TLFG: 10-16 December 2018

Welcome one and all to this week's TLFG and apologies for the late publication.

Work and childcare have caught up with me this week and the blog is back to match maps only as a result.

I haven't really got very much more to add and don't have the time to anyway so enjoy your football watching and I hope to have a bit more for you next week.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in the Europa League, Premier League, EFL, FA Trophy and most of our local non-league competitions. There are also some eye-catching U23 matches and FA Youth Cup games.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 3-9 December 2018

Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.

With my recently born daughter nearly six weeks old, this edition of the blog is pretty much back to full strength with all the normal features restored.

Not only that but I did manage to finally get to a game, taking my five-year-old to her first Harrow Borough match.

With QPR playing Hull on my doorstep, it looked highly likely that that would be our destination but as a result of the fairly last-minute decision to attend, we'd have been looking at a whopping £50+ for the two of us to go!

The purse strings are a bit tight at the moment so it wasn't that hard to decide that a non-league option would be better value.

So with snacks and distractions secured in a rucksack we headed out to the north-western suburbs to watch The Boro who I followed avidly as a youth.

Steve Baker's side have been a revelation since being moved from the Bostik League to Evo-Stik League over the summer.

My eldest daughter snaps some of the action at her first Harrow Borough game

It was usually a case of trying to stave off relegation every year but now Harrow are play-off contenders and scoring for fun.

On Saturday they welcomed a midtable Farnborough side for what could have been a tricky fixture.

With two of Boro's stars of the recent past, Marc Charles-Smith and Kurtis Cumberbatch, in their squad they looked good on paper.

However, that never even came close to being the case as Harrow totally played them off the park.

After wasting a couple of gilt-edged chances, it took 28 minutes for the first goal to arrive when the ball was forced home from close range by top scorer Ryan Moss at a corner.

It stayed that way until the interval and you thought it could be one of those days when a dominant team failing to score more could have been punished but that simply didn't happen.

The goals just kept coming at roughly 10-15 minute intervals for the rest of the half as Farnborough capitulated.

The 5-0 win lifted Harrow to sixth and also gave them the highest goals per game ratio in the division as they continue to entertain.

Despite this, average crowds remain way below what they could and should be so if you live in the area, please get along and see them soon, you won't be disappointed.

Next up they face an incredibly tough trip to leaders Taunton but in form like this who knows what they might achieve?

As for my daughter she actually really enjoyed herself.

A warm welcome from all the club staff she engaged with, a few treats from the tea bar and the chance to run up and down the terraces made a big difference.

She also received a kids' mini camera as a present recently and spent most of the time photographing things - the match, the sky, the Harrow Borough Ultras or moss on the terraces. She even asked if we could come back the next day. Job done!

When I think of her being restricted to an expensive seat at Loftus Road, getting bored and cold I know I definitely made the right call.

The match at Harrow cost us £10 to get into (it was free for her), the programme was £2 (I only bought this because it was her first game) and I think I spent about £4 on refreshments (a hefty slab of bread pudding, a KitKat and a portion of chips). With the Tube and bus fares it probably totalled around £20.

If you've got young kids then give non-league a try - they won't worry about the standard and will probably enjoy the experience a lot more.

Given the highly interrupted sleep I'm getting at the moment, TLFG's coffee drinking fund is coming in very handy during my working days so thanks again to those of you who have donated.

As always, have a great week and enjoy your football watching.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in the Premier League, EFL and most of our local non-league competitions. There are also some eye-catching U23 matches and FA Youth Cup games.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Monday 3 December

FA Youth Cup Third Round
West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers have both landed home ties in this competition for U18 sides. The Hammers play Brighton at Dagenham & Redbridge whilst QPR will entertain Rochdale at Loftus Road. Both matches kick-off at 7pm and cost somewhere in the region of £3 to get into

London Senior Cup Second Round
Haringey Borough v Leyton Orient @745pm - after pushing AFC Wimbledon hard in their recent  FA Cup First Round tie, Haringey next get the chance to take on the O's in another big cup tie. The visitors, who currently top the National League, will probably rest a few players but it should still be worth a watch

A bit further afield
In the Premier League International Cup the Tottenham U23 side will play their counterparts from Wolfsburg at Stevenage's Lamex Stadium in Hertfordshire at 7pm

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Tuesday 4 December

Premier League
Watford v Manchester City @8pm - Saturday's 2-0 loss at Leicester extended the Hornets' winless streak to four games, a period in which they've scored only one goal. Leaders City are seemingly unstoppable at the moment, scoring an average of just over three goals a game. It doesn't look great for the hosts...
West Ham United v Cardiff City @745pm - both sides picked up valuable wins this weekend to keep themselves clear of the bottom three. They haven't played each other for nearly five years when the Hammers won 2-0 in Wales, a result which took their winning run against the Bluebirds to six games in all competitions

EFL Trophy
Chelsea U21 v AFC Wimbledon @7pm - the Dons have had a miserable time in the league this season but made it through to the Third Round of the FA Cup with a win at Halifax on Saturday. Next up they travel to Stamford Bridge to play a Blues' development side. Tickets are only £5 for adults

