE Steel line up before their match with Hiroshima Fujita SC

Tochigi's Takashi Nakagawa in action against Sagawa Printing

Late goals dotted around a number of Sunday's JFL fixtures had a profound effect on a number of scorelines and have conspired to leave YKK AP two points clear at the top of the table. Yu Hoshide's strike three minutes from the end of the leaders' match with Ryutsu Keizai University continued their 100% record via a 2-1 win, when they'd suffered the embarrassment of trailing the students for more than half an hour. With Alo's Hokuriku second, the Toyama pair are most closely followed by Tochigi SC, 2-1 winners themselves over lowly Sagawa Printing thanks only to Akihiro Tadaki's 88th minute clincher.

Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo and Honda FC both fell to their first defeats of the season, as Sagawa Kyubin Osaka pulled off a shock 3-2 away win at Honda and Sagawa Tokyo fell victim to a brace from Yokogawa Musashino's Koji Murayama. Tamon Machida went one better with a hat-trick for Rosso Kumamoto against Mitsubishi Mizushima and Kazutaka Takano's goal two minutes from time for Sony Sendai condemned Arte Takasaki to their fourth defeat of the year.



Rosso Kumamoto fans in the crowd of 8999 for their match with Mitsubishi Mizushima

Honda FC 2-3 Sagawa Kyubin Osaka
Rosso Kumamoto 4-0 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo 1-2 Yokogawa Musashino
Sony Sendai 2-1 Arte Takasaki
Tochigi SC 2-1 Sagawa Printing
YKK AP 2-1 Ryutsu Keizai University

1 YKK AP 21 (+19)
2 Alo's Hokuriku 19 (+17)
3 Tochigi SC 17 (+7)
4 Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo 16 (+15)
5 Honda FC 16 (+9)
6 Rosso Kumamoto 16 (+8)
7 Yokogawa Musashino 15 (+8)
8 Sagawa Kyubin Osaka 11 (+3)
9 Sony Sendai 9 (-2)
10 Arte Takasaki 7 (-5)
11 JEF Club 6 (-4)
12 SC Tottori 5 (-5)
13 FC Kariya 4 (-12)
14 Mitsubishi Mizushima 4 (-14)
15 Ryutsu Keizai University 3 (-10)
16 FC Ryukyu 2 (-7)
17 Sagawa Printing 2 (-9)
18 Honda Lock 2 (-18)



Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo in blue on the way to defeat against Yokogawa Musashino