Sunday 14 February 2016

TLFG: 15-21 February 2016

Hello there one and all and welcome to TLFG.

Hope it's been a good week for you and you got to see some football.

After a last minute shift change I managed to get a ticket for the west London derby between QPR and Fulham. I wish I hadn't bothered as Rangers' performance was woeful. 

Some Dutch friends attended and even they conceded Fulham were made to look good by our inept display. The second half was better but the game was already long gone and it ended 3-1.

It continued QPR's amazingly poor run against their neighbours with now only two wins from 11 attempts. Hopefully just a bad day at the office.

Tickets are on sale now
In other news, the FA have released tickets for Non-League Finals Day on Sunday 22 May at Wembley. It will be only £25 for adults and £1 for kids to see the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals back to back which to me seems a very fair price.

Lastly we've got another ground review from our friends at 'Two Men...' - this week they've been to visit Isthmian League club Redbridge over in east London.

There are over 100 matches this week so there's plenty to choose from - enjoy!

LATEST TICKET NEWS

Please follow this link or click on the tab at the top of the page for all the information you need about how to get a ticket, what's currently available to non-members at London's biggest clubs and any other special offers or promotions which might be running.


THE WEEK AHEAD
There are over 100 matches in the London area over the next seven days so there's plenty to choose from whatever your budget.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. 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 (white 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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Red pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures




WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
White pin - Sunday fixtures



Next up is this week's TLFG match recommendations where I list a few games which I think could be worth a watch. If I miss one that you think should get a mention then add your own in the comments section below.

TLFG TOP 10

1. Chelsea v Manchester City - it's all about the FA Cup this week, with this the stand-out game by far. With the competition down to its last 16, things are getting serious and in this tie we have two potential winners. Much has been made of Chelsea's failure in the Premier League this season so this competition represents their best chance of domestic silverware. The last time Guus Hiddink played a cameo role as Blues manager he won the FA Cup and with their results improving all the time, the Stamford Bridge club must be among the favourites. City, on the other hand, have just lost back-to-back games against two of their main rivals for the league and are clearly far more vulnerable than in previous seasons. The announcement that boss Manuel Pellegrini will step down at the end of the current campaign obviously hasn't inspired his players and they will start as second favourites in my book. (FA Cup Fifth Round, Sunday 21 February, 4pm. Ticket info)

2. Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace - one of the sides to beat City in the last week are Spurs who recorded a superb 2-1 win at the Etihad on Sunday to move into second and become London's top-ranked club. Tottenham haven't won the league since 1961 when they also completed the double. A whopping 55 years later and they're well positioned to repeat that feat. Being just two points off top spot in the league and facing a Palace side in woeful form in this cup tie, a quarter-final place looks assured. The visitors are winless in nine in the Premier League but it's been a totally different story in the FA Cup where they have negotiated two potentially very tricky ties against fellow top-flight sides Southampton and Stoke City. Spurs should still have too much for them though, having beaten them twice already in the league. (FA Cup Fifth Round, Sunday 21 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

3. Fulham v Charlton Athletic - after comfortably beating QPR in their west London derby on Saturday, the Cottagers next welcome the Addicks for another derby on Saturday. This match is arguably more important as the two are both battling the drop. The hosts' win at Rangers has given them a bit of breathing space but Charlton are in all kinds of trouble both on and off the field with the fans desperate to replace the current owner. However, five points from the last four games isn't a bad return for a side in the bottom three and this should be close. Charlton's record at Craven Cottage, however, is pretty awful with their last win coming 30 years ago. (Championship, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

4. Millwall v Peterborough United - the Lions have back-to-back home games to look forward to this week with this, to me, the more attractive of the two. At the time of writing, Millwall are the form team of League One with five wins from six propelling them into the play-off places. Peterborough, often contenders themselves, are a bit further back but there's still plenty of time for them to mount a challenge. Located less than an hour's train ride north of London, their fans should travel in reasonable numbers and we'll hopefully get a decent game. Posh acquitted themselves very well against Premier League side West Brom in the FA Cup on Wednesday (losing on penalties) but then got drubbed by Bradford on Saturday which kind of sums up their inconsistent midtable season. (League One, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

