Just to confirm OF's point that reserve defender Daiki Niwa - currently on loan from Gamba Osaka - has in turn been rented out to Avispa Fukuoka until the end of January 2009. The 22-year-old, who spent last year as a mainstay in the back four at J2 minnows Tokushima Vortis, has made only two appearances in the Nabisco Cup for Ardija.

Ardija midfielder and captain Yoshiyuki Kobayashi will be out of action for around four weeks after having picked up a calf injury in training on Tuesday.

GGOA has in recent weeks been in touch with fans of NK Rudar Trbovlje, a team playing in the Ljubljana section of the fourth division in the Slovenian league. Rudar is the home town club of Ardija's striker Klemen Lavric, who took his first steps as a footballer with them at the age of ten in 1991. He went on to play several matches for the first team, scoring a number of goals at a time when Rudar were a second division side.

NK Rudar Trbovlje were formed in 1922 and in the 80s reached the second division of the league in what was at that time federal Yugoslavia, having on three occasions been local champions in Slovenia. The club's decline began in 1992 when they were relegated out of the Slovenian first division and they have since 2002 been playing in Division 4.

As well as Klemen, Rudar is also the home club of fellow international Miso Brecko and they have a reputation for bringing on young players, with over 150 youngsters currently on their books. Over the winter the club redeveloped their ground, Stadion Rudar, which has a capacity of 2000 (1100 seats) and they are aiming for promotion to the third division in the forthcoming season.



They have a new stadium, too



Rudar's predecessor club, ŠK Zora



Klemen Lavric in 1991/2, in the middle of the back row

With thanks to Tito at NK Rudar Trbovlje.si for his help in providing information and for permission to reproduce the photos that accompany this article.

Omiya Ardija have already announced their first signing for next season in the form of defender Shunsuke Fukuda, a defender currently at Hosei University. The 22-year-old will join the club when he completes his studies, in time for the commencement of the 2009 campaign.

Yosuke Kataoka will miss Saturday's match with Gamba Osaka after the defensive midfield man picked up his fourth yellow card of the season against Consadole Sapporo.

After having ended up on the receiving end of some of the JFA's more eccentric ideas about where to stage Emperor's Cup matches in recent seasons, in 2008 Ardija are scheduled to play at Omiya Park in the Fourth Round of the competition. The exact date has yet to be finalised, although it will be on either Sun 02 or Mon 03 November, with the most likely opposition being J2 promotion chasers Cerezo Osaka. Win that tie and the Squirrels will again be at home in the Fifth Round, the seeded fixture grid suggesting that Nagoya Grampus may well be making a return trip to Saitama.

Friendly, Mon 21 Jul

Omiya Ardija 6-1 Meiji University

1st Omiya goal - Sakurai 13'
Meiji goal unknown
2-1 Niwa 52'
3-1 Kawanabe 54'
4-1 Imai 69'
5-1 Tsukamoto 79'
6-1 Tokita 89'

GK Shimizu (Nobuhisa Kobayashi 45')
DF Tsubouchi (Higuchi 45')
DF Kawahara
DF Niwa
DF Tsukamoto
MF Aoki
MF Kawanabe
MF Tokita
MF Kawagishi (Arai 45')
FW Sakurai (Imai 45')
FW Ichikawa