Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.
After last week's doom and gloom I'm feeling far more positive, something helped in part by QPR finally winning a game.
Preston, one of the R's biggest bogey teams, were beaten relatively comfortably in W12 by all accounts so hopefully we'll kick on and have another good run.
Who knows what we can achieve? Given we hadn't won for eight games, it's bonkers to think that yesterday's win has put us just four points off a play-off spot but that's the crazy world of the Championship for you!
My other club Harrow Borough had a really bad week, conceding a combined total of 12 goals in their home games against Brentford B and Tiverton Town - manager Steve Baker must surely be on borrowed time as the wins have completely dried up.
As mentioned last week, looking ahead to the end of May, fans of Conifa football will be pleased to know the Surrey international side will be hosting the four-team Southern Frontier Cup at Whyteleafe's ground.
After last week's doom and gloom I'm feeling far more positive, something helped in part by QPR finally winning a game.
Preston, one of the R's biggest bogey teams, were beaten relatively comfortably in W12 by all accounts so hopefully we'll kick on and have another good run.
Who knows what we can achieve? Given we hadn't won for eight games, it's bonkers to think that yesterday's win has put us just four points off a play-off spot but that's the crazy world of the Championship for you!
My other club Harrow Borough had a really bad week, conceding a combined total of 12 goals in their home games against Brentford B and Tiverton Town - manager Steve Baker must surely be on borrowed time as the wins have completely dried up.
As mentioned last week, looking ahead to the end of May, fans of Conifa football will be pleased to know the Surrey international side will be hosting the four-team Southern Frontier Cup at Whyteleafe's ground.
North American side Cascadia, Yorkshire and now Parishes of Jersey have all confirmed that they will take part - tickets are on sale now for what should be an entertaining weekend.
Talking of big football tournaments, the draw for Euro 2020 took place recently and several games will be played in London in June and July. The ticket ballot is open until 18 December so don't miss out if you want to get some.
Lastly, many thanks to long-time reader Alex O from the Netherlands who donated to the TLFG's coffee-drinking fund this week - many, many thanks.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The highlights of the next few days include games in the Champions League, Premier League, EFL, FA Trophy, Women's League Cup and loads of other matches in our local non-league competitions.
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.
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 - blue pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black 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 9 December
Premier League
West Ham United v Arsenal @8pm - the week gets off to a lively start with this big London derby in the Olympic Park. Both sides are drifting and in dire need of a win - Arsenal sacked their manager last week and the Hammers could well get rid of theirs with another defeat here. The Gunners' overall record against West Ham is very good indeed but they've often struggled at the London Stadium so this is pretty hard to call. Given the sides' woeful form, tickets are still available to non-members
Professional Development League
With it being a Monday, there are a couple of U23 games taking place at 1pm. The best option is Millwall v Ipswich as it's being played at The Den but Charlton are also taking on Coventry at Dartford's ground. As always, check all details before you travel
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Tuesday 10 December
Champions League
Chelsea v Lille @8pm - many people were singing Frank Lampard's praises recently and rightly so as the Blues were doing well. However, three defeats in their last five Premier League games, including losses to woefully out of form sides like Everton and West Ham might be changing people's minds. A couple of draws in their last two Champions League games have also made the concluding part of the group stage more challenging than it should have been. They come into this final game third in the group knowing really only a win will do to be sure of progress. Fortunately, French club Lille have been the whipping boys up until this point, are already out and should be beaten here. Tickets are not available to non-members
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield Town @745pm - tickets shouldn't be an issue at The Valley where two of the division's most out of form teams go head-to-head for a badly needed win. The Addicks started the season superbly but with only one point from their last six games, they've fallen down to 17th. Huddersfield came down from the Premier League at the end of last season and have really struggled to get to grips with the second tier. They sacked their manager and brought in the highly rated Cowley brothers from Lincoln who started well but it's all gone downhill again and they're now perched just above the relegation zone
National League South