National League South
Dartford v Torquay United @745pm - the Gulls won at Dulwich on Saturday and play another game south of the river on Tuesday (do they go all the way back to Devon or stay in town???). That win them propelled them into the top three and given Dartford are also in the top six, this could be a cracker

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Wednesday 5 December

Premier League
Fulham v Leicester City @745pm - after losing Sunday's derby at Chelsea, the Cottagers will come into this game at the foot of the table. Although nowhere near their championship winning form of 2016, the Foxes are still a very solid Premier League outfit with their current five game unbeaten run lifting them to eighth so they should start as favourites here. Most notably it will also see new Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri have the chance to get one over his former employers
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton @8pm - having suffered the disappointment of defeat in Sunday's North London Derby, Spurs will want to get back to winning ways immediately. In Southampton they face one of the best opponents they could hope for as they have been poor this season. However, they took a point of Manchester United on Saturday so can't be completely written off

FA Continental Tyres Cup
Arsenal, Chelsea, London Bees and Millwall Lionesses all have games in the latest round of group matches in this women's competition
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Thursday 6 December

A bit further afield
I never thought I'd be writing about the possibility of watching Paris St Germain play PSV Eindhoven at Woking but that's exactly what you'll be able to do on Thursday night as the clubs' U23 sides meet in the Premier League International Cup

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Friday 7 December

U23 Development Matches
There are three games on Friday and they're staggered nicely so you could see all of them. The action starts at midday at Spurs' training ground where Tottenham entertain Everton - check with the club whether the public will be admitted but it's quite common. Then at 3pm Watford face Millwall at Wingate & Finchley and finally Chelsea play West Ham at 7pm at Aldershot Town's ground

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Saturday 8 December

Premier League
Chelsea v Manchester City @530pm - the game of the week in London is this clash between two of the top three. Chelsea conceded their unbeaten record a couple of weeks back but City still have theirs intact (unless they lose at Watford). Including the FA Community Shield, City have won their last three against the Blues and will fancy their chances of extending that run here
West Ham United v Crystal Palace @3pm - there's an intriguing derby at the London Stadium where two sides towards the other end of the table battle it out for what could be three important points. Palace have only lost on four of their last 10 trips to West Ham so history suggests they should be able to get something
Arsenal v Huddersfield Town @3pm - the Terriers' recent revival came to an end against Brighton on Saturday, a defeat which must have been disappointing. The Gunners ended their week with a very satisfying 4-2 win over arch rivals Spurs to climb back into the top four. Huddersfield haven't beaten Arsenal since 1971 and that doesn't look like changing here

Championship
Brentford v Swansea City @3pm - at the time of writing the Bees have lost four of their last five and now lie just three points above the relegation zone. Swansea are back in this division after several years in the Premier League but aren't having it all their own way and are slap bang in midtable after also losing four of their last five. If you want to see two sides in bad form, this is the one for you!
Millwall v Hull City @3pm - it's a battle of the Lions against the Tigers at the Den on Saturday as two teams fighting hard to avoid the drop go head-to-head. Both had reasonable weekends with Millwall drawing at Bristol City and Hull beating QPR at Loftus Road

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Rochdale @3pm - neither side are having a great time in the league at the moment so it could be quite close. The Dons will look to have appointed a new manager by the time this game comes round with former player Wally Downes currently the favourite

Premier League 2
Fulham v Stoke City @1pm - if you've never been to Craven Cottage then this U23 fixture gives you a fine opportunity at a low price of just £3 payable on the gate

National League
Boreham Wood v Leyton Orient @1235pm - the game of the day in this division is the televised derby between last season's beaten play-off finalists and the current league leaders. The Wood aren't quite the force they were last season but are more than holding their own whilst the O's have lost only once and have already reached 50 points
Dagenham & Redbridge v FC Halifax Town @3pm - facing financial ruin, the Daggers were really struggling but with their future secured following a takeover fronted by former Man Utd goalkeeper Tim Howard, they've won four in a row and are now up in 15th. Saturday's win at Hartlepool actually put them above Halifax who were playing AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup
Sutton United v Solihull Moors @3pm - with only one win in six, the U's promotion challenge has faltered. They'll do well to get it back on track against Solihull who are on a decent unbeaten run and held League One side Blackpool to a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup on Friday

National League South
Dartford v Slough Town @3pm - if the Darts beat Torquay in midweek they could start this as proud members of the top four. Slough play just outside London and should muster a decent away following. The Berkshire club narrowly lost to League One outfit Gillingham in the FA Cup on Sunday so could be a tricky opponent

Bostik League Premier Division
AFC Hornchurch v Kingstonian @3pm - despite getting walloped by Haringey Borough on Saturday, the K's ended the weekend as the top ranked London club in the Bostik League. The Urchins aren't having a great time and will do well to win here
Haringey Borough v Folkestone Invicta @3pm - since narrowly losing to AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup, Haringey have gone on a spectacular five game winning run, beating some of the best teams in the division. Up to seventh, they could make serious inroads into the top five with another win here

Bostik League North
Aveley v Coggeshall Town @3pm - at Parkside we've got an epic clash to look forward to with the current leaders taking on the side in third. The Seed Growers are probably most famous for having pop star Olly Murs on their board

