Four More Players To Leave

The Squirrels have announced the release of four more players following the end of the 2009 season. It was predictable enough to see reserve keeper Takahiro Takagi and defender Yusuke Murayama be on the list, but more of a surprise is that two more defenders, Yasuhiro Hato and Daisuke Tomita, have also played their last matches for Omiya. Hato, 33, has been a first-choice member of the team throughout his four years at Ardija, while Tomita's career with the club spans fully six seasons and it is only really during 2009 that he has stopped being a regular member of the first team.

Even so, Jang Wae Ryong has in recent weeks reverted to using both players alongside Mato Neretljak and Yosuke Kataoka, an indication that Hato and Tomita have been regarded as a safe bet. The same cannot really be said of Murayama, a limited player at best and one who has made only a couple of league appearances this season. He joined Ardija midway through the 2007 campaign from Shonan Bellmare and has generally been used as a substitute or squad player. Takagi, on paper a Squirrel since 2004, has actually spent three full seasons out on loan and has only played for Omiya in the Nabisco Cup.

*