Wealdstone v Eastbourne Borough @745pm - the Stones were way out in front a few weeks ago but a run of indifferent form has seen their lead at the top cut to four points by an impressive Slough side. They do have a game in hand over their nearest challengers so a win here against a struggling Eastbourne side will restore their advantage to seven points
London Senior Cup Second Round
Cray Valley PM v AFC Wimbledon @745pm - CVPM have had a great year, winning the SCEFL and making it to the FA Vase final last season and now challenging strongly for the Isthmian League South East title following promotion. On Tuesday they take on what is likely to be a Dons development side in a competition they've also excelled in since 2017
Southern Combination Cup Second Round
Walton & Hersham v Walton Casuals @745pm - down in Surrey we've got a Walton derby to look forward to. The clubs share a new state of the art ground but it's the visitors who will start as favourites as they play three levels above their 'hosts'
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - blue pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin
WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin
TLFG DAILY DIGEST
Monday 9 December
Premier League
West Ham United v Arsenal @8pm - the week gets off to a lively start with this big London derby in the Olympic Park. Both sides are drifting and in dire need of a win - Arsenal sacked their manager last week and the Hammers could well get rid of theirs with another defeat here. The Gunners' overall record against West Ham is very good indeed but they've often struggled at the London Stadium so this is pretty hard to call. Given the sides' woeful form, tickets are still available to non-members
Professional Development League
With it being a Monday, there are a couple of U23 games taking place at 1pm. The best option is Millwall v Ipswich as it's being played at The Den but Charlton are also taking on Coventry at Dartford's ground. As always, check all details before you travel
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Tuesday 10 December
Champions League
Chelsea v Lille @8pm - many people were singing Frank Lampard's praises recently and rightly so as the Blues were doing well. However, three defeats in their last five Premier League games, including losses to woefully out of form sides like Everton and West Ham might be changing people's minds. A couple of draws in their last two Champions League games have also made the concluding part of the group stage more challenging than it should have been. They come into this final game third in the group knowing really only a win will do to be sure of progress. Fortunately, French club Lille have been the whipping boys up until this point, are already out and should be beaten here. Tickets are not available to non-members
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield Town @745pm - tickets shouldn't be an issue at The Valley where two of the division's most out of form teams go head-to-head for a badly needed win. The Addicks started the season superbly but with only one point from their last six games, they've fallen down to 17th. Huddersfield came down from the Premier League at the end of last season and have really struggled to get to grips with the second tier. They sacked their manager and brought in the highly rated Cowley brothers from Lincoln who started well but it's all gone downhill again and they're now perched just above the relegation zone
National League South
Wealdstone v Eastbourne Borough @745pm - the Stones were way out in front a few weeks ago but a run of indifferent form has seen their lead at the top cut to four points by an impressive Slough side. They do have a game in hand over their nearest challengers so a win here against a struggling Eastbourne side will restore their advantage to seven points
London Senior Cup Second Round
Cray Valley PM v AFC Wimbledon @745pm - CVPM have had a great year, winning the SCEFL and making it to the FA Vase final last season and now challenging strongly for the Isthmian League South East title following promotion. On Tuesday they take on what is likely to be a Dons development side in a competition they've also excelled in since 2017
Southern Combination Cup Second Round
Walton & Hersham v Walton Casuals @745pm - down in Surrey we've got a Walton derby to look forward to. The clubs share a new state of the art ground but it's the visitors who will start as favourites as they play three levels above their 'hosts'
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Wednesday 11 December
Championship
Brentford v Cardiff City @745pm - after a superb run which lifted them into play-off contention, the Bees have now lost two of their last three to slip back a little. Cardiff, under new manager Neil Harris, moved above them into the top eight on Saturday with a 3-2 win over Barnsley. The former Millwall boss has done well since replacing Neil Warnock and is yet to lose a game so this should be another challenging game for Brentford. A little surprisingly, tickets are on sale to non-members
FA Women's League Cup
Chelsea v Reading @7pm - there are a number of group games around London in this competition on Wednesday night but this appears to be the only all Super League one. Like the men's equivalent, the big teams tend to rest a few players for these early matches. Nonetheless, these two are the top two in Group D (a six-team group) so it should go a long way to deciding who wins it
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Thursday 12 December
