Mito HollyHock

The Mito HollyHock coaching staff, or possibly Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1628 – 1701) and his faithful retainers Sukesan and Kakusan.

Readers of the old blog Plenty of Nothing will know I’ve been following Mito HollyHock for a long long time, possessed by their ability to finish mid-table in J2 year after year. But this weekend HollyHock could finally earn promotion to the top Japanese division, where they have never been before. The matches that will affect this are:

V-Varen Nagasaki (66 points) [2 – 1] Mito HollyHock (67)
Oita Trinita (38) [0 – 1] JEF United (63)
Omiya Ardija (63) [1 – 2] Tokushima Vortis (61)
Blaublitz Akita (42) [0 – 0] Vegalta Sendai (61)

If Mito don’t lock it down this weekend there’s still the final league fixture next weekend, and after that a playoff for the third promotion spot. [It’s still in doubt.]

Also, it’s the 105th Emperor’s Cup final. Vissel Kobe play Machida Zelvia. Vissel have been to the final twice before and won both times. It’s the first time to the final for Zelvia. This is the second year in a row that the final lands in mid-November.

Machida Zelvia [3 – 1] Vissel Kobe

Meanwhile, Morton visit Dunfermline. The Pars are fifth with 19 points, Morton sixth with 18. Morton have won two in a row and are undefeated in three. This season’s first meeting between the Ton and the Pars ended in a scoreless draw.

Q: Which current Morton players predate manager Imrie? A: Cameron Blues and Michael Garrity who were both signed by David Hopkin.

[Dunfermline 1 – 0 Morton.]

The other Championship matches:
Airdrieonians (10th) [0 – 1] Ayr United (4th)
Arbroath (3rd) [0 – 0] Raith Rovers (7th)
Partick Thistle (2nd) [2 – 1] St Johnstone (1st)
Queen’s Park (8th) vs Ross County (9th) (yesterday) (postponed)

Other matches:
Largs Thistle 1 – 1 Kilmarnock XI (friendly) (November 17)
Meshtakhe 1 – 0 Gonio (yesterday)
Zawisza [1 – 1] Lipno Stęszew
Fortuna Düsseldorf [2 – 1] 1.FC Magdeburg
Wick Academy [6 – 1] Deveronvale
Clydebank [1 – 1] Linlithgow Rose
YSCC [2 – 3] Grulla Morioka (tomorrow) [This ends the JFL regular season. Grulla finish mid-table.]
Forfar Farmington [2 – 1] Morton Women (tomorrow)

Scottish Sun watch: No mention of league-leading Heart of Midlothian in the top 57 football articles in Tuesday’s edition.

Football Times Cup, QF:
Clachnacuddin ‘A’ vs Golspie Sutherland [postponed]

Scottish Junior Cup, R4:
Yoker Athletic 2 – 4 Rutherglen Glencairn (yesterday)
Arbroath Victoria [0 – 3] Pollok
Auchinleck Talbot [2 – 0] Vale of Clyde
Benburb [2 – 1] Tayport
Blantyre Victoria [1 – 6] Thorniewood United
Carnoustie Panmure vs Troon [postponed]
Giffnock [0 – 4] Dundee Violet
Johnstone Burgh vs Renfrew [postponed]
Kilbirnie Ladeside [0 – 3] Dundee North End
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy [6 – 2] Bellshill Athletic
Lanark United vs Buchanhaven Hearts [postponed]
Lesmahagow vs Largs Thistle [postponed]

Scottish Challenge Cup, league phase, matchday 6, rearranged fixtures:
Montrose 4 – 4 Hibs B (November 17)
Dumbarton 0 – 2 Stenhousemuir (November 19)

The SPFL has been conducting experiments on the Challenge Cup for a decade or more, with very mixed results. This season’s cup began with a league phase involving the twenty League One and Two clubs plus ten Premiership B sides, each playing six matches. This league phase, spread over three months, served to eliminate eight teams, all of them Premiership B sides in the end. In the draw for Round Two the clubs are ranked by league position in last year’s Championship (with St Johnstone, Ross County and Arbroath slotted in) followed by the Challenge Cup league phase final standings. Pairs of higher clubs are matched against pairs of lower clubs, and from these pairings the actual fixtures are drawn by lot. By this method either Raith Rovers or Morton will play either Hamilton or Stirling. The final position of every team in the league phase must be known before the Round Two draw can happen, consequently the draw had to be delayed a week until those two postponed fixtures were completed.

The draw was held yesterday in such a way that home field advantage went to 8 higher teams and 8 lower teams. Morton will visit Stirling Albion.

Strathclyde Cup, matchday 4:
Port Glasgow [5 – 0] Forth Wanderers
Whitletts Victoria [7 – 0] Campbeltown Pupils [Whitletts Victoria win the Strathclyde Cup.]

West of Scotland League Cup, R1:
BSC Glasgow [0 – 4] Petershill

West of Scotland League Cup, R2:
Shotts Bon Accord [5 – 0] Irvine Victoria
Thorn Athletic [4 – 3] Maybole

2026 World Cup Qualification (November 18):
Scotland 4 – 2 Denmark
Goal by Shankland. Scotland qualify for the World Cup.

Canadian Premier League: Valour FC has folded. This makes Winnipeg the second Prairie city to lose a CanPL team. HFX Wanderers will be hard hit because Valour were the only club they could beat consistently.

MLS Western Conference SF:
Vancouver Whitecaps [2 – 2] Los Angeles FC [Vancouver win on PK]

2025 Japanese Regional Football Champions League final round:
2025/11/20 Tokyo United 0 – 1 Vonds Ichihara
2025/11/20 Veroskronos Tsuna 0 – 0 J-Lease
2025/11/22 Tokyo United [1 – 2] Veroskronos Tsuna
2025/11/22 Vonds Ichihara [0 – 1] J-Lease
2025/11/24 Tokyo United [0 – 1] J-Lease
2025/11/24 Vonds Ichihara [1 – 0] Veroskronos Tsuna
[J-Lease are promoted and Vonds Ichihara go into a playoff against Atletico Suzuka.]

47th Empress’s Cup, R3:
Match No. 33: Urawa Reds (WE) [1 – 2] Iga FC Kunoichi Mie (N1) (tomorrow) Upset
Match No. 34: Nippon Sport Science University SMG Yokohama (N1) [2 – 0] Diossa Izumo (Chugoku)
Match No. 35: INAC Kobe Leonessa (WE) [1 – 0] Shizuoka SSU Bonita (N1)
Match No. 36: Mynavi Sendai (WE) [0 – 0] Albirex Niigata (WE) [Albirex win on PK]
Match No. 37: NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza (WE) [1 – 2] Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina (WE)
Match No. 38: Harima Albion (N1) [1 – 0] JFA Academy Fukushima (Tohoku)
Match No. 39: Cerezo Osaka (WE) [1 – 0] Nojima Stella (WE)
Match No. 40: Nagano Parceiro (WE) [0 – 2] NGU Loveledge Nagoya (N1) Upset

Historical matches:
1890/11/22 Morton 1 – 3 Dykebar
1930/11/22 Rangers 7 – 1 Morton
1952/11/22 Dundee United 0 – 4 Morton
1980/11/22 Morton 3 – 1 Airdrieonians

Cup results of the 1890-91 SFL clubs:
1890/11/22 Third Lanark 3 – 3 Rangers (Glasgow Cup R3 2nd replay)
1890/11/22 Celtic 5 – 1 Partick Thistle (Glasgow Cup SF)
1890/11/22 St Mirren vs Abercorn (abandoned) (Renfrewshire Cup R2)
1890/11/22 Leith Athletic 2 – 2 Hearts (East of Scotland Shield R4)
1890/11/22 Duntocher Harp 2 – 10 Dumbarton (Dumbartonshire Cup R2)
1890/11/22 Dumbarton Union 3 – 5 Vale of Leven (Dumbartonshire Cup R2)