5. Barnet v AFC Wimbledon - it's derby time in League Two as north faces south. Both sides enjoyed great weekends with the Bees winning at Dagenham & Redbridge and the Dons thrashing Luton. As a result, Barnet moved 13 points clear of the relegation zone while Wimbledon kept their dreams of a play-off place alive. The head-to-head between these two is pretty tight with Neal Ardley's side winning the reverse fixture 2-0 back in October. (League Two, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

6. Boreham Wood v Torquay United the Wood's fight for National League survival continues with this crucial game against fellow strugglers Torquay. The Hertfordshire club are, in terms of attendance, the smallest club in the division and it's highly impressive they made it up to this level for the first time this season. Unsurprisingly they find themselves in the bottom four but that's primarily because they've drawn too many games - 11 so far, the joint highest. Their recent results have seen them take points off Grimsby, Eastleigh, Tranmere and even league leaders Cheltenham so they're more than a match for anyone on their day. The Gulls were a Football League club until 2014 but off-field upheaval and budget cuts have seen them really struggle this year. Currently 10 points adrift of safety and with eight defeats in 10, Boreham Wood won't get a better chance to record a precious win. (National League, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

7. Kingstonian v Tonbridge Angels no matches really scream 'pick me' in the Isthmian League this week but I've got a good feeling about this one. Both sides had looked like promotion or even title contenders a while back but some dodgy results knocked them back. However, both have regrouped and got themselves right back in it. The K's have taken 13 points from their last five games to move up to seventh and with two games in hand can still harbour outside ambitions of pushing the very top clubs. Fourth placed Tonbridge have managed three wins on the bounce since claiming a dramatic draw at leaders Hampton and Richmond and with two games in hand too, they are very much in the race for top spot. The last match between the pair ended in a 1-1 draw. (Isthmian League Premier Division, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

8. Enfield Town v Wingate & Finchley - in the Isthmian League Cup we have a tie between two north London rivals. Enfield are historically the much bigger club, currently drawing about three times more supporters through their turnstiles. They are, however, neck and neck in the league with the hosts just two points ahead. The table is very tight and a string of wins would put either of them in the top five. Launched just over 40 years ago, the original Enfield club won the cup twice in its early days while Wingate triumphed in 2011. Enfield have already won the two league games between the sides this season so you would expect them to start as favourites here. A trip to Kingstonian awaits the winners. (Isthmian League Cup Quarter-Final, Tuesday 16 February, 745pm. Ticket info)

9. Egham Town v Uxbridge the Sarnies' quest for promotion stayed on track on Saturday as they won 1-0 at Potters Bar. The result means they've now won seven out of eight, leaving them fifth and eight points off top spot. But, and it's a big but, they have four games in hand on the leaders and two or three on all those above them. They begin the week by hosting Ware, before local rivals Uxbridge head to the Runnymede Stadium at the weekend. The ball is pretty much in Egham's court, they've just got to keep winning. Uxbridge are having the ultimate midtable season and seem in no danger of doing anything particularly noteworthy at either end of the table. They'll just really want to avoid a repeat of the 7-0 thrashing they suffered when playing Egham at home in September. (Southern League Division 1 Central, Saturday 20 February, 3pm. Club info)

10. Erith & Belvedere v Sheppey United - if the two big FA Cup ties on Sunday aren't for you, you could always head to Park View Road in Welling to see this Kent Senior Trophy semi-final instead. The Deres play in the Southern Counties East League a level above Sheppey from the Kent Invicta League. However, Sheppey are an up and coming club. Currently joint top and with crowds exceeding some sides three tiers above them, they look like a side to watch. E&B often challenge for the SCEFL title but it's not happening this year and they could be vulnerable. (Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final, Sunday 21 February, 3pm. Ticket info)

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. You might also want to have a go at writing a 'Top Ten' one week. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.

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

2 comments:

  1. I'm going to watch Chelsea v Manchester City at the weekend, I can't wait. I'm a Chelsea fan, but I've got my money on Manchester City to pip it unfortunately, but we'll have to wait and see.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now I know what I will do during this week! all teams interesting!

    ReplyDelete