Women's Isthmian League Cup Quarter-Final
In the absence of anything else in the capital on Thursday why not try out a women's game at a lower level? Ashford Town host Enfield Town whilst Phoenix Sports take on Leyton Orient - both at 745pm
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Friday 13 December
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Hull City @745pm - the Addicks have been picked for live TV broadcast by Sky again as they play another game shortly after Tuesday's match against Huddersfield. The Tigers are another Championship side in pretty iffy form but nowhere near as bad as Charlton's so this could be tough again. Tickets are available to non-members
FA Youth Cup Third Round
West Ham United v Charlton Athletic @7pm - if you'd prefer a more cut-price option then head to Dagenham & Redbridge's ground where the Hammers have drawn Charlton's youngsters in this prestigious competition for U18 sides - tickets are usually no more than £5, payable on the gate
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Saturday 7 December
Premier League
Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth @3pm - the only top-flight game taking place in London on Saturday is to be found at Stamford Bridge. On paper you'd expect a home win but the Cherries have been a bit of a thorn in Chelsea's side since joining the Premier League in 2015 and have won two of their four league games in SW6. They also crushed Chelsea 4-0 when they last hosted them back in January. Tickets are not available to non-members
Championship
Brentford v Fulham @3pm - to many, a far more interesting game is taking place elsewhere in west London where these two local rivals will duel for bragging rights. Both are pushing for a play-off spot at the very least and the atmosphere should be good. As has been mentioned many times before, Brentford's much loved Griffin Park stadium is closing at the end of the season so most of their home games sell out or go on restricted sale. If you can get a ticket for what will almost certainly, barring a cup draw, be the last meeting between the two at GP, you'll be very lucky indeed
League One
AFC Wimbledon v Doncaster Rovers @3pm - the Dons have definitely improved under new boss Glyn Hodges but they still face a long tough fight to stay up. Just three points above the relegation zone, their form is patchy and every win will be precious. Doncaster aren't having a great season but are comfortable enough in midtable and recently beat Wimbledon in the FA Cup. Tickets are available to non-members
League Two
Leyton Orient v Bradford City @3pm - just ahead of Newport County, the O's are second bottom of the League Two form table and really struggling for points. Still six points clear of the relegation zone, they're currently relying on the teams below them to continue being bad but those teams are all starting to pick up points. Bradford came down from League One last season but have responded well, mounting a very credible push for an automatic promotion place. Tickets are available to non-members
FA Trophy First Round
The FA Trophy is a national knockout competition for clubs in the fifth to eighth tiers with its final at Wembley. The qualifying rounds are now over and the all the National League (NL) sides from the fifth tier finally enter the draw. At this stage the ties are still regionalised over the north and south of the country. Winners of each tie receive £4,500 and the losers £1,500
Barnet v Weymouth @3pm - the Bees made it to one of the competition's first finals in 1972 but lost comfortably to Stafford Rangers and have never been back. Geographically they're one of the closest teams to Wembley and you can see the stadium clearly whilst waiting for a train back from Canons Park. Weymouth play in the division below Barnet but are pushing for promotion and could test their hosts if they're not really on their game
Sutton United v Dagenham & Redbridge @3pm - there's an all-NL affair at Gander Green Lane where two London sides in the lower half of the table look for a bit of cup joy. Both have made it to the final before but neither have won and the last time was over 20 years ago
Carshalton Athletic v Aveley @3pm - the Robins had a great run in the FA Cup and will want to do even better in this competition. On paper they should make progress here as they are playing one of the lowest, if not the lowest ranked, teams left in the competition. The Millers have done really well to get this far and have caused some upsets along the way. Their victory over Taunton, a club of similar standing to Carshalton, should give them confidence going into this one
Enfield Town v Ebbsfleet United @3pm - there's another intriguing tie in north London where Isthmian League play-off hopefuls Enfield host a struggling Ebbsfleet side who play two divisions above them. Their recent form has dipped alarmingly but home advantage could give them a real chance of a cupset
Hornchurch v Dulwich Hamlet @3pm - there would appear to be even bigger cupset potential at Bridge Avenue where another promotion-chasing side from the Isthmian League host a struggling side from the National League South, just one division above. This Dulwich squad is said to be the most expensive ever assembled but their form is woeful and they haven't won a league game in months
Isthmian League South Central