Bostik League South East
Cray Wanderers v Phoenix Sports @3pm - there's a south-east London derby at Hayes Lane where the current top club, and London's oldest, play host to Phoenix who are still very much in contention for a play-off place

FA Vase Third Round
Redbridge v Chertsey Town @3pm - after seeing this match postponed last week these sides from parallel ninth tier leagues will have another go. The winners will have a home tie in the last 32. Chertsey are currently top of the Combined Counties League so should start as favourites

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Fisher v Chatham Town @3pm - it's also leaders versus fourth at Salter Road. The difference here is that Chatham have two games in hand on Fisher and are currently six points behind so this game could be crucial

Combined Counties League Division 1
Epsom & Ewell v Bedfont & Feltham @3pm - B&F were top but have dropped to second recently as a result of playing three less games than leaders Frimley Green. They are still only two points behind but could find it tough to win at E&E who are third

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Welling Town v Sutton Athletic @3pm - with 12 wins from 17 the Boots are four points clear at the top. Although well down in sixth, Sutton have four games in hand which if won would put them top so, again, this could be a significant game come the end of the season

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Broadfields United v Winslow United @3pm - Broadfields groundshare with Harefield and the two currently fill the top two spots. If they're to keep pace with Harefield they'll need to beat Winslow who are in third. The Buckinghamshire side have a number of games in hand after having their pitch vandalised so their third place is slightly false
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Sunday 9 December

FA Women's Championship
London Bees v Leicester City @2pm - things are looking pretty quiet on Sunday with this women's game between two midtable sides being the only thing on offer

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 26 November - 2 December 2018

Welcome to TLFG.

For any who might be new to this blog or haven't read it for a while let me re-cap - my wife had a baby a few weeks ago and the amount of content in TLFG has been scaled back. However, it is gradually increasing as domestic life settles down.

This week the daily digest makes its return in a slightly briefer form than usual as the blog almost returns to normal service.

Family life and my work schedule is still hectic - I'm writing this at 2am on Sunday morning during a relatively quiet hour or two but a restive baby is starting to stir in the background.

I haven't been to a match since Non-League Day six weeks ago in which time QPR and Harrow Borough have both continued to impress - perhaps I should stay away - but I'm champing at the bit to get out there and see a game.

I am off work this Saturday and QPR v Hull is a possibility - I might even take my eldest daughter to her first game at Loftus Road but it's something I'm nervous about.

Has anyone else had the experience of taking a young child to a game and them absolutely hating it or at best been bored to tears?

I have and it becomes pretty miserable for all involved. The child hates it and you spend your time trying to entertain/bribe them for 75+ minutes and you wonder why you bothered.

What is the right age for a first game?

My friend's four-year-old joined me for QPR v Preston in 2009 when Adel Taarabt scored one of the finest goals I've ever seen and orchestrated a barnstorming 4-0 win but my young companion lost interest after 20 minutes and it ruined my enjoyment of one of the finest Rangers performances there's been in the 35 years I've been following them.

'Two Men In Search...' pay a visit to Cray Wanderers for their latest vlog

I'd love to take my daughter along regularly and bond with her over the shared love of our local team but I really doubt it will happen.

Should she be playing the game more or watching it regularly on TV before I take her or should I just let her grow up a bit more? I was nearly nine before I went to a game but then no-one in my family really watched football so it could have been different if they had.

Anyway, enough of my personal quandaries - I'm happy to say that a new vlog from our friends at 'Two Men In Search Of The Beautiful Game' is now available.

In it they visit Cray Wanderers who are the oldest team in London. They currently groundshare with Bromley but have ambitious plans to build a stadium of their own soon. They're also currently top of the eighth tier Bostik League South East and pushing hard for promotion so it's a good time to get along and watch them if you haven't been already.

Thanks to all those who have sent their best wishes and many thanks to those who have donated to TLFG's coffee drinking fund since I last wrote - much appreciated.

Apologies again for the shorter version this week but I hope it proves to be better than nothing.

As always, have a great week and enjoy your football watching.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, EFL, FA Cup, FA Trophy, FA Vase and most of our local non-league competitions and the Women's Super League.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Monday 26 November

Bostik League Premier Division
Carshalton Athletic v Dorking Wanderers @745pm - the Robins enjoyed a solid win over Walton Casuals on Saturday to move into the first round proper of the FA Trophy. They'll be joined in the draw by Wanderers who are currently top of the Bostik League and enjoying a fine season

U23 Development Matches
There are two games in the Professional Development League on Monday but the matches featuring Crystal Palace and Millwall are at the clubs' respective training grounds so you probably won't be able to get in but check on the day what the final details are

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Tuesday 27 November

Championship
Brentford v Sheffield United @745pm - after seeing manager Dean Smith leave for Aston Villa last month, the Bees' form has fallen apart. With four defeats from their last five Brentford are looking shaky and the visit of promotion chasing United isn't going to make things any easier

National League
Leyton Orient v Aldershot Town @745pm - the O's increased their lead at the top to three points after winning 2-0 at title rivals Wrexham on Saturday. They should win again here

FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round Replays
Dartford v Eastbourne Borough @745pm - after drawing 1-1 on Saturday these two NLS sides will have another go on Tuesday. The draw for the first round proper will have been made by then so the winners will know who'll they play next
Wingate & Finchley v Chippenham Town @745pm - Wingate did well to earn a replay at a team playing one division above them. The north London club should fancy their chances back on home soil

A bit further afield
Sparta Prague U23 v Feyenoord U23 - there's some Premier League International Cup action at Aldershot Town's ground on Tuesday. If you've not been here before, it's about a 45-minute train ride to this Hampshire town from Waterloo and then only a short walk to the ground

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Wednesday 28 November

Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur v Inter Milan @8pm - with only one victory from their first four group games, a win here is absolutely essential for Spurs. Like Tottenham, Inter are third in their league and will be no pushovers

Championship
Millwall v Birmingham City @745pm - if a trip to Wembley and the finery of Europe's elite is not for you, then head to Bermondsey to see the Lions continue their battle against the drop

FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round Replay
Dulwich Hamlet v Welling United @745pm - after drawing 1-1 on Saturday these two south London rivals from the NLS get the chance to lock horns again in one of Dulwich's last games at Imperial Fields

London Senior Cup Second Round
Metropolitan Police v Brentford B @745pm - I've written many times on here how I wish more of our local pro clubs would field development sides in the county cups as they used to do and as many clubs in other cities do. So hats off to the Bees who have entered an XI in the London and Middlesex cups this season

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Thursday 29 November

Europa League
Chelsea v PAOK Salonika @8pm - the Blues welcome the current Greek league leaders to Stamford Bridge on Thursday knowing only a draw will see them win the group. When they last met in September, Chelsea won 1-0 so they should triumph again here

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Friday 30 November

Essex Senior League
Tower Hamlets v Clapton @745pm - bring November to a close with this east London derby at Mile End Stadium

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Saturday 1 December

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Burnley @3pm - the Eagles picked up a priceless and very impressive point at Manchester United on Saturday to keep them just above the relegation zone. Last season's success story Burnley are really struggling to recapture the form which got them into Europe and are just alongside Palace in the battle to avoid the drop. This is a huge game for both and tickets are on sale to non-members

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Hull City @3pm - the only EFL game in London this weekend sees Steve McClaren's in-form QPR side entertain the struggling Tigers who are finding it hard to adjust to life in the second tier since falling out of the Premier League in 2017

FA Cup Second Round
Charlton Athletic v Doncaster Rovers @3pm - two of the League One play-off contenders meet in the latest round of the FA Cup with the prospect of a big Third Round tie against one of the Premier League giants dangling in front of them

National League
Leyton Orient v Gateshead @3pm - the match of the day in this division sees the leaders, at the time of writing, entertain one of the other promotion contenders
Bromley v Wrexham @3pm - the Ravens welcome the Dragons all the way from north Wales who are pushing for the title themselves

National League South
Dulwich Hamlet v Torquay United @3pm - if the Hamlet lose their midweek FA Trophy replay against Welling, then this will be their last game at Imperial Fields before their long-awaited return to Champion Hill on Boxing Day. A big crowd is expected for the visit of the former League One Gulls

Bostik League Premier Division
Kingstonian v Haringey Borough @3pm - after a sluggish start the K's have turned things round and a run of only one defeat in seven has seen them jump to second in the table. Haringey are back in ninth but have made far more headlines this season for their fine FA Cup run which saw them lose narrowly to AFC Wimbledon in a live TV game a couple of weeks back

Evo-Stik League Premier Division South
Hendon v Merthyr Town @3pm - despite a three game winless run the Greens are still a top five club and could push into the top three with a win over fourth-placed Merthyr who face a long trip up from Wales

Bostik League North
Grays Athletic v Heybridge Swifts @3pm - at Parkside we've got an Essex derby between the sides in fifth and sixth

FA Vase Third Round - this national knockout competition for teams in the ninth to 11th tiers with its final at Wembley in May is now down to its last 64 teams. The winners of each tie receive £1,125 and the losers £375
Redbridge v Chertsey Town @3pm - with the Wembley Arch starting to just appear on the horizon, things are beginning to get serious for the remaining clubs. As far as I'm aware, there are only seven TLFG clubs left in and two of them meet at Oakside here. Whilst the hosts are having a pretty unremarkable season in the Essex Senior League, Chertsey are four points clear at the top of the Combined Counties League which should in theory make them one of the favourites to win the whole thing
Erith Town v Windsor @3pm - with all our other local clubs playing away, this is the only other tie in the London area. This is a repeat of the second round tie from last season which the visitors won 2-1. Both are currently in midtable in their respective ninth-tier leagues so it should be close again
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Sunday 2 December

Premier League
Chelsea v Fulham @12pm - it's a huge day of football in London with this west London derby kicking off the action at noon. After 13 games, the Blues finally saw their unbeaten start to the season end at Wembley against Spurs on Saturday whilst the Cottagers arrested their terrible losing run with a 3-2 win over Southampton as new boss Claudio Ranieri, formerly of Chelsea, took charge for the first time. I expect a spirited performance from the visitors but they'll still do well to draw
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur @205pm - with that delicious starter out of the way, the north London derby makes up the main course shortly after. Arsenal got back to winning ways at Bournemouth so come into this just three points behind Spurs - it's anybody's

