Japanese Non-league Football News

The early season big match in Division 2 (South) of the Tohoku League between Viancone Fukushima and FC Perada Fukushima - both of whom are hoping to make their way up the pyramid to the JFL and beyond - ended in a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Perada took the lead just before half time only for Viancone to draw level with fifteen minutes to go. But another club from the same part of the country, 2006 Fukushima Prefectural League champions Soma SC, triumphed 4-0 over minnows Kureha in what was their first ever game in the Regional League. The other promoted side, Nakaniida SC, bounced back from their heavy defeat last weekend to gain an excellent 2-2 draw at promotion hopefuls Marysol Matsushima.

Sun 06 May: Kureha 0-4 Soma SC
Sun 06 May: Marysol Matsushima 2-2 Nakaniida SC
Sun 06 May: Viancone Fukushima 1-1 FC Perada Fukushima

1. Viancone Fukushima 4 (+5)
2. FC Perada Fukushima 4 (+4)
3. Soma SC 3 (+4)
4. Kanai Club 3 (+2)
5. Marysol Matsushima 1 (-)
6. Nakaniida SC 1 (-5)
7. Shichigahama SC 0 (-4)
8. Kureha 0 (-6)

The two new teams promoted to Division 2 (North) of the Tohoku League have both made poor starts to the 2007 season. Omiya Club lost for the second week running against Akita side Hokuto Bank and immediately drop to the foot of the table, while Saruta Industry - another club from Akita prefecture, appearing at Regional level for the first time ever - lost 3-0 to reigning champions FC Akita Cambiare. Mizusawa United Club and Aomori's Vanraure Hachinohe drew 1-1 in the other game, while Tono Club have yet to play their opening fixture.

Sun 06 May: FC Akita Cambiare 3-0 Saruta Industry
Sun 06 May: Hokuto Bank 3-1 Omiya Club
Sun 06 May: Mizusawa United Club 1-1 Vanraure Hachinohe

1. FC Akita Cambiare 6 (+8)
2. Hokuto Bank 3 (+2)
3. Fuji Club 2003 3 (+2)
4. Mizusawa United Club 1 (-)
5. Vanraure Hachinohe 1 (-2)
6. Saruta Industry 0 (-3)
7. Omiya Club 0 (-7)

Early leaders in Division 1 of the Tohoku League are NEC Tokin, who made it two home wins out of two by beating Wiese Shiogama 1-0 on Sunday. But favourites Grulla Morioka got off to a good start in what was their first fixture of the year, completing a straightforward 4-1 defeat of one of the weaker teams in the division, Nippon Steel Kamaishi. In the third match of the day, newly-promoted Furukawa Battery lost 2-1 to Grulla's well-established local rivals Morioka Zebra.



Furukawa Battery on the attack against Morioka Zebra

Sun 06 May: Grulla Morioka 4-1 Nippon Steel Kamaishi
Sun 06 May: Morioka Zebra 2-1 Furukawa Battery
Sun 06 May: NEC Tokin 1-0 Wiese Shiogama

1. NEC Tokin 6 (+4)
2. Grulla Morioka 3 (+3)
3. Wiese Shiogama 3 (+1)
4. FC Primeiro 3 (+1)
5. Morioka Zebra 3 (-)
6. Furukawa Battery 0 (-1)
7. Sendai Nakata Club 0 (-2)
8. Nippon Steel Kamaishi 0 (-6)

After a remarkable series of round 4 results over the weekend, Division 2 of the Kanto League is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating of the Regional Leagues in 2007. Furukawa Electrics Chiba hold on to their position at the top of the table despite suffering a shock defeat to Club Dragons, who following last week's 9-0 drubbing of Nirasaki Astros would appear to have got the hand of the higher level of football following promotion from the Ibaraki Prefectural League and now lie second.

The military men of MSDF Atsugi Marcus go third after beating Ome FC on Saturday, but the bottom half of the table could scarcely be closer: all four teams have an equal number of points. Nirasaki managed their first win of the year at the expense of Yonoshukai, while Kanagawa Teachers were 4-0 up at half-time to Hanno Bruder and just held on to claim a 4-3 victory.

Sat 05 May: MSDF Atsugi Marcus 3-1 Ome FC

Sun 06 May: Club Dragons 2-0 Furukawa Electrics Chiba
Sun 06 May: Kanagawa Teachers 4-3 Hanno Bruder
Sun 06 May: Nirasaki Astros 1-0 Yonoshukai

1. Furukawa Electrics Chiba 9 (+1)
2. Club Dragons 7 (+10)
3. MSDF Atsugi Marcus 7 (+3)
4. Hanno Bruder 5 (-)
5. Yonoshukai 4 (-1)
6. Ome FC 4 (-1)
7. Kanagawa Teachers 4 (-2)
8. Nirasaki Astros 4 (-10)

After Hitachi Tochigi Uva moved to the top of the Kanto League Division 1 on Friday, the only alteration to the league table after the three fixtures on Sunday is that FC Machida Zelvia replace them again - as expected. But this is not to say that the round 4 games were lacking in significance. Machida coasted to a 4-1 win over a Yaita SC side that have clearly not recovered from throwing away last season's championship on the final day and now look odds on to be relegated.

Struggling with them are the team that stole the title, YSCC, although the Yokohama club did manage their first win of 2007 at the hands of Toshiba Fuchu. And former big guns Luminozo Sayama seem to be slipping towards being a mid-table team. They lost 2-1 at Toho Titanium and now trail new kids on the block Machida by six points.



Yaita SC put high flyers FC Machida Zelvia under pressure

Sun 06 May: FC Machida Zelvia 4-1 Yaita SC
Sun 06 May: Toshiba Fuchu 1-2 YSCC
Sun 06 May: Toho Titanium 2-1 Luminozo Sayama

1. FC Machida Zelvia 12 (+9)
2. Hitachi Tochigi Uva 9 (+10)
3. Toho Titanium 9 (+2)
4. Luminozo Sayama 6 (-)
5. Saitama SC 6 (-2)
6. Toshiba Fuchu 3 (-1)
7. YSCC 3 (-4)
8. Yaita SC 0 (-14)