Japanese Non-league Football News

Only two games played, but there was vital action at both ends of the Shikoku League on Sunday. At the foot of the table, Ventana AC's narrow 2-1 victory over Sanwa Club enabled them to overtake Alex SC as they seek to avoid the two relegation play-off spots, although Alex can put an end to the matter if they defeat Tokushima Vortis Amateur in their final match of the year in two weeks' time. But at the top of the division, Nangoku Kochi went ahead for the first time in 2006 thanks to a comfortable enough defeat of Sanyo Electric Tokushima. Leaders throughout the year Kamatamare Sanuki have a game in hand against Ehime Shimanami, but the title decider is still at the end of the month when Kamatamare travel to Kochi.



Sanwa in blue defend against Ventana’s tactic of wild flapping at the ball

Sun 08 Oct: Nangoku Kochi 3-0 Sanyo Electric Tokushima
Sun 08 Oct: Sanwa Club 1-2 Ventana AC

1 Nangoku Kochi 34 (+43)
2 Kamatamare Sanuki 33 (+31)
3 Ehime Shimanami 26 (+24)
4 Sanyo Electric Tokushima 20 (-)
5 Tokushima Vortis Amateur 15 (-3)
6 Ventana AC 13 (-28)
7 Alex SC 11 (-24)
8 Sanwa Club 1 (-43)

A shock defeat for Chugoku League leaders Fagiano Okayama at Hiroshima Fujita SC on Sunday has opened up what had seemed to be a fairly cut-and-dried title race. FC Central Chugoku and Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku were in the meantime picking up their characteristic straightforward wins against Iwami SC and Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado respectively to close the gap to just three points, with the last game of the season now a potentially nailbiting clash between Sagawa and Fagiano. The win for Fujita helped them to climb two places up the table in what has been a disastrous year, while in the other match mid-table Renofa Yamaguchi consolidated further with a 3-0 defeat of JFE Steel.



Fujita and Fagiano line up in the distance

Sun 08 Oct: FC Central Chugoku 6-1 Iwami SC
Sun 08 Oct: Hiroshima Fujita SC 2-1 Fagiano Okayama
Sun 08 Oct: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 0-4 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku
Sun 08 Oct: Renofa Yamaguchi 3-0 JFE Steel

1 Fagiano Okayama 30 (+37)
2 Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 27 (+31)
3 FC Central Chugoku 25 (+24)
4 Renofa Yamaguchi 19 (-2)
5 Hiroshima Fujita SC 12 (-16)
6 JFE Steel 12 (-24)
7 Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 9 (-19)
8 Iwami SC 4 (-31)



Renofa Yamaguchi and JFE Steel get all pally beforehand

With a single full round of fixtures now remaining, Tohoku League Division 1 champions TDK Akita picked up a further three points in a 2-1 win over FC Primeiro on Sunday, nearest challengers Grulla Morioka squeezing past Wiese Shiogama 3-2 to keep the gap between the two at nine points. While NEC Tokin will undoubtedly be disappointed with their goalless draw at home to Sendai Nakata Club, the most significant match of the round was at Morioka Zebra, whose 2-1 win over Nippon Steel Kamaishi has boosted their hopes of avoiding the single automatuc relegation place. Zebra are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary in 2007 and have never been relegated from the Tohoku League Division 1 since its inception in 1977.

Sun 08 Oct: FC Primeiro 1-2 TDK Akita
Sun 08 Oct: Grulla Morioka 3-2 Wiese Shiogama
Sun 08 Oct: Morioka Zebra 2-1 Nippon Steel Kamaishi
Sun 08 Oct: NEC Tokin 0-0 Sendai Nakata Club

1 TDK Akita 39 (+49)
2 Grulla Morioka 30 (+11)
3 NEC Tokin 21 (+8)
4 FC Primeiro 19 (-11)
5 Wiese Shiogama 12 (-2)
6 Sendai Nakata Club 10 (-9)
7 Morioka Zebra 9 (-19)
8 Nippon Steel Kamaishi 7 (-27)

FC Gifu fans cheer their team on to, er, defeat at Thespa Kusatsu

Ties played on Sun 08 Oct.

Consadole Sapporo 3-1 Nippon Steel Oita (aet, 1-1 @ 90 mins)
Honda FC 1-0 Kochi University
Ehime FC 2-0 Biwako Seikei Sport College
Sagan Tosu 4-3 Ritsumeikan University
Montedio Yamagata 6-2 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Shonan Bellmare 4-1 Kansai University
Thespa Kusatsu 3-0 FC Gifu
Tokushima Vortis 4-1 Miyazaki Sangyo-Keiei University
Yokohama FC 0-1 Banditonce Kobe
Tokyo Verdy 1969 0-1 Tochigi SC
Vegalta Sendai 1-0 Tokushima Vortis
Mito Hollyhock 0-1 Shizuoka FC
Vissel Kobe 2-4 YKK AP
Kashiwa Reysol 3-0 Hosei University