TLFG: 29 January - 4 February 2024

Welcome to this week's TLFG, I hope you're well.

Sickness has been another big feature of the last few days in TLFG Towers and I've had to take the weekend off work to play nurse to my wife and kids, consequently there's been no live football.

For me, it's been mainly all about Non-League Day (NLD) preparations.

There have been more meetings with our charity partners Prostate Cancer UK and also our friends at Athletic Bilbao who are building up to their own event across the Basque Country again.

I've also been building the national match map for NLD and working on this blog while I can.

Spain will play Colombia at London Stadium on 22 March - tickets

NLD takes place on 23 March and it looks like being a fantastic weekend of football in London.

Kicking off on Friday night, it's been announced that Spain will play Colombia in a friendly at West Ham United's London Stadium home.

Then following the NLD festivities on Saturday afternoon, England will play Brazil at Wembley in the evening.

To top it all, it's also Women's Football Weekend so it's all go!

With my wife's health improving, hopefully I'll get to a game at some point this week but we'll see.

Have a great week and enjoy whatever you end up doing.

 THE WEEK AHEAD

This week we've got matches in the Premier League, EFL, National League and Women's Super League as well as all the other non-league and women's competitions which our local clubs compete in.

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 - turquoise 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 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 29 January

Youth & Development matches

As far as I'm aware, it's all about U18 football on Monday. Hampton & Richmond Borough, Metropolitan Police, Tooting & Mitcham United and Walton & Hersham are all hosting games but please check all the details before travel, particularly the venues

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Tuesday 30 January

Premier League

Fulham v Everton @745pm - there are a couple of big games towards the wrong end of the table on Tuesday. Firstly at Craven Cottage, the hosts will be looking to recover from their FA Cup loss to Newcastle on Saturday. Although eight points clear of the relegation zone, wins have been hard to come by for Fulham in recent weeks so they really need to get something here. Everton also bowed out of the cup at the weekend and because of a points deduction sit just above the relegation zone so this could go either way. Also of note, Fulham are unbeaten in five against the Toffees. Tickets are available

Crystal Palace v Sheffield United @8pm - slightly later over in SE25, Roy Hodgson's side face an important game against the bottom club. Without a win in 2024, the pressure is starting to build on the Eagles' 76-year-old manager. A win against the Blades could push them eight points clear of the relegation zone and make things seem a lot brighter. Rarely for a first-team game at Selhurst Park, tickets are on general sale

League Two

Sutton United v Harrogate Town @745pm - since his appointment in early January, Steve Morison has presided over three draws which have lifted the U's off bottom spot. With two of those draws against sides in the top four, that marks a significant improvement. Next up they face midtable opponents Harrogate who won promotion from the National League the year before Sutton so they're both fairly new to this level. Since they first met in a fifth-tier game in 2018, Sutton have only lost one of the nine games they've played against the Yorkshire club. Tickets

National League

Wealdstone v Aldershot Town @745pm - David Noble's time as Stones manager started with a solid 2-0 win over FC Halifax Town on Saturday. On Tuesday, another top-seven side pay them a visit for what should be a challenging test. The Shots beat Rochdale 3-1 at the weekend and have lost only one of their last five. They also beat Wealdstone 3-1 in August and have never lost at Grosvenor Vale. Tickets

National League South

Welling United v Hampton & Richmond Borough @745pm - the Wings picked up a surprise away win at Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday and promptly sacked manager Danny Bloor in a move that has angered fans. Whether the struggling team have a replacement in in time for this remains to be seen but they'll have to up their game again to beat this talented Hampton & Richmond side who are well in the hunt for promotion. Tickets

Isthmian League Premier

Enfield Town v Billericay Town @745pm - game of the day in the seventh tier is this top-four clash at Donkey Lane. Both sides suffered defeat on Saturday to lose ground on the top two. With only one team getting automatic promotion and leaders Hornchurch having a double-digit lead over both of them, securing a play-off place would seem to be the most realistic aim at this stage. Wingate & Finchley and Hastings United sit just behind them in the table and also have games on Tuesday which could see them catch the Towners so the stakes are high. Tickets

Isthmian League South Central

Chertsey Town v Leatherhead @745pm - there's another huge game at Alwyns Lane where the leaders welcome the side in third. The Curfews beat Ashford Town 2-1 on Saturday in front of a crowd of 661 and with title challengers Southall suffering a shock defeat at bottom club Binfield, they opened a three-point lead at the top. The Tanners won 2-0 at Thatcham Town to move above Marlow who had their game against Guernsey postponed. With Chertsey having played fewer games than their main title rivals, it's looking bright for the Surrey club. Tickets 

SCEFL Premier

Erith Town v Glebe @745pm - the visitors kept hold of top spot with a 2-0 win over Snodland Town on Saturday. It's just as well as main title rivals Faversham Town and Deal Town both won too. As for Erith, they sit six points behind Bearsted who occupy the last play-off place. Although they have a game in hand on them, the Bears are the form team of the division so catching them is going to be hard. Tickets will be available on the gate

CCL Division 1

British Airways v RB Kensington @745pm - the hosts are having a rather fine season. Currently fourth, if they win all their games in hand, second spot is achievable. Although back in eighth, RBK also have games in hand that could put them into the play-off places too. The name gives it away, but if you didn't know, BA play right next to Heathrow Airport. Tickets will be available on the gate

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Wednesday 31 January

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford @730pm - top of the bill on Wednesday is this derby at the THS. Since joining the Premier League in 2021, the Bees have only lost one of the five games they've played against Spurs. The last couple of months had been very underwhelming for Thomas Frank's side but then Ivan Toney returned from his betting ban and scored in a priceless 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest to renew their hopes of beating the drop. Spurs conceded a late goal on Friday to lose to Manchester City in the FA Cup and they'll believe they're quite capable of bouncing back here. Tickets are only on sale to members but hospitality packages are available from £199

Premier League International Cup

West Ham United v Dinamo Zagreb @7pm - unbeaten in the three games they've played in this U21 competition, the Hammers should start as favourites against their Croatian opponents who have yet to win. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge and tickets will be available on arrival

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Thursday 1 February

Premier League

West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth @730pm - the new month begins with some Thursday night football at the London Stadium. By their respective standards, both sides are having decent seasons. The Hammers are in the top six whilst the Cherries are more than holding their own in 12th. Although David Moyes' side are right up in the battle for European places, they haven't won a match in 2024. Results have included a loss to Championship club Bristol City in the FA Cup and a draw at bottom side Sheffield United last time out. Bournemouth are a couple without a win in the league but they've kept things ticking over with a couple of cup victories instead. West Ham are unbeaten in five against the Dorset club. Tickets

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Friday 2 February

Premier League Cup

Chelsea v Leeds United @7pm - as we approach the final games of this stage, the Blues and Lilywhites have already secured the top two spots in Group D to make this a dead rubber. Matches between these two are always worth a watch though. Being played at Kingsmeadow, tickets are available

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Sadly as a result of work and family commitments, I won't be publishing any previews for this weekend's games - apologies 

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!

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