Mito HollyHock

Mito Hollyhock
水戸ホーリーホック
Full name Football Club Mito HollyHock Ibaraki
Nickname(s) HollyHock, FC Mito
Founded 1990, 1994
Ground K's denki Stadium Mito
Mito, Ibaraki
Ground Capacity 12,000
Chairman Kunio Numata
Manager Takayuki Nishigaya
League J2 League
2015 19th
Website Club home page

Mito HollyHock (水戸ホーリーホック Mito Hōrīhokku) is a Japanese professional football (soccer) club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team's hometown is located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Its nickname "HollyHock" derives from the family crest of the Tokugawa clan who governed from Mito in the Edo period.

History

The club was founded in 1990 as Prima Aseno FC by the factory workers of Prima Ham (a food company) in Tsuchiura. It changed its name to Prima Ham FC Tsuchiura and gained promotion to the Japan Football League after finishing as runner-up in the 1996 Regional League play-off. It merged with FC Mito (founded in 1994) and re-branded itself as Mito HollyHock before the start of the 1997 season when Prima Ham decided to discontinue its financial support to the club.

Mito's application to play in the inaugural 1999 season of J. League Division 2 was initially turned down due to an unstable financial and fan base. However, after finishing 3rd in the Japan Football League in 1999 and gaining support, the club was invited into the J. League in 2000.

As of 2016, Mito HollyHock fields teams in women's football[1] in Kanto league division 2, and ice hockey[2] in the Ibaraki prefecture league.

Strategy

Being a traditionally weak club in the league, Mito has tended to play a defensive game and has proven successful at it. This stinginess at the back is often referred to as "Mito-nachio" after the Catenaccio playing style, which is also a pun on the hometown's local specialty, Mito natto.

Recently, though, the team has been attempting implementation of stronger offensive tactics in an attempt to gain momentum for a promotion bid.

Current squad

As of 21 February 2016.[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Koji Homma
2 Japan DF Taiki Tamukai
3 Japan DF Kazuki Sato
4 Japan DF Takaaki Kinoshita
5 Japan DF Makito Ito
6 Japan DF Kose Ishigami
7 Japan MF Akihiro Hyodo
8 Peru MF Romero Frank (on loan from Albirex Niigata)
9 Japan FW Hiroki Bandai
10 Japan MF Keisuke Funatani (captain)
11 Japan FW Kohei Mishima
13 Japan DF Natsuki Mugikura
14 Japan MF Sho Sato
No. Position Player
15 Japan FW Taisei Kadoguchi
16 Vietnam FW Nguyễn Công Phượng (on loan from Hoàng Anh Gia Lai)
17 Japan MF Yosuke Yuzawa
18 Japan MF Eiji Shirai
19 Japan FW Yuki Yamamura
20 Japan DF Junya Imase
21 Japan GK Takashi Kasahara
22 Japan DF Kohei Uchida
23 Japan GK Akihisa Okada
24 Japan DF Junya Hosokawa
26 Japan MF Kazuhiro Sato
27 Japan MF Shota Saito (on loan from Urawa Reds)
30 South Korea DF Song Ju-hun (on loan from Albirex Niigata)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Japan DF Takamasa Yamazaki (at Vanraure Hachinohe)
Japan MF Hayato Ikegaya (at Gainare Tottori)

Record as J. League member

Season Div. Tms. Pos. Attendance/G J. League Cup Emperor's Cup
2000 J2 10 9 2,021 1st Round 3rd Round
2001 J2 12 11 1,559 1st Round 3rd Round
2002 J2 12 10 2,739 3rd Round
2003 J2 12 7 3,085 3rd Round
2004 J2 12 9 3,773 4th Round
2005 J2 12 10 3,334 4th Round
2006 J2 13 10 3,017 3rd Round
2007 J2 13 12 2,415 4th Round
2008 J2 15 11 3,044 4th Round
2009 J2 18 8 2,673 2nd Round
2010 J2 19 16 3,608 3rd Round
2011 J2 20 17 3,349 4th Round
2012 J2 22 13 3,973 3rd Round
2013 J2 22 15 4,630 3rd Round
2014 J2 22 15 4,734 3rd Round
2015 J2 22 19 4,816 4th Round
Key

Images (from the former home stadium)

References

External links

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