Tooting & Mitcham United v Ware @3pm - two of the division's title contenders meet in a big game at Imperial Fields. The Terrors have the games in hand to put them top so a win over second-placed Ware could be of huge significance in the final shake-up at the end of the season
Essex Senior League
Hadley v Hashtag United @3pm - after seeing off title rivals Walthamstow in E17, Hashtag will look to effectively the end the challenge of another one of the contenders
MCFL Premier Division
Clapton CFC v Indian Gymkhana Club @2pm - although way down in the 11th tier, Wadham Lodge is always worth a visit when the Tons are at home. On Saturday they scraped past Stonewall on penalties in what was an entertaining cup game by all accounts. Although in midtable, Clapton CFC have played less games than all those above them so are still in the hunt for another promotion. Admission is by donation so is effectively pay what you want
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Sunday 15 December
Premier League
Arsenal v Manchester City @430pm - the week ends with its biggest match as two giants of the English game meet at the Emirates. Much has been written already about the Gunners' woe but City are having a very poor season by their stratospheric standards. Although still in the hunt for the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, their hopes of winning the Premier League title look dead already thanks to Liverpool's outrageously good form. The reigning champions' defeat to local rivals Manchester United on Saturday saw them end the day a whopping 14 points behind Jurgen Klopp's team. Tickets are not available to non-members
FA Trophy First Round
Kingstonian v Woking @3pm - there's also one tie in this competition on Sunday and it could be a humdinger as former K's boss Alan Dowson brings the Cards to Tolworth. This all-Surrey tie between two of the biggest clubs in the county has been made all-ticket which means you must buy in advance. Tickets are priced at a very reasonable £10 and are available to non-members online
FA Women's Championship
Crystal Palace v Durham @1pm - the top women's match of the day is this one between two of the top six in the second tier. Adult tickets are £5
Wednesday 11 December
Championship
Brentford v Cardiff City @745pm - after a superb run which lifted them into play-off contention, the Bees have now lost two of their last three to slip back a little. Cardiff, under new manager Neil Harris, moved above them into the top eight on Saturday with a 3-2 win over Barnsley. The former Millwall boss has done well since replacing Neil Warnock and is yet to lose a game so this should be another challenging game for Brentford. A little surprisingly, tickets are on sale to non-members
FA Women's League Cup
Chelsea v Reading @7pm - there are a number of group games around London in this competition on Wednesday night but this appears to be the only all Super League one. Like the men's equivalent, the big teams tend to rest a few players for these early matches. Nonetheless, these two are the top two in Group D (a six-team group) so it should go a long way to deciding who wins it
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Thursday 12 December
Women's Isthmian League Cup Quarter-Final
In the absence of anything else in the capital on Thursday why not try out a women's game at a lower level? Ashford Town host Enfield Town whilst Phoenix Sports take on Leyton Orient - both at 745pm
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Friday 13 December
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Hull City @745pm - the Addicks have been picked for live TV broadcast by Sky again as they play another game shortly after Tuesday's match against Huddersfield. The Tigers are another Championship side in pretty iffy form but nowhere near as bad as Charlton's so this could be tough again. Tickets are available to non-members
FA Youth Cup Third Round
West Ham United v Charlton Athletic @7pm - if you'd prefer a more cut-price option then head to Dagenham & Redbridge's ground where the Hammers have drawn Charlton's youngsters in this prestigious competition for U18 sides - tickets are usually no more than £5, payable on the gate
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Saturday 7 December
Premier League
Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth @3pm - the only top-flight game taking place in London on Saturday is to be found at Stamford Bridge. On paper you'd expect a home win but the Cherries have been a bit of a thorn in Chelsea's side since joining the Premier League in 2015 and have won two of their four league games in SW6. They also crushed Chelsea 4-0 when they last hosted them back in January. Tickets are not available to non-members
Championship
Brentford v Fulham @3pm - to many, a far more interesting game is taking place elsewhere in west London where these two local rivals will duel for bragging rights. Both are pushing for a play-off spot at the very least and the atmosphere should be good. As has been mentioned many times before, Brentford's much loved Griffin Park stadium is closing at the end of the season so most of their home games sell out or go on restricted sale. If you can get a ticket for what will almost certainly, barring a cup draw, be the last meeting between the two at GP, you'll be very lucky indeed
League One
