Sunday 18 December 2011

TLFG: 19 December 2011 - 8 January 2012

Welcome to this first ever Christmas and New Year TLFG special. After deliberating over which fixtures to put in I decided to go the whole hog and give you all the info you need for the next three weeks.

The period in question includes a jam-packed programme of over 180 games including heavyweight Premier League contests, the FA Cup third round and more local derbies than you can shake a stick at.

I've created four match maps to make it easier for you to find a fixture but more on that later.

My football travels this week took me back to London's East End to watch London APSA play landlords Clapton in the Essex Senior League.

The fantastically named Old Spotted Dog Ground, home to Clapton since 1888, has definitely seen better days but embodies what non-league football is all about and all groundhoppers must visit it if they haven't done so already. 

APSA, formed in 1993, are one of the youngest senior clubs in London while the Tons are one of the oldest having started out in 1878. Both, however, are very evenly matched and have spent the season towards the wrong end of the table.

London APSA (blue) take on Clapton at the Old Spotted Dog
Although this was a derby, the attendance wasn't great and was never going to be given that West Ham were playing Barnsley a mile away and were charging only £15 to get in.

The match was full of endeavour but the heavy pitch meant any chance of good football was almost impossible. It looked destined to be a 0-0 draw until a the Tons took an 84th-minute lead after APSA's keeper could only parry a low shot back into the danger area. Somehow the 'hosts' managed to conjure up an equaliser soon after before both sides went close to winning it in injury time. A 1-1 draw was definitely fair.

If you've got some free time over the next few weeks, there are ample opportunities to see a game at the 'Dog' so get yourself down there.

As always please share you stories and experiences of football in London either in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. Also, feel free to add your photos to our Flickr group.

Before I get on to the match maps, here's a run down of what tickets are on general sale at London's Premier League clubs:

26 December - Wolverhampton Wanderers 3pm, Premier League

31 December - Aston Villa 3pm, Premier League
8 January - Portsmouth 3pm, FA Cup (on sale 19 Dec)
14 January - Sunderland 3pm, Premier League (on sale 19 Dec)

21 January - Newcastle United 3pm, Premier League
1 February - West Bromwich Albion 8pm, Premier League (on sale 20 Dec)
11 February - Stoke City 3pm, Premier League (on sale 20 Dec)

21 December - Sunderland 8pm, Premier League
2 January - Norwich City 3pm, Premier League

7 January - Cheltenham Town 3pm, FA Cup (on sale 20 Dec)
31 January - Wigan Athletic 745pm, Premier League

Other tickets will go on sale before I next write so check the clubs' websites for more information to make sure you don't miss out.

Here are the match maps for the next three weeks:

PRE-CHRISTMAS MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures


FESTIVE MAP
Yellow pin - Monday (Boxing Day) fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures


NEW YEAR MAP
Blue pin - Saturday (New Year's Eve) fixtures
Red pin - Sunday (New Year's Day) fixtures
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures


WEEKEND MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures


This would normally be the point where I would lead into my recommendations for the week ahead but given almost every game is notable for being either a derby or a cracking cup tie then I'm not even going to try. I'll leave it up to you to search through the maps to pick the best ones that are most convenient for you. Please also make sure you check with clubs that fixtures are going ahead - apart from the weather, several teams also stand to be affected if Croydon Athletic do sadly fold.

Although I won't be blogging for a while, I will still try and keep the Twitter account up to date and will answer emails when I can.

So that's it from me for 2011, have a great festive one and hope to have you all on board when I get TLFG back up and running in the New Year.

Sunday 11 December 2011

TLFG: 12-18 December 2011

I only managed to get to one game this week - the local derby between North Greenford United and Harrow Borough in the Middlesex Senior Cup on Tuesday night.

Despite being brought up in this part of London, I'd never been to Berkeley Fields prior to this season but this was my second visit of the current campaign. After a desperate dash from Greenford station I made it just in time for kick-off (some of you may wonder why - the things I do for you dear readers).

I'm actually quite a fan of North Greenford's ground - it's small but very tidy and well kept. I would show you photos but my night time photography skills are pretty poor. I did try the video function on my camera for the first time but caught no action of significant value.

The game itself was settled by a brilliant individual goal by debutant James Awofisan 20 minutes from time as the hosts caused an upset by beating their higher ranked opponents 1-0. Harrow only had themselves to blame for some wasteful for finishing and could and probably should have been 3-0 up before conceding. A trip to Wingate & Finchley lies in wait for the victors in the next round.

The story of my night didn't end there though. On my way back to the station I found a nice camera lying on the pavement so if you lost yours somewhere in Greenford on Tuesday night, it can now been claimed from Acton police station where I handed it in (the local one was closed).

Did you go to any games this week? Let us know in the comments space below or on the TLFG Facebook page.

Next up I'll give you a run down of what tickets are currently on general sale at London's Premier League clubs (click on the team name to go through to their ticket page):

26 December - Wolverhampton Wanderers 3pm, Premier League 

26 December - Fulham 1pm, Premier League
31 December - Aston Villa 3pm, Premier League

14 December - Odense BK 805pm, Europa League
17 December - Bolton Wanderers 3pm, Premier League
21 January - Newcastle United 3pm, Premier League

21 December - Sunderland 8pm, Premier League
2 January - Norwich City 3pm, Premier League

3 January - West Bromwich Albion 745pm, Premier League

All the above information is correct at the time of writing but be quick to act especially if you want Arsenal tickets - theirs rarely go on general release. The week ahead is slightly busier than the last with 75 fixtures taking place. Several clubs are offering significantly discounted tickets to get people in before Christmas (details of which you will find below).

Here are this week's match maps:

MIDWEEK MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures


WEEKEND MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures


With so many games to choose from, here are a few which I think deserve an extra mention:

TLFG TOP 10

I don't need to do too much to sell this one as two of the biggest clubs in the country go head-to-head in Monday night's televised Premier League game. The Blues are 10 points behind current leaders City so will have to go all out to win if they want to keep their faint hopes of title glory alive. Given the visitors exited the Champions League in midweek, I was under the impression they'd hit a bit of a rocky patch but they've won their last three (against Bayern Munich, Norwich and Arsenal) and have scored nine in the process. It could be another tough night for Andre Villas-Boas.

West London is the place to be this week if you want to watch the Premier League's top two. QPR have a pretty poor record against United (most teams do) having beaten them only six times in 47 attempts. However, it's nearly 16 years since this fixture last took place and the Rs fans will be well up for trying to create the kind of atmosphere which clearly unsettled Chelsea and made Manchester City look human earlier in the season. It's also only a couple of weeks until QPR celebrate the 20th anniversary of their famous 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford which was screened live as this one will be. Almost certainly an away win but you never know...

The first of this week's ticket special offers is available for this Championship fixture. The Hammers are currently second but have lost two in a row going into this one. Recognising that people have to make budgetary considerations at this time of year and that the Tykes aren't the most mouthwatering opponents to watch on a chilly December afternoon, they've decided to lop well over 50% off the price of tickets meaning you can get into this one for just £15 (£5 for under-16s). The club have designated this match as a 'Christmas Cracker' and I tend to agree.

Special offer number two is available at Underhill on Friday night where you can enjoy some League Two action for only £10 (£5 concessions). The Bees haven't won a league game since their last Friday evening performance so will hope the day is auspicious. The Robins are currently third in the table and will provide formidable opposition having won their last five in all competitions. Notably, however, their last defeat came at home to Barnet in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy so there's hope for the north Londoners.

Not satisfied with only two special deals, a third is being offered by the Darts for this massive Blue Square Bet South game. If you're a season-ticket holder at any Premier League or Football League club you can get in to this huge fixture between third and first on Tuesday night for £1, yes just a quid! If you've not been before, Dartford's Princes Park ground is one of the best in non-league football with some fine modern facilities. If you're on that side of London, I thoroughly recommend you go along.

This local Essex derby ensures the Urchins make the TLFG Top 10 for the second week running. Having held higher division Farnborough to a 0-0 draw in the FA Trophy on Saturday, they'll fancy their chances of taking three points from this. The Millers made the Ryman League Premier Division play-offs the season before last but have returned to the pack of teams which struggle since then. A win for the hosts could see them go top.

Most recent chat about football in this part of north London has been dominated by Enfield Town who recently opened a new ground and are having a great run in the Ryman League. Elsewhere though, the Es have been making fine progress in the Essex Senior League and currently top it having won 12 of their 16 games. The visitors on Saturday aren't doing too badly either and lie four points behind in fourth. The sides last met on the opening day of the season and fought out a 0-0 draw so this is likely to be close again.

Elsewhere in the Essex Senior League we have an East End derby where groundsharers London APSA and Clapton meet. The Tons actually own the ground but are the 'visitors' on this occasion. Both teams find themselves towards the wrong end of the division so there's plenty to play for. The Old Spotted Dog ground is one that all groundhoppers have to visit as there a few like it anywhere else. Within walking distance of Forest Gate station this is your chance to watch one of the newest clubs (1993) in London play one of the oldest (1878).

This Saturday affords London football watchers the chance to take another look at the seemingly invincible Kent League leaders Herne Bay. In recent weeks they've beaten TLFG sides Fisher and Hanworth Villa and they come into this as one of the only teams in the country with an unbeaten league record. It doesn't really look that good for Holmesdale then. The one glimmer of hope is The Bay's loss to Sevenoaks in the Kent Senior Trophy on Saturday but it's a pretty weak one.

Last up this week I've gone for this Combined Counties League Division One game as it's a derby. Roughly speaking these clubs lie at either end of Heathrow airport's runway. Both also find themselves having to share grounds as neither have one of their own. The Blues currently reside at Bedfont Town which is a short stroll from Hatton Cross station so I recommend this if you rely on public transport to get to games. As for who will win, the table suggests the fourth-placed visitors who have won five of their last six. 

Aside from the comments section and Facebook page, you can also contact TLFG through Twitter and email so please do if you have any questions or comments.

Sunday 4 December 2011

TLFG: 5-11 December 2011

After last week's football famine, this week I enjoyed a veritbale feast. It began on Tuesday with my third trip of the season to Summers Lane to watch Wingate & Finchley in London Senior Cup action against League Two AFC Wimbledon, the highest ranked team in this season's competition.

The visitors won a tight game 2-1 after extra time but the match was probably more memorable for three 'Fs' - foxes running amok in the penalty area during the second half, floodlight failure during extra time which threatened the tie and freezing conditions which exacerbated the impact the previous 'F'. The match finished shortly before 1030pm with several Wingate fans willing their side not to equalise to avoid an evening lengthening penalty shoot-out!

AFC Wimbledon and Wingate & Finchley prepare for extra time 
The following night was spent in London's East End, in Mile End to be precise. It was here that Bethnal Green United and Sporting Bengal United, co-tenants of the Mile End Stadium, went head-to-head in the Essex Senior League. Sporting Bengal had spent previous seasons in the Kent League but had opted to transfer this season, setting up this mouthwatering derby in the process.

A crowd of 154, five times the normal average, watched another close contest which was only settled by an 88th-minute winner for the 'hosts'. It was tough on Bengal who had played most of the second half with 10 men and had more than held their own.

I had intended to take in a third game on Saturday but my hopes of getting to Loftus Road for QPR v West Brom were dashed when a family member, who shall remain nameless, locked themselves out on the other side of London and I had to let them in. My ticket did not go to waste though, with the young Syrian lad who runs my father-in-law's kebab shop (King Solomans on Uxbridge Road in Shepherd's Bush) going instead.

That's enough about me. Here's the latest ticket guide for what's on general sale at London's Premier League clubs:

ARSENAL
Nothing available

31 December - Aston Villa 3pm, Premier League (on sale 5 Dec)

14 December - Odense BK 805pm, Europa League 
17 December - Bolton Wanderers 3pm, Premier League
21 January - Newcastle United 3pm, Premier League (on sale 8 Dec)

21 December - Sunderland 8pm, Premier League

3 January - West Bromwich Albion 745pm, Premier League
14 January - Wolverhampton Wanderers 3pm, Premier League


As last week, please post below if I've got anything wrong or anything changes. Over the next seven days there's a relative scarcity of fixtures (just 69) with many of our local teams once again taking part in cup competitions.

Here are this week's match maps:

MIDWEEK MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures


WEEKEND MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures


As always here's a few games which I think could be worth your time:

TLFG TOP 10

By the time the Blues get to their last Champions League group game they've usually sewn up qualification quite comfortably but that's not the case on this occasion. Having only won two of their five matches so far, a defeat here will see the Spanish side go through at their expense along with Bayer Leverkusen. Officially this has sold out but if you can get a ticket through an exchange service this could well be worth going to.

The Cottagers haven't really got going so far this season and are without a win in four matches. The Reds by contrast are on a fine run and have gone 11 games without defeat and could go fifth in the Premier League if they win this. Fulham's recent draw at Arsenal, however, should give them confidence of holding their own. According to the club's website, tickets for this match are still available to season-ticket holders and members so join up or make friends with one ASAP if you want to go along.

This is one of those matches that makes you take an intake of breath when you see it's coming up. I'm loathed to negatively single out teams for their supporters but the reputation of both sets here often precedes them. With both teams scrapping for points at either end of the Championship, the atmosphere and commitment is likely to be good. Get yourself down to The Den if you want to see an alternative 'big game'.

A quick look at the League Two table makes this fixture look quite unremarkable but these two sides both have notable histories and are playing each other for the first time ever. Having both formed out of clubs who had relocated or gone bust, they both climbed through various leagues at opposite ends of the country to gain Football League status once again. Stanley are relatively well established at this level, while their hosts are here for the first time. If you like your football history and enjoy a sense of occasion outside the top flight, then this is definitely for you.

Having come unstuck against League One MK Dons in the FA Cup on Saturday, the Bees welcome the other Bees for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy southern area semi-final match on Tuesday. For those who don't know this is a London derby with north hosting west. Brentford made last season's final and are doing well again in League One. They did, however, suffer an embarrassing home defeat to non league Wrexham in the FA Cup. Both clubs can use this fixture as a chance to immediately bounce back from their weekend disappointments. Also of note - admission to large areas of the ground has been reduced to £10 for this match giving even more reason to consider this one.

This weekend sees the staging of the first round proper of the FA Trophy and there are a handful of decent ties taking place in the London area, the first being this one. The hosts sit slap bang in the middle of the Blue Square Bet South while The U's are among the frontrunners in the division above and are therefore one of the best teams left in the competition. On police advice this match kicks off at 1pm so if you've got plans later in the afternoon this could be one for you.

Lying towards the eastern end of the District Line, the Urchins are one of the teams on the fringe of our catchment area but they've been anything but a fringe side this season. They've been in the top three of the Ryman League for most of the current campaign and demolished local rivals Thurrock, from the division above, in the last round. Only three points above the relegation zone in the Blue Square Bet South at the time of writing, they'll also view Farnborough as being there for the taking.

(Saturday 10 December, 3pm)
Two of west London's highest ranked non-league teams have been drawn to play in this FA Trophy tie. Over the years both clubs have made their way up from the Ryman League to become members of the Conference. The visitors, despite their relatively small size, have competed in the Blue Square Bet Premier since 2009/10 having beaten Hampton in the play-offs the season before. While never having reached similar heights, the hosts will be buoyed by their win over Hayes in Saturday's Middlesex Senior Cup tie and will wish to get one over their opponents once again in this bigger game. 

These two clubs play either side of the M25 to the west of London, meaning only the hosts ever regularly appear in TLFG, and as a result this can probably be classed as a derby. Both sides also play in the Blue Square Bet South and are only four points apart towards the wrong end of the table. When the teams met earlier in the season, they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Expect this FA Trophy tie to be a close one.

The FA Trophy draw has handed us another derby with this match at Grosvenor Vale. The Stones are having an unexceptional season in the Ryman League Premier Division but are doing well in this competition having seen off Tooting & Mitcham, Margate and Banbury United in previous rounds. Uxbridge play one level below in the Evostik League Southern Division One Central but have only lost once since September and beat Blue Square Bet North side Histon to set up this match. Wealdstone usually get a good crowd so this could be a lively affair.


Aside from the TLFG Top 10 I couldn't let this League One game go without a mention. The Bees are trying to get 10,000 people to attend this match and have slashed prices to try and achieve it. Adults can stand for just £5 while all seats are only £10. Kids can stand or sit for £1. 

As always make sure you check the match maps to see what else is on as there could be a decent game on much closer to you.

Please share your stories and photos of football in London either in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. You can also contact TLFG through Twitter or by email if you have any questions or want advice about watching football in London.