Japanese Non-league Football News

With FC Akita Cambiare's game against Hokuto Bank cancelled due to the former's participation in Emperor's Cup qualification - they beat TDK Shinwakai 4-1 on Saturday but then lost 2-0 to local top dogs TDK Akita the next day - Tono Club's 5-0 thrashing of Vanrarure Hachinohe constituted the only fixture in the Tohoku League Division 2 (North) this weekend. It consolidates Tono's place in third, but they still lie five points behind Mizusawa United Club.

Sun 06 Aug: Tono Club 5-0 Vanrarure Hachinohe

1 FC Akita Cambiare 24 (+18)
2 Mizusawa United Club 18 (+12)
3 Tono Club 13 (+11)
4 Vanrarure Hachinohe 10 (-8)
5 Fuji Club 2003 7 (-2)
6 Hokuto Bank 5 (-3)
7 TDK Shinwakai 5 (-17)
8 Aster Aomori 3 (-11)

Furukawa Battery made giant strides back towards the top of the Tohoku League Division 2 (South) in the solitary fixture on Sunday as they dished out a 7-0 thumping to Kanai Club. This leaves them level on points with Marysol Matsushima, but still with a game in hand. The one remaining game in August in this division sees Marysol host Shichigahama SC in two weeks' time, but the likely title decider between the current frontrunners isn't until the end of October - and the final round of the schedules.



Keeper Kentaro Hisa calms things down for Furukawa against the greens of Kanai

Sun 06 Aug: Kanai Club 0-7 Furukawa Battery

1 Marysol Matsushima 21 (+26)
2 Furukawa Battery 21 (+24)
3 Northern Peaks Koriyama 12 (+9)
4 Kanai Club 9 (-10)
5 FC Perada Fukushima 4 (-11)
6 Shichigahama SC 4 (-15)
7 Kureha Chemicals 0 (-23)

With a 3-0 win over Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado, FC Central Chugoku moved above Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku into second place in the Chugoku League on Sunday, thereby closing the gap between themselves and leaders Fagiano Okayama to five points.



FC Central and Hitachi line up before their Chugoku League match

Sun 06 Aug: FC Central Chugoku 3-0 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado

1 Fagiano Okayama 24 (+24)
2 FC Central Chugoku 19 (+16)
3 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 18 (+15)
4 Renofa Yamaguchi 15 (-5)
5 JFE Steel 12 (-2)
6 Hiroshima Fujita SC 9 (-14)
7 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 7 (-15)
8 Iwami SC 4 (-19)

Booking their place in the Kanto League Division 1 for next season are FC Machida Zelvia, promoted thanks to their 2-0 win on Saturday over Ome FC - but the race for the other promotion spot goes down to the wire, with both Hitachi Tochigi Uva and Furukawa Electrics Chiba still in contention following victories over All Kamisu SC and Kanagawa Teachers respectively. Unfortunately for Furukawa, Hitachi are scheduled to take on relegation candidates Aries FC, who did their cause no good with a home defeat to Nirasaki Astros.



Komazawa Stadium is packed out for Ome against Machida

Sat 05 Aug: Aries FC 0-1 Nirasaki Astros
Sat 05 Aug: Ome FC 0-2 FC Machida Zelvia

Sun 06 Aug: Furukawa Electrics Chiba 4-0 All Kamisu SC
Sun 06 Aug: Hitachi Tochigi Uva 3-1 Kanagawa Teachers

1 FC Machida Zelvia 29 (+27)
2 Hitachi Tochigi Uva 27 (+15)
3 Furukawa Electrics Chiba 25 (+11)
4 Nirasaki Astros 21 (-4)
5 Ome FC 18 (-2)
6 Kanagawa Teachers 11 (-12)
7 Aries FC 8 (-13)
8 All Kamisu SC 6 (-22)

Yaita SC's poor recent form finally caught up with them on Sunday and they slipped into second place in the Kanto League Division 1, after having led the rankings all season. A defeat at Toshiba Fuchu coupled with Luminozo Sayama's 3-1 win over MSDF Atsugi Marcus means that reigning champions Luminozo go into the last round on 10 September in the lead on goal difference. Third place belongs to YSCC, 2-1 winners over Hanno Bruder - and given that YSCC's one remaining fixture is at Yaita, this match will in all likelihood decide who joins Luminozo in the Regional League Championship Winners' Play-off for a place in the JFL. Elsewhere, mid-table sides Saitama SC and Toho Titanium drew their match, but those losses for MSDF and Hanno confirmed that they are relegated to Division 2 for 2007.



Shinya Kobayashi in possession for Luminozo against Marcus

Sun 06 Aug: Luminozo Sayama 3-1 MSDF Atsugi Marcus
Sun 06 Aug: Saitama SC 0-0 Toho Titanium
Sun 06 Aug: Toshiba Fuchu 1-0 Yaita SC
Sun 06 Aug: YSCC 2-1 Hanno Bruder

1 Luminozo Sayama 24 (+12)
2 Yaita SC 24 (+10)
3 YSCC 21 (+7)
4 Toshiba Fuchu 19 (+1)
5 Saitama SC 17 (+4)
6 Toho Titanium 17 (-10)
7 MSDF Atsugi Marcus 12 (-10)
8 Hanno Bruder 10 (-14)