Unbeaten Kagoshima Go Top; Gunma Make Managerial Change After Difficult Run [Monthly Report (September): MEIJI YASUDA J3]

Matchweeks 5 to 8 of the MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE were played in September, along with the rescheduled Matchweek 1 fixture between FC Ryukyu and Giravanz Kitakyushu.

Kagoshima carried their unbeaten August form into September and climbed to the top of the table. They won their first three matches of the month before drawing in Matchweek 8, finishing September with three wins and a draw. That extended their unbeaten start to the season and took them to 20 points, three clear at the top.

Although they conceded in all four matches during the month, there were encouraging signs in attack, with new signing Juanma Delgado finding form. Kagoshima have continued to show the qualities that brought them success in the J2/J3 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE and head into October with plenty of momentum.

Second-placed Ehime suffered their first defeat of the season against FC Osaka in Matchweek 6, a meeting between two previously unbeaten sides. They still collected two wins and a draw from their other three matches, with Shota Tamura continuing his strong scoring form.

That victory over Ehime sparked an impressive run for FC Osaka, who won three straight matches from Matchweek 6 to move up to third. They remain unbeaten alongside Kagoshima and have complemented their defensive solidity with a greater attacking threat, scoring four goals in each of their last two matches.

Yamaguchi and Nara also made significant progress during the month. Yamaguchi won three straight from Matchweek 5 to rise to fourth, while Nara matched that run from Matchweek 6 to move into fifth. Nara were particularly impressive going forward, scoring 11 goals in their four September matches.

Gifu, by contrast, lost momentum after ending August top of the table. Three consecutive defeats from Matchweek 5 saw them fall to sixth. Sagamihara also dropped from fourth to eighth after managing just one win, while three defeats sent Tottori from fifth to 13th.

Further down the table, Matsumoto finally claimed their first win of the season by beating Tochigi SC in Matchweek 8. Fukushima also made progress after going winless in August, beating Gunma in Matchweek 5 and Nagano in Matchweek 8 to move from bottom at the end of August to 16th.

Gunma responded to a heavy Matchweek 6 defeat against Yamaguchi by changing managers. The change had an immediate effect, as they beat Kochi in Mitsumasa Yoda's first match in charge.

Kochi and Sanuki both ended September without a win and slipped to 19th and 20th respectively. Sanuki lost all four of their matches and failed to pick up a point. They have continued to find the net, but after conceding 10 goals during the month, tightening up defensively will be the priority as they look to turn things around.

MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE Results (September)