Mighty Manabu Goes Home

Following the end of his season-long loan to J2 outfit Ehime FC and his subsequent release by the Squirrels, forward Manabu Wakabayashi has returned to J-League newcomers Tochigi SC. Wakabayashi signed for Omiya in the latter stages of the 2005 season, having scored fourteen times in twenty games for Tochigi in the JFL. He scored in his debut in the Emperor's Cup and later on in his Ardija career chipped in with several vital goals - most notably at Kawasaki Frontale and at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the relegation dogfight of 2007. But Wakabayashi, now 29, never made a first-team place for himself and was generally used as a substitute. It was therefore no surprise to see him loaned out to Ehime for the whole of last year.

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