AFC Wimbledon v Doncaster Rovers @3pm - the Dons have definitely improved under new boss Glyn Hodges but they still face a long tough fight to stay up. Just three points above the relegation zone, their form is patchy and every win will be precious. Doncaster aren't having a great season but are comfortable enough in midtable and recently beat Wimbledon in the FA Cup. Tickets are available to non-members
League Two
Leyton Orient v Bradford City @3pm - just ahead of Newport County, the O's are second bottom of the League Two form table and really struggling for points. Still six points clear of the relegation zone, they're currently relying on the teams below them to continue being bad but those teams are all starting to pick up points. Bradford came down from League One last season but have responded well, mounting a very credible push for an automatic promotion place. Tickets are available to non-members
FA Trophy First Round
The FA Trophy is a national knockout competition for clubs in the fifth to eighth tiers with its final at Wembley. The qualifying rounds are now over and the all the National League (NL) sides from the fifth tier finally enter the draw. At this stage the ties are still regionalised over the north and south of the country. Winners of each tie receive £4,500 and the losers £1,500
Barnet v Weymouth @3pm - the Bees made it to one of the competition's first finals in 1972 but lost comfortably to Stafford Rangers and have never been back. Geographically they're one of the closest teams to Wembley and you can see the stadium clearly whilst waiting for a train back from Canons Park. Weymouth play in the division below Barnet but are pushing for promotion and could test their hosts if they're not really on their game
Sutton United v Dagenham & Redbridge @3pm - there's an all-NL affair at Gander Green Lane where two London sides in the lower half of the table look for a bit of cup joy. Both have made it to the final before but neither have won and the last time was over 20 years ago
Carshalton Athletic v Aveley @3pm - the Robins had a great run in the FA Cup and will want to do even better in this competition. On paper they should make progress here as they are playing one of the lowest, if not the lowest ranked, teams left in the competition. The Millers have done really well to get this far and have caused some upsets along the way. Their victory over Taunton, a club of similar standing to Carshalton, should give them confidence going into this one
Enfield Town v Ebbsfleet United @3pm - there's another intriguing tie in north London where Isthmian League play-off hopefuls Enfield host a struggling Ebbsfleet side who play two divisions above them. Their recent form has dipped alarmingly but home advantage could give them a real chance of a cupset
Hornchurch v Dulwich Hamlet @3pm - there would appear to be even bigger cupset potential at Bridge Avenue where another promotion-chasing side from the Isthmian League host a struggling side from the National League South, just one division above. This Dulwich squad is said to be the most expensive ever assembled but their form is woeful and they haven't won a league game in months
Isthmian League South Central
Tooting & Mitcham United v Ware @3pm - two of the division's title contenders meet in a big game at Imperial Fields. The Terrors have the games in hand to put them top so a win over second-placed Ware could be of huge significance in the final shake-up at the end of the season
Essex Senior League
Hadley v Hashtag United @3pm - after seeing off title rivals Walthamstow in E17, Hashtag will look to effectively the end the challenge of another one of the contenders
MCFL Premier Division
Clapton CFC v Indian Gymkhana Club @2pm - although way down in the 11th tier, Wadham Lodge is always worth a visit when the Tons are at home. On Saturday they scraped past Stonewall on penalties in what was an entertaining cup game by all accounts. Although in midtable, Clapton CFC have played less games than all those above them so are still in the hunt for another promotion. Admission is by donation so is effectively pay what you want
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Sunday 15 December
Premier League
Arsenal v Manchester City @430pm - the week ends with its biggest match as two giants of the English game meet at the Emirates. Much has been written already about the Gunners' woe but City are having a very poor season by their stratospheric standards. Although still in the hunt for the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, their hopes of winning the Premier League title look dead already thanks to Liverpool's outrageously good form. The reigning champions' defeat to local rivals Manchester United on Saturday saw them end the day a whopping 14 points behind Jurgen Klopp's team. Tickets are not available to non-members
FA Trophy First Round
Kingstonian v Woking @3pm - there's also one tie in this competition on Sunday and it could be a humdinger as former K's boss Alan Dowson brings the Cards to Tolworth. This all-Surrey tie between two of the biggest clubs in the county has been made all-ticket which means you must buy in advance. Tickets are priced at a very reasonable £10 and are available to non-members online
FA Women's Championship
Crystal Palace v Durham @1pm - the top women's match of the day is this one between two of the top six in the second tier. Adult tickets are £5
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!
