Sunday 6 January 2013

TLFG: 7-13 January 2013

Hi there and Happy New Year!

I hope your festive period went well and you crammed in as much football as you could.

Personally I had fairly lofty ambitions of seeing at least four games - a balanced diet of Premier League and non-league football but I only managed half that as family commitments took precedence.

In fact my football diet wasn't very balanced at all as I overdid it on a double helping of that most attractive of 'match-ups' - Queens Park Rangers v West Bromwich Albion.

Possibly the longest fixture characterwise in 'the 92', neither was particularly entertaining from a QPR fan's point of view.

The Baggies came out on top over the two matches with the league match being won 2-1 and decided by an incident involving Rangers goalkeeper Rob Green (was he pushed/did he flap) and the FA Cup tie ending in a 1-1 draw as Kieron 'Lazarus' Dyer rose from the dead once again to score at the death and an earn the London club a replay.

This match epitomised the decline of the FA Cup for me as two Premier League teams could only draw a crowd of 8,984. Even with ticket prices reduced, around 10,000 people failed to show who were there for the Premier League game 10 days before. The West Brom fans, however, can't be blamed as they brought as many people as they did on Boxing Day and sang throughout. If they win the replay (an almost certainty), I quite fancy them to do well in the following rounds.

Sadly I didn't make it to Stamford Bridge for our match of the season meaning I've missed all three games that QPR have won this campaign (Walsall, Fulham and Chelsea). There's a good chance I won't be able to go to our game against Spurs this Saturday so watch out Tottenham fans!

So which games did you go to and where are you planning to visit this week?


LATEST TICKET NEWS
Each week at TLFG we attempt to compile a list of what's on general sale to non-members at London's Premier League clubs and for other notable matches (click on the team name for details).

Wednesday 6 February, 730pm - Brazil, international friendly, Wembley

Wednesday 16 January, 730pm - Swansea City, FA Cup

CHELSEA
Wednesday 16 January, 745pm - Southampton, Premier League 

Saturday 12 January, 3pm - Wigan Athletic, Premier League
Wednesday 30 January, 8pm - West Ham United, Premier League
Saturday 23 February, 1245pm - Stoke City, Premier League

QUEENS PARK RANGERS
Saturday 12 January, 1245pm - Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League
Tuesday 29 January, 745pm - Manchester City, Premier League
Saturday 2 February, 1245pm - Norwich City, Premier League 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Nothing currently available

WEST HAM UNITED
Saturday 19 January, 3pm - QPR, Premier League
Saturday 2 February, 3pm - Swansea City, Premier League

Of the games above, adult tickets for Chelsea's League Cup semi-final first leg against Swansea are only £25 so could well be worth having.

Elsewhere, entry to Fulham's Premier League game against Wigan Athletic on 12 January ranges from £20-35 with U16s getting in for £1.

In the Championship, the south-east London derby between Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic on 2 February is now on general sale.

Last month Brentford operated a 'Pay What You Want' scheme for their League One fixture against Stevenage - sadly the game was postponed. However, it's been re-arranged for 12 February and the same scheme is in operation. The club report there are around 1,000 tickets left.

Over in east London, close to the Olympic Park, Leyton Orient are charging just £10 for adults and £1 for U18s for their Johnstone's Paint Trophy southern semi-final against Yeovil Town on Tuesday 8 January. In order to try and get families in, this match will kick off at 7pm.

An adult ticket for Dagenham & Redbridge v Rochdale in League Two on Saturday 12 January can be had for as little as £2.50! The club are hosting an Anti-Racism Family Fun Day and have cut prices accordingly.

Over the next week there are more than 80 matches taking place in the London area so there's plenty to choose from. There are big London derbies, a League Cup semi-final and some very attractive FA Trophy ties as well.

Details on all of them can be found in the following match map. If you've never used it 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 left side of the page to make sure you get all the information.

MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures


View London match map 7-13 January 2013 in a larger map



Bad weather may see a few postponements as the week progresses so, as always, check with clubs before you travel. Please also let me know if any of the details are wrong or missing.

Next up is this blog's top 10 recommendations of games which I think could be worth a bit of your time this week - feel free to mention your own or let us know where you're going in the comments section below.

TLFG TOP 10


1. Arsenal v Manchester City - the match of the week takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as two of the Premier League's top six go head-to-head. Historically the Gunners have been far more successful as a club and when the two meet. In fact their recent record against league champions City isn't too bad either having drawn at the Etihad in September and beaten them on their last visit to north London last season. Arsene Wenger's side are currently in marginally better form too so an 'upset' could well be possible. (Premier League, 13 Jan, 4pm. Ticket info)

2. Queens Park Rangers v Tottenham Hotspur - it's derby day once again in W12 as struggling QPR welcome Spurs to Loftus Road. There's a bit more to it than that though as Rangers are now managed by their opponents' former boss Harry Redknapp. The east Londoner enjoyed a very successful time at White Hart Lane with his departure amid rumours of getting the England job a sad way to go. Consequently he'll probably want to win this one quite badly. Doing that will be tricky though as Spurs have hit a purple patch and should win particularly if Gareth Bale is in the mood. (Premier League, 12 Jan, 1245pm. Ticket info)

3. Chelsea v Swansea City - following defeat to QPR, it seems to be all about the cups now for the Blues who could still finish the season with three bits of silverware. Saturday's demolition of Southampton in the FA Cup is followed by this League Cup semi-final first leg against Swansea. The Welsh side have had a very solid season and will provide tough opposition to Chelsea and could well 'want it more'. The fact the Stamford Bridge club have slashed ticket prices suggest their fans aren't that interested either so the underdogs could come out on top. (League Cup, 9 Jan, 745pm. Ticket info)

4. AFC Wimbledon v Wycombe Wanderers - by League Two standards this is pretty much a derby. Although Wycombe don't fall within TLFG's catchment area they are, like so many other clubs, just outside it. It's important too in the race to avoid relegation with neither side having excelled themselves this season. Gareth Ainsworth's Wanderers are the better placed at the moment but the Dons have made the perfect start to 2013 with two wins out of two so will go into this match with renewed confidence. (League Two, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

5. Dartford v Bromley - this weekend sees the playing of the third round of the FA Trophy, a knock-out competition for teams from the top four levels of the non-league game, which means we're down to the last 16. Our first featured game is the south-east London derby between these two old rivals. Both were in the Conference South last season but Dartford won promotion and have done well at the higher level, making themselves a top eight side. Bromley, on the other hand, have struggled but hauled themselves out of the relegation zone on Saturday with a win over Eastleigh. I'm hoping a decent crowd and the chance of getting to Wembley will even things up a bit. (FA Trophy, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

6. Sutton United v Wrexham - as recently as 2005 Wrexham were playing their football in League One. Now, sadly for them, they are a non-league club. However, they are currently second in the Conference Premier meaning a return to the Football League could be on the cards. Sutton play a division below them and are in pretty decent form. After a shaky start they've won three of their last four league games and were narrowly between 1-0 by table toppers Salisbury City on Saturday. The U's have upset bigger clubs in their time but they'll do well to win this one. (FA Trophy, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

7. Welling United v Grimsby Town - unattached football fans in south-east London will be really spoilt for choice on Saturday as Dartford's near neighbours Welling have a blockbuster FA Trophy tie to look forward to as well. Of the three games in the competition in London this is probably the best (I've listed them alphabetically) with the in-form wings of the Conference South entertaining the Conference Premier leaders Grimsby. Although the London club play a level below their opponents they have won their last 10 games so will be full of confidence as they face a club who were playing in the country's second tier until 2003. (FA Trophy, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

8. AFC Hornchurch v Salisbury City - away from the FA Trophy we have this Conference South fixture. The Urchins won promotion to this division from the Isthmian League last year and after rocky beginnings managed to drag themselves up into midtable. However, two consecutive defeats have left them looking over their shoulders again in what is a very tight table (just nine points separate the play-off and relegation places). It won't get any easier on Saturday when league leaders Salisbury pay a visit. Despite winning their last five league games, Welling are still hot on their heels and a slip up here could ultimately let them get past. (Conference South, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

9. Wingate & Finchley v Whitehawk - the hosts ended 2012 with a dismal run of results which saw them go eight games without a win, leaving them firmly among the Isthmian League Premier Division relegation contenders. However, the New Year has brought them a change in fortunes with consecutive away victories over local rivals Wealdstone and Harrow Borough.  If they continue this run on Saturday it will be no mean feat as they entertain current leaders Whitehawk. The Sussex club have attracted a lot of negative publicity over the last year or so as rich owners have been perceived to have bought them promotion and look like doing so again. This situation is particularly exacerbated by the fact that despite this success, the club are quite poorly supported with their average crowd of 158 putting them in the bottom four of the division's attendance table. (Isthmian League Premier Division, 12 Jan, 3pm. Ticket info)

10. Egham Town v Guernsey - as regular readers will know, I've been tipping Guernsey to win the Combined Counties League title for a long time and have said frequently that they will catch current leaders Egham. Well this Saturday we'll find out if that's likely. As it stands, Egham have a 12-point lead over the fourth-placed Green Lions but the latter have a whopping six games in hand. The Sarnies slipped to a disappointing 4-2 defeat at Croydon on Saturday but the Channel Islands club failed to take full advantage, dropping two points as they drew 1-1 at Molesey. For a game at this level, it doesn't get much bigger! (Combined Counties League Premier Division, 12 Jan, 3pm. Club info)


If you have any questions or want advice about watching football in London, you can contact TLFG using the comments section below or via FacebookTwitter or email.

4 comments:

  1. Glad you mentioned the Egham game... its a big'n alright.

    Saw in the paper that Croatia and South Korea are playing at Craven Cottage for £15... went to get a ticket only to find the kick off is 2pm, on a Wednesday.

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    1. I presume their games kick-off at that time for Korean TV purposes. I went to see them play Ivory Coast at Loftus Road three years ago and that started at a similar time too.

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  2. Carshalton Athletic are home to Enfield Town tonight (Tuesday 8th) - big game as both sides looking to get away from the bottom of the Ryman Premier. Kick off 7.45pm at Colston Avenue (SM5 2PW)

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    1. It looked like a cracking game - crucial win for Carshalton.

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