FA Cup Second Round
Barnet v Stockport County @2pm - with tickets hard to come by for both of the above, your next best option is this cup tie at The Hive. Although playing opposition from a division below them, Barnet could get one of their biggest crowds of the season on Sunday. This is because Stockport were a second tier side until as recently as 2002 and still attract average crowds of around 3,000 in the sixth tier today

FA Women's Super League
Chelsea v Reading @2pm - last season's double winners made a very iffy start but have turned things around and have made it back up to third. Still eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal, they'll need to beat fifth placed Reading to keep their already slim title hopes alive

A bit further afield
Slough Town v Gillingham @2pm - a little way beyond TLFG's western boundary, just past Heathrow we have this FA Cup Second Round tie. Slough always used to be one of the local non-league powerhouses as I was growing up and after a very rocky few years without a ground of their own, they're now back in the town with a smart new stadium and up in the sixth tier. They pulled off a cupset to beat FA Cup giantkillers par excellence Sutton United in the last round so will fancy their chances against the League One Gills. A few tickets are still on sale but are only available in person from the stadium and will probably be long gone by matchday

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 19-25 November 2018

Welcome to TLFG.

For any who might be new to this blog or haven't read it for a while let me re-cap - my wife had a baby a few weeks ago and the amount of content in TLFG has been scaled back. However, it is gradually increasing as domestic life settles down.

This week it's just the match maps again but they contain all fixtures down to the 10th tier as normal. The daily digest is the most time consuming part to research and put together and as a result it will be missing again this time.

With a very successful international break now over (well done England) - the Premier League and Championship clubs return to action and you'll be able to see all our local clubs in League One too.

I've also thrown in three fixtures outside London which might be of interest.

First up on Monday, the England U20 side have a match against their counterparts from Germany. It is being played at Colchester United's ground out in Essex. It looks close to sold out already so check before travelling whether any tickets are still available.

On Tuesday, Brazil play the next leg of their English tour with a friendly against Cameroon in Milton Keynes. Whatever you think about MK Dons, they do have a start of the art stadium which was part of England's last unsuccessful World Cup bid. Over 20,000 tickets have so far been sold so there should be a good atmosphere.

Finally on Friday evening, Chelsea entertain Tottenham in an U23 match at Aldershot Town.

There are some absolutely huge games in the Premier League this weekend and consequently tickets will be hard to get hold of for most of them but there were a few available for the matches at Fulham and West Ham the last time I checked. If you've got a previous purchasing history with Spurs then you should also be able to get one for their big derby against Chelsea at Wembley.

In the Championship tickets are available to watch Brentford take on title contenders Middlesbrough and you shouldn't struggle getting into the relegation six-pointer between Millwall and Bolton.

Despite all their off-field problems, Charlton are still proving to be highly competitive on it and are among the play-off contenders coming into this week's games. Tickets are readily available for both their fixtures this week.

Elsewhere in League One, AFC Wimbledon are struggling badly - eight straight league defeats have left them in the relegation zone and without a manager following Neal Ardley's departure.

There's plenty to enjoy at non-league level too with several derbies and the latest round of the FA Trophy where the ties at Hampton & Richmond and Welling United look rather interesting.

Thanks to all those who have sent their best wishes and many thanks to those who have donated to TLFG's coffee drinking fund since I last wrote - much appreciated.

Apologies again for the short version this week but I hope it proves to be better than nothing.

As always, have a great week and enjoy your football watching.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in the Premier League, EFL, most of our local non-league competitions and the Women's Super League.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 12-18 November 2018

Welcome to TLFG.

For any who might be new to this blog or haven't read it for a while, my wife had a baby a couple of weeks ago and the amount of content in TLFG has been scaled back. However, it is gradually increasing as domestic life settles down.

This week it's just the match maps again but they contain all fixtures down to the 10th tier as normal. The daily digest is the most time consuming part to research and put together and as a result it will be missing again this time.

We're on another international break over the next few days so there won't be any Premier League or Championship action in the capital. There is an EFL Trophy game at Charlton in midweek but that's it as far as the lower divisions of the EFL are concerned.

Aside from the usual huge selection of great non-league games there are also U23 matches and several women's games but it's the three big international fixtures that will be taking centre stage.

England have two matches at Wembley against the USA (Thursday) and Croatia (Sunday) - tickets are available for both but it's the friendly between Brazil and Uruguay at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Friday which really grabs my attention. If you want to go to this then tickets are still on sale for this one too.

A number of local non-league clubs distinguished themselves with some fine performances in the FA Cup this weekend but sadly all of them bowed out bar Barnet who earned a replay.

In the same competition, Hampton & Richmond Borough begin the week by entertaining Oldham Athletic at the Beveree on Monday but the televised clash is sold out - I twice tried unsuccessfully to get a ticket whilst friends of mine landed some. Drat!

I'm hoping to make my return to live football watching on Tuesday when the mighty Harrow Borough travel to Tooting & Mitcham United in the London Senior Cup. I have some friends among the Terrors faithful so I've been eyeing this one since the draw was made.

I'd also like to give a belated message of congratulations to all involved with National League South club Dulwich Hamlet.

