The Omiya Ardija Chronicle
Squad21 Sep 2026
A one-man rearguard from Thomas Glover
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Nothing got past Masato Kojima
29 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A move Jumpei Hayakawa would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Jumpei Hayakawa is living that version at Omiya Ardija, and it tends to show in the first month.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words at Omiya Ardija training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryuya Nishio is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Omiya Ardija
Gabriel was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Nothing got past Ryuya Nishio
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Nobody could get near Ota Yamamoto
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market21 Sep 2026
A long bet from Omiya Ardija on Jumpei Hayakawa
He is 20, and nobody at Omiya Ardija signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Match19 Sep 2026
Omiya Ardija draw a blank against Albirex Niigata
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Albirex Niigata defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
In brief
- Player ratings Nothing got past Hijiri Kato
- Market Omiya Ardija shop where it costs nothing
- Market Kota Nakayama leaves for nothing