Japanese Non-league Football News

Division 2 (South) of the Tohoku League looks set to be dominated by Fukushima prefecture this year... the club formerly known as FC Perada Fukushima, Fukushima United FC, crushed company side Kureha in their opening match and Soma SC beat a third team from the same prefecture - promoted team Bandits Iwaki - 2-1... perhaps the more fancied of the newcomers, though, are Cobaltore Onagawa from Miyagi, who picked up a superb 4-0 win at near neighbours Marysol Matsushima...

Sun 27 Apr: Kureha 1-5 Fukushima United FC
Sun 27 Apr: Marysol Matsushima 0-4 Cobaltore Onagawa
Sun 27 Apr: Soma SC 2-1 Bandits Iwaki

Relegated side Nippon Steel Kamaishi began life in Division 2 (North) of the Tohoku League by winning 2-1 at Aomori's Vanraure Hachinohe in the first fixture of the 2008 season on Sunday... the students of Fuji Club 2003 beat Tono Club in the other match...

Sun 27 Apr: Fuji Club 2003 2-0 Tono Club
Sun 27 Apr: Vanraure Hachinohe 1-2 Nippon Steel Kamaishi

Division 1 of the Tohoku League began their new season on Sunday. Champions Grulla Morioka weren't in league action, but last year's runners-up NEC Tokin commenced with a 5-0 thrashing of promoted side FC Akita Cambiare... the shock of the day was at Wiese Shiogama, where the home side were defeated 3-0 by neighbours Sendai Nakata Club...

Sun 27 Apr: FC Primeiro 4-1 Furukawa Battery
Sun 27 Apr: NEC Tokin 5-0 FC Akita Cambiare
Sun 27 Apr: Wiese Shiogama 0-3 Sendai Nakata Club

It's still very close in Division 2 of the Kanto League... leaders Hanno Bruder drew at Aries FC Tokyo in the game on holiday Tuesday and are one point clear of Kanagawa Teachers as a result... FC Korea move up the standings thanks to their exciting 5-3 defeat of the former Furukawa Electrics Chiba club, SAI Ichihara SC - and it's Ichihara who are now bottom...

Sun 27 Apr FC Korea 5-3 SAI Ichihara SC
Sun 27 Apr Kanagawa Teachers 2-1 Vertfee Takahara Nasu
Sun 27 Apr Yonoshuyonkai 2-1 TFSC

Tue 29 Apr Aries FC Tokyo 1-1 Hanno Bruder

1. Hanno Bruder 8 (+2)
2. Kanagawa Teachers 7 (+2)
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3. Aries FC Tokyo 7 (-2)
4. Vertfee Takahara Nasu 6 (+2)
5. FC Korea 6 (-)
6. TFSC 4 (+2)
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7. Yonoshuyokonkai 4 (-2)
8. SAI Ichihara SC 3 (-4)

The shock of the round in Division 1 of the Kanto League over the weekend came in Ibaraki, where Club Dragons brought Luminozo Sayama's 100% record to an abrupt end with a 4-2 win... this means champions FC Machida Zelvia are now three points clear at the top, following their defeat of Toho Titanium... at the bottom, Saitama SC and MSDF Atsugi Marcus picked up their first points of the season...

Sat 26 Apr: Club Dragons 4-2 Luminozo Sayama
Sat 26 Apr: Toho Titanium 0-3 FC Machida Zelvia

Sun 27 Apr: Saitama SC 1-1 Hitachi Tochigi Uva
Sun 27 Apr: YSCC 3-3 MSDF Atsugi Marcus

1. FC Machida Zelvia 12 (+9)
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2. Luminozo Sayama 9 (+4)
3. Hitachi Tochigi Uva 8 (+3)
4. YSCC 6 (+1)
5. Club Dragons 4 (-1)
6. Toho Titanium 2 (-5)
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7. Saitama SC 1 (-3)
8. MSDF Atsugi Marcus 1 (-8)

JEF Reserves' disappointing season continued in the single holiday Tuesday JFL fixture. They lost to a last-minute goal at home to Mio Biwako Kusatsu and tumble to fourteenth, while newcomers Mio are now up to sixth in the standings.

Tue 29 Apr: JEF Reserves 0-1 Mio Biwako Kusatsu

1. Yokogawa Musashino 22 (+9)
2. Fagiano Okayama 20 (+9)
3. Tochigi SC 19 (+10)
4. Honda FC 18 (+9)
5. Ryutsu Keizai University 14 (+2)
6. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 14 (+2)
7. New Wave Kitakyushu 12 (-)
8. Kataller Toyama 11 (+3)
9. FC Kariya 11 (+2)
10. Sony Sendai 10 (+3)
11. Gainare Tottori 9 (+1)
12. Sagawa Shiga FC 8 (-)
13. FC Ryukyu 8 (-5)
14. JEF Reserves 8 (-5)
15. Sagawa Printing 6 (-11)
16. Mitsubishi Mizushima 5 (-12)
17. TDK SC 3 (-8)
18. Arte Takasaki 2 (-9)