Don`t Blame it On Sunshine....Verdy 2 - 0 Vortis

Kobayashi doing The Dog on Sugimoto. It`s allowed when you`re top of the league.

A superb day out today readers which not even one of the most boring games of football ever to be played on Planet Earth could ruin. The sun was shining, clear blue skies and the sakura were in bloom around the stadium. Ajinomoto is by no means picturesque in any stretch of the imagination but on a day like yesterday it doesn`t matter where you are or what you are doing; life is good.
Which is lucky really as the game itself was virtually devoid of incident for the first 60 minutes. Verdy started out with Fukatsu and Tsuchiya in the centre with Mori and Takahashi in the full back berths, Iio and Nishi were on the flanks with Kobayashi and Wada in the centre. Takuma Abe and loan signing Sugimoto completed the line up.  Up to the 60th minute neither keeper had a save to make and the only notable action was a nasty clash of heads between Tsuchiya and a Vortis forward and Vortis hitting the bar right on the stroke of halftime. Dull, Dull, Dull.....but sunny and warm.
Into the second half and finally Verdy got going with Sugimoto adding to his debut goal following neat passing from Nishi and Kobayashi to leave him with just the keeper to beat. Vortis never really managed to trouble Shibasaki in the Verdy goal and it was Kobayashi who added to his tally for the year with the clincher two minutes from time. Set up by Abe, Kobayashi ensured that Verdy were in top spot before Bellmare very unsportingly decided to beat Machida later in the day. So, top for only an hour or two but top is still top.  After the game we went for some post match beers in the grounds of a nice temple in Fuchu and decided that life is more than sweet in the spring sunshine at Hanami time.

Top of the Pops Like Tizer

Looks full of goodness here. 

Three points tomorrow against Tokushima Vortis coupled with an M-Size Bellmare loss and Verdy will be somewhat rarer than a 17 legged, green eyed, unopened, first edition, 10" folding gatefold sleeve,stickers still intact, sleeve unmarked, signed by all members of the ORIGNAL line up before the first album with the misspelt B-side Groove Machine. Number1Top DogNumeroUnoBig Boss ManChiefIchi-banCockOfTheFurkinNorth!!! They`ll most likely bollocks it up, but for now I`ll be in the living room living the dream.
In other news captain Yuki Kobayashi and new signing Kenyu Sugimoto have both been invited to train with the U-23 squad.

Altitude Sickness

If we top the table the goat is re-incarnated.

Classic!! Machida 1 - 2 Verdy

Verdy moved up to second in a game billed as "The Tokyo Classic". Move over Barcelona v Real Madrid there`s a new fixture in town.  Righto.....er.....that`s twice EVER the two teams have met. One Emperor`s Cup win to Machida and yesterdays result for the Greens. So that`s one win each in this CLASSIC fixture. Check out a bomb from Takuma Abe for his 3rd of the season, Verdy`s vomit inducing away kit and a debut goal for Sugimoto signed from Cerezo Osaka.  Click on Kawakatsu`s ever so groovy cap for extended highlights below and big thanks to the chap who put them up.