After falling out with the owners of their ground they were forced to relocate to groundshare with Tooting & Mitcham towards the end of last season. Thankfully a deal has now been reached to allow them to return to Champion Hill with the first game back likely to be the already huge clash against former League One side Torquay United on 1 December. I can see this becoming an all-ticket sell out so check the club's website regularly for more details if you want to go. 

Thanks to all those who have sent their best wishes and many thanks to those who have donated to TLFG's coffee drinking fund since I last wrote - much appreciated.

Apologies again for the short version this week but I hope it proves to be better than nothing.

As always, have a great week and enjoy your football watching.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in three international fixtures, the EFL Trophy, most of our local non-league competitions and the Women's Super League.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 6-11 November 2018

Greetings one and all.

For those of you who were wondering where the blog has been for the last week or so - my wife had a baby and I've been on self imposed paternity leave.

I'm still pretty much on it and have therefore only produced match maps for Tuesday to Sunday and only down to the eighth tier.

Once things have settled down a bit, I'll aim to get things running as normal but a reduced service is likely to continue for a week or two yet.

Thanks to all those who have sent their best wishes and many thanks to those who have donated to TLFG's coffee drinking fund since I last wrote - much appreciated.

Apologies for the short version this week but I hope it proves to be better than nothing.

As always, have a great week and enjoy your football watching.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include action in the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, EFL, FA Cup and FA Trophy so it's a pretty big week. Some of the FA Cup First Round ties look great with a few of our local non-league sides welcoming EFL opposition - some of the ties have sold out whilst others will have tickets available on the day so do get involved if you can.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

TLFG: 22-28 October 2018

Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.

It looks like being a big week for me and one which could shape the future of this blog - I have a second child expected to arrive on Wednesday so things will probably get pretty hectic and the amount of content I put out on here could dip or at least vary but I'll do my best to juggle everything and see what happens.

Anyway, enough about that. How has your week been?

After the fun of Non-League Day last weekend, the last few days have been more about recovery and preparation so I haven't seen any games since my trip to see Wealdstone beat Hampton & Richmond.

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It was a bit of a mixed bag for London's clubs on Saturday with only four of our 12 Premier League/EFL clubs managing to win - so congratulations to Charlton, QPR, Tottenham and Watford.

Aside from them, most of the focus for me was on the sides competing in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and I'm pleased to say our local sides did rather well.

Barnet, Bromley, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Haringey Borough, Metropolitan Police and Sutton United all made it through and will now go into the hat for the First Round proper alongside a couple of others who have to negotiate replays. They'll also be joined there by all the clubs in League One and League Two which include several big teams like Sunderland who have played in the Premier League at some point in the past.

The draw will take place on BBC Two at 7pm on Monday.

Our friends at 'Two Men In Search...' pay a visit to Beckenham Town

On a sad note, news emerged from south-east London earlier in the week that Bostik League club Thamesmead Town were set to fold with immediate effect mainly through lack of support.

The owners have ploughed a lot of time and money into keeping the club going and have tried numerous things to bring local people through the turnstiles over the years and it just hasn't worked.

I was told one anecdote about the club sending out hundreds if not thousands of flyers to local houses offering free entry on production of said flyer and a tiny number, like two, turned up. Whether that story is true I'm not sure but I can believe it.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Apparently there have been issues over their ground and the all-but forced relocation to groundshare at Dartford can't have helped either.

There were rumours that possible buyers were starting to emerge and the club wasn't completely dead so if you've a spare few quid knocking around and you fancy taking on this fine club then get in touch with them ASAP!

Lack of support is a real problem for a whole host of non-league clubs not least my own personal favourite Harrow Borough.

Ironically they are having one of their best seasons for some time and are currently seventh in the Evo-Stik Premier Division South. They're scoring goals for fun and playing some entertaining football but only managed a gate of 132 as they thrashed Dorchester 4-1 on Saturday.

That figure is worrying and put into stark relief when compared to neighbours Wealdstone who could get their third consecutive home attendance of over one thousand when they play Torquay this weekend.

The Stones do play one level above Harrow but that shouldn't mean they get 10 times as many people through the gate, especially when you also consider their tickets are 30% more expensive too.

I've always been impressed by the way Wealdstone market their club, use social media and try and involve the local community and they've duly been rewarded with decent attendances. Although I know it's not easy, Harrow really must try and do a bit more (getting an official Twitter account would be a good start) or they could get into trouble.

So I think that's it from me for this week. It could be match maps only or maybe nothing at all next week but hopefully I'll produce something for you. Have a great week and as always, enjoy your football.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are over 90 matches in the London area over the next seven days with the Premier League and EFL taking centre stage. There are also a few ties in the next round of the FA Trophy.

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - magenta pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Monday 22 October

Premier League
Arsenal v Leicester City @8pm - the Gunners come into this as the form team of the top flight with nine consecutive wins in all competitions. They've also won the last seven games against the Foxes on home soil, scoring 21 goals in the process so they should start as strong favourites against the 2015/16 league champions

U23 Development Matches
There are four games at U23 level on Monday with the most notable being Arsenal v Everton at Boreham Wood - strangely though it's also being played in the evening so will be going up directly against the first team. The next best option would appear to be Crystal Palace v Coventry City which is being played at Selhurst Park at 1pm. There are also matches featuring Charlton Athletic and QPR but, as always, check all the details before you travel

Surrey Senior Cup First Round
Sutton Common Rovers v Sutton United @745pm - the pick of the non-league action is most definitely the Sutton derby. These clubs groundshare with the latter being the landlords - they also play four levels above SCR and made the first round proper of the FA Cup after winning at Wealdstone on Saturday. United won't field a first-choice team but should still have too much

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Tuesday 23 October

Championship
Millwall v Wigan Athletic @745pm - it's a big night of action in the EFL and another important game for the Lions who are struggling at the moment. Defeat at Reading saw them slip into the bottom three on Saturday and points could be hard to come by against the recently promoted Latics who are just one point off the play-off places
Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield Wednesday @745pm - Rangers' wonderfully inconsistent season continued on Saturday with a very comfortable 2-0 win at bottom club Ipswich who look in real trouble. The Owls should be tricky opponents - they were on a tidy unbeaten run until Middlesbrough beat them on Friday. Last season it ended 4-2 to the hosts and it could be entertaining again

League One
Charlton Athletic v Oxford United @745pm - despite their off-field problems, the Addicks recorded a very useful win over Barnsley on Saturday to keep touch with the promotion chasing clubs. Oxford have only won one of their last 10 matches in all competitions and are down in the relegation zone

FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round Replay
Dagenham & Redbridge v Boreham Wood @745pm - by the time this kicks off the clubs should know who'll they'll be facing in the First Round. With former Premier League clubs like Bradford, Charlton, Coventry, Portsmouth and Sunderland all in the draw it could be quite a prize at stake, not to mention the £25,000 they'll get for simply winning this match. The original game on Saturday saw the Daggers come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw

Bostik League Premier Division
Corinthian Casuals v Haringey Borough @745pm - two of the capital's most cult teams do battle in this Bostik League encounter on Tuesday. After following up their Non-League Day win over AFC Hornchurch with a 5-0 thrashing of Croydon in the London Senior Cup in midweek, Casuals came back down to earth with a 3-0 reverse at Bishop's Stortford on Saturday. For Haringey, the story has been mainly about the FA Cup so far this season with a place in the First Round secured on Saturday with a victory over Poole Town. The north London club, who play on White Hart Lane, have never been this far in the competition so there are some excited people at Coles Park. I'm still hoping for a dream tie against Spurs at their new ground in the Third Round. It's now only two wins away from becoming a possibility...

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Wednesday 24 October

Friendly
Brentford B v Southampton U23 @6pm - the Bees' second string are back in action at Griffin Park against the Saints on Wednesday night. The club usually offers free admission to these games but check all details before you travel

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Cray Valley PM v K Sports @745pm - the hosts are side worth keeping an eye on. Although down in seventh at the moment, they're in good form and and have four games in hand on the leaders which would put them four points clear if they won them. They've also scored a staggering 30 goals in the eight games they have played and should put a few more past midtable K Sports

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Forest Hill Park v Lewisham Borough @745pm - on the south-east side of town we've got a groundshare derby in the 10th tier. Neither side are doing anything particularly special in the league

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Thursday 25 October

Europa League
Chelsea v BATE Borisov @8pm - the Blues preserved their unbeaten record in the Premier League with a late equaliser against Manchester United on Saturday. Next up is this Europa League group stage game against a side they should beat. The top club from Belarus have been totally dominant domestically winning the league title every year since 2006. They have claimed one or two notable scalps in European competition in recent years but they haven't managed to get anything from their group games against PAOK and Vidi this year so should be brushed aside here

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Friday 26 October

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa @745pm - this match has been selected for live TV broadcast meaning the R's will have to play three times in six days. This is always one of QPR's biggest games of the season and according to the Villa website, there is only one ticket available in the away end so they're bringing a big following down from Birmingham. The match is of even greater significance as Villa have just installed a new management team of Dean Smith (former Brentford manager) and John Terry (Chelsea legend) - two men who are not hugely popular with QPR fans. They won their first game in charge against Swansea and confidence will be high. As mentioned above, QPR beat Ipswich on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to three games so this should be close. Tickets are available in 'home' areas of the ground

Essex Senior League
Barkingside v Woodford Town @745pm - if you'd rather enjoy a bit of non-league action instead, head over to Ilford where you'll be warmly received by all at Barkingside. Sadly they've been too generous as hosts on the pitch this season and are bottom with no wins from 14. Woodford will no doubt hope to win and push on towards a  place in the top five
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Saturday 27 October

Premier League
Fulham v AFC Bournemouth @3pm - after losing at fellow strugglers Cardiff on Saturday, it looks like being a long tough winter for the Cottagers. With only one win from nine league games and conceding goals for fun , Fulham are now fully paid up members of the bottom three. In most seasons you'd expect the Cherries to also be down there but Eddie Howe has worked wonders and they're currently in the top six,  no doubt hoping to do a Burnley and get into Europe
Watford v Huddersfield Town @3pm - the Hornets ended a dodgy run of results with an assured performance to win 2-0 at Wolves on Saturday. That win put them back up to seventh and they should also beat the Terriers who have yet to win this season

Championship
Millwall v Ipswich Town @3pm - at the time of writing both of these sides are in the bottom three. Even if they have good midweek results, this match must still be viewed as a relegation six-pointer so it should be worth watching for that alone

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Luton Town @3pm - if you can get a ticket then I would recommend going to this game over the one above. With Luton based just outside London, this is effectively a derby and the Dons' small ground should be close to full. As for their respective form, Wimbledon are in a bit of trouble with a fourth consecutive defeat dropping them into the relegation zone on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Hatters beat promotion rivals Walsall to move to within touching distance of the top six

National League
Leyton Orient v Havant & Waterlooville @3pm -the biggest crowd of the day for a non-league game should come at Brisbane Road where the O's will look to get back to winning ways and possibly go top by teatime. Havant, like Orient, suffered defeat in the FA Cup on Saturday and have only won two league games all season - a home win looks highly likely
Boreham Wood v Bromley @3pm - after playing back-to-back games against Dagenham & Redbridge, the Wood end the week with another derby against Bromley. Both teams are solidly in midtable but the Ravens are now on a four game unbeaten run and are looking good
Dagenham & Redbridge v Harrogate Town @3pm - the Daggers are in woeful form in the league so it was impressive that they showed the character to fight back and an earn a replay at Boreham Wood in the FA Cup. They face another stern test here as Harrogate are among the early season pacesetters

National League South
Wealdstone v Torquay United @3pm - back in 2013/14 the Stones won the then Ryman League title to move up to the level they are now. Down in Devon at the same time, the Gulls finished bottom of League Two to drop into the Conference. Even then, the prospect of these two meeting in a league match seemed fairly remote but after several more years of struggle, Torquay went down again and actually head to Grosvenor Vale as marginal underdogs based on their respective league positions. Despite relegation, they should still bring a lot of fans so Wealdstone could well get a crowd of 1,000+ for the third weekend running
Welling United v Gloucester City @3pm - it's boom time for London clubs in this division with four of our local clubs in the top seven. The Wings are the pick of the bunch in second just two points behind leaders Billericay and should win here against a Gloucester side who are just above the relegation zone

FA Trophy First Qualifying Round - this national competition is for clubs playing in the fifth to eighth tiers with its final at Wembley in May. At this stage only clubs in the seventh and eighth tiers are taking part and the draw is still regionalised along a north and south divide. The winners of each tie earn £3,250 prize money. There are several ties in London over the weekend but here are a few which standout for me
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Lewes @3pm - it's often quite hard to pick games at this stage because they're all much of a muchness so I've gone for three where a lower ranked team is at home and they have the best chance of causing an upset - the first is this one down near Heathrow at the Robert Parker Stadium. Ashford are midtable in the Bostik South Central but will no doubt give it a good go against the Rooks who have settled well back in the Bostik Premier after last season's promotion-winning display. The East Sussex club are a well-supported side so will hopefully bring a few and generate a bit of atmosphere
Molesey v Walton Casuals @3pm - the Moles are having an absolute stinker so far this season and are winless from their opening nine games. Casuals are holding their own following their move to the Evo-Stik Premier and should win but this is a local derby so anything could happen
VCD Athletic v Leiston @3pm - two teams in form meet at Old Road where the hosts, who are fifth in the Bostik South East, will fancy their chances against a team who are seventh in a division one level above them

Essex Senior League
Walthamstow v Sporting Bengal United @3pm - we've got a top-six clash to enjoy at Wadham Lodge where the hosts will be looking to close the gap on the top two with a win. Sporting have done really well this season and have games in hand on all of those above them, meaning a place in the top three could soon be theirs too

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Cray Valley PM v Fisher @3pm - after winning their big midweek game at leaders Beckenham Town, Fisher have put themselves firmly in title contention. In fact, they've now won six games in a row and have scored 20 goals in the process. As I mentioned above, Cray are also in hot form and this could produce quite a ding-dong!

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Hillingdon Borough v Harefield United @3pm - the game of the day in the 10th tier has to be this local derby between the sides who are currently first and second. Boro are doing superbly well considering they were bailed out last season by former player Yannick Bolasie after the club announced they were about to fold. With nine wins from 12, including a 6-1 win at Amersham on Saturday, they are currently two points clear. However, Harefield are just behind them and have two games in hand. The visitors effectively play on the same road as Hillingdon and are celebrating their 150th anniversary season

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Sunday 28 October

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Arsenal @130pm - we end the week with a London derby at Selhurst Park. At the time of writing Palace haven't had a great season but they're keeping their heads above water and are a lot better off than they were this time last year. As mentioned above, the Gunners are in great form and could arrive here on the back of an 11th consecutive win if they enjoy success in their midweek games against Leicester and Sporting Lisbon

FA Women's Super League
Chelsea v Liverpool @1230pm - there are a number of women's games in the capital on Sunday but this is the only top-flight fixture. After edging to a 1-0 first leg win over Fiorentina in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Blues only managed a 0-0 draw at Birmingham City on their return to league action on Sunday. The result leaves the reigning champions down in seventh and eight points behind leaders Arsenal - a gap which looks unbridgeable even at this early stage. Elsewhere, the Reds won 1-0 at West Ham to move into the top four

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