When the season began back in March, only a fool would have predicted that Oita Trinita would go into November preparing for a cup final just two points off the top of the J. League table.
After a 14th-place finish the previous year, events during the offseason did not exactly suggest the planets would align for one of the league's least fashionable clubs.
First, Urawa Reds came calling for star midfielder Tsukasa Umesaki, seducing the youngster with the promise of playing for trophies rather than survival. Then Umesaki's loan replacement from Gamba Osaka, Akihiro Ienaga, injured his knee before the first ball of the season had even been kicked.