Greetings one and all and welcome to one of the last editions of TLFG for the 2024/25 season.
Games are getting really thin on the ground now that most of our local leagues have concluded.
This week I've trawled the lower leagues and youth competitions to give you a few more options and as a result we do have games every day.
Although few in number, those that we do have are crucial league matches, play-off games or cup finals so there should be plenty of drama.
Did you get to any matches this week?
As I mentioned in my last blog, I was hoping to get to the QPR U21 match against Peterborough United and I did get there.
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| The Women's FA Cup Final takes place on Sunday - tickets |
They completed their league fixtures with a comfortable 2-0 win and although the campaign has been disappointing, they do have an unexpected Premier League Cup Final to look forward to against local rivals Brentford on Thursday.
I had also hoped to attend Non-League Finals Day at Wembley on Sunday but family commitments took precedence as Whitstable Town and Aldershot Town won the FA Vase and FA Trophy respectively.
Given I'm working next weekend, my match watching for the season is probably over.
My next game could well be in Basel where I've got tickets to watch hosts Switzerland play their first fixture of the Women's Euros against Norway - I've never been to St Jakob Park before and have barely spent any time in Switzerland either so I'm looking forward to it.
To make sure I got this blog up before 0900 on Monday, I've only written previews up until Friday - I'll add the weekend ones later.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's highlights include games in the Premier League, EFL and National League play-offs and the men's and women's FA Cup finals.
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 - 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 12 May
Premier League 2 Play-Off Semi-Final
Crystal Palace v Southampton @7pm - the play-offs continue in this U21 competition with a game at Selhurst Park. In this division, the top 16 make the post-season with first playing 16th and second taking on 15th etc. Palace have already beaten Brighton and Chelsea, the latter 6-0. The Saints have got past Leicester and Fulham. Only a point separated them in the regular season so this should be close. Tickets are £5
EAL Division 3 Cup Final
IONA Wheels v Changing Lives @730pm - there are several U23 matches featuring non-league teams but if you want to see a cup final, head to Dagenham & Redbridge's ground where the top two in this 15th-tier division do battle. IONA won the division by one point so will be looking to complete a double. Also of interest, apparently Changing Lives are the only competitive men's team in the UK made up entirely of refugees. I haven't seen any admission prices but it shouldn't break the bank
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Tuesday 13 May
Capital Women's Senior Cup Final
Arsenal Academy v Dulwich Hamlet @745pm - a women's cup final tops the bill on Tuesday and with the Gunners and Dulwich involved, there should be a decent crowd at Uxbridge's ground. The Hamlet made their debut in the fourth tier this season and found it possibly tougher than expected as they finished eighth out of 12. However, they beat Spurs in the last four of this competition to make their first final and will be looking to end the season on a big high. The Gunners' youngsters won this two years ago and have beaten AFC Wimbledon, Fulham and Haringey Borough on their way to the final and will start as favourites. Tickets are £5
CCL Division 2 Cup Final
Langley U23 v London Rangers @745pm - back in the men's game, we've got a cup final for teams in this 11th-tier division. Langley come into the game in second and still have a slim chance of winning the divisional title. However, their chances of winning the cup look considerably better as London Rangers finished sixth out of eight. Langley's first team won the Division 1 Cup last week so they'll be hoping to continue their successful season here. This match is being played at Bedfont Sports but I haven't seen any ticket details yet. It was £10 to get into the Division 1 Cup Final
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Wednesday 14 May
EