Japanese Non-league Football News

The Nagano pair of FC Antelope Shiojiri and Ueda Gentian still lead the way in the Hokushinetsu League Division 2, but they swapped places at the weekend. Antelope's 3-0 defeat of Niigata University of Health & Welfare took them past their neighbours on goal difference... Maruoka Phoenix are still rock bottom with no points. They lost at Niigata University of Management... The Ohara School JaSRA match against Nissei Resin was postponed due to fog...

Sun 11 May: FC Antelope Shiojiri 3-0 Niigata U of Health & Welfare
Sun 11 May: Niigata U of Management 3-0 Maruoka Phoenix
Sun 11 May: Ohara School JaSRA P-P Nissei Resin
Sun 11 May: Ueda Gentian 1-0 CUPS Niigata

1. FC Antelope Shiojiri 9 (+6)
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2. Ueda Gentian 9 (+5)
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3. Niigata U of Management 4 (-)
4. Ohara School JaSRA 3 (+1)
5. CUPS Niigata 3 (-)
6. Niigata U of Health & Welfare 3 (-1)
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7. Nissei Resin 1 (-3)
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8. Maruoka Phoenix 0 (-8)

The 2008 Hokkaido League season begain on Sunday, champions Clubfields Norbritz Hokkaido kicking off with an easy win over promoted side SSS Shefield... the other newcomers, R Superb Kushiro, recorded an impressive 2-1 win over last year's runners up, Sapporo Winds...

Sun 11 May: Barefoot Hokkaido 3-3 Blackpecker Hakodate
Sun 11 May: Clubfields Norbritz Hokkaido 5-1 SSS Shefield
Sun 11 May: Sapporo FC 2-1 Toyota Motors Hokkaido
Sun 11 May: Sapporo Winds 1-2 R Superb Kushiro

1. Clubfields Norbritz Hokkaido 3 (+4)
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2. = R Superb Kushiro 3 (+1)
2. = Sapporo FC 3 (+1)
4. = Barefoot Hokkaido 1 (-)
4. = Blackpecker Hakodate 1 (-)
6. = Sapporo Winds 0 (-1)
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6. = Toyota Motors Hokkaido 0 (-1)
8. SSS Shefield 0 (-4)

New leaders in the JFL are company side Yokogawa Musashino, as they won the big clash of the weekend against Tochigi SC... Fagiano Okayama were felled by one of the shocks of the season so far, conceding a late goal to lose at home to TDK SC... meanwhile Honda FC move into second following their 3-1 win over JEF Reserves... and climbing the table now are FC Ryukyu, after the well-backed Okinawans cruised to victory against Mitsubishi Mizushima...

Sat 10 May: Mio Biwako Kusatsu 0-0 FC Kariya
Sat 10 May: Yokogawa Musashino 1-0 Tochigi SC

Sun 11 May: Fagiano Okayama 1-2 TDK SC
Sun 11 May: FC Ryukyu 4-1 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sun 11 May: Honda FC 3-1 JEF Reserves
Sun 11 May: Kataller Toyama 3-2 Ryutsu Keizai University
Sun 11 May: New Wave Kitakyushu 1-1 Sagawa Printing
Sun 11 May: Sagawa Shiga FC 2-1 Sony Sendai

Mon 12 May: Arte Takasaki 1-1 Gainare Tottori

1. Yokogawa Musashino 29 (+11)
2. Honda FC 27 (+14)
3. Fagiano Okayama 26 (+11)
4. Tochigi SC 25 (+14)
5. FC Kariya 18 (+6)
6. Mio Biwako Kusatsu 18 (+2)
7. Sagawa Shiga FC 17 (+3)
8. New Wave Kitakyushu 17 (+1)
9. Kataller Toyama 15 (+2)
10. Ryutsu Keizai University 15 (-1)
11. Sony Sendai 13 (+3)
12. Gainare Tottori 11 (-)
13. FC Ryukyu 11 (-6)
14. Sagawa Printing 8 (-12)
15. JEF Reserves 8 (-12)
16. Mitsubishi Mizushima 8 (-15)
17. TDK SC 6 (-9)
18. Arte Takasaki 3 (-12)

Honda Lock kept going their perfect start to the Kyushu League season, beating bottom side Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki comfortably... Mitsubishi's rivals V Varen Nagasaki dropped vital points in the race for the championship, drawing with Okinawa Kariyushi but then losing on penalties... still third despite a shoot-out defeat of their own are Volca Kagoshima... Kyushu INAX got a critical win in the battle to avoid relegation, 2-1 at Osumi NIFS United...

Sun 11 May: Honda Lock 5-0 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki
Sun 11 May: Kaiho Bank SC 2-1 Vainqueur Kumamoto
Sun 11 May: Nippon Steel Oita 1-1 Volca Kagoshima (PK 4-2)
Sun 11 May: Osumi NIFS United 1-2 Kyushu INAX
Sun 11 May: V Varen Nagasaki 0-0 Okinawa Kariyushi (PK 8-9)

1. Honda Lock 15 (+26)
2. V Varen Nagasaki 13 (+19)
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3. Volca Kagoshima 13 (+5)
4. Nippon Steel Oita 11 (+10)
5. Okinawa Kariyushi 11 (+8)
6. Kaiho Bank SC 6 (-7)
7. Kyushu INAX 3 (-11)
8. Vainqueur Kumamoto 3 (-17)
9. Osumi NIFS United 0 (-12)
10. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 0 (-21)

A major shock hit Division 1 of the Hokushinetsu League on Sunday, as promoted side Granscena Niigata hit five to beat neighbours Japan Soccer College... that result enabled Zweigen Kanazawa and AC Nagano Parceiro to go clear at the top, after crushing wins over Saurcos Fukui and Fervorosa Ishikawa Hakusan respectively...

Sun 11 May: AC Nagano Parceiro 8-0 Fervorosa Ishikawa Hakusan
Sun 11 May: Japan Soccer College 3-5 Granscena Niigata
Sun 11 May: Matsumoto Yamaga Club 3-2 Valiente Toyama
Sun 11 May: Zweigen Kanazawa 5-1 Saurcos Fukui

1. Zweigen Kanazawa 9 (+15)
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2. AC Nagano Parceiro 9 (+11)
3. Japan Soccer College 6 (+6)
4. Matsumoto Yamaga Club 5 (+1)
5. Granscena Niigata 4 (-)
6. Saurcos Fukui 1 (-5)
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7. Valiente Toyama 0 (-7)
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8. Fervorosa Ishikawa Hakusan 0 (-21)

It was draws all round for the top teams in the Chugoku League. Renofa Yamaguchi were surprisingly held at home by NTN Okayama, but they're still three points clear as Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku and Dezzolla Shimane finished their match goalless... now second on goal difference are last season's Yamaguchi Prefectural League champions FC Ube Yahhh-man after they won at Hiroshima Fujita SC...

Sun 11 May: Hiroshima Fujita SC 1-2 FC Ube Yahhh-man
Sun 11 May: Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 4-2 JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama
Sun 11 May: Renofa Yamaguchi 2-2 NTN Okayama
Sun 11 May: Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 0-0 Dezzolla Shimane

1. Renofa Yamaguchi 11 (+6)
2. FC Ube Yahhh-man 8 (+6)
3. Dezzolla Shimane 8 (+1)
4. Sagawa Kyubin Chugoku 7 (+7)
5. NTN Okayama 7 (+2)
6. Hitachi Manufacturing Kasado 6 (-2)
7. Hiroshima Fujita SC 3 (-2)
8. Mazda SC 3 (-8)
9. JFE Steel Western Japan Fukuyama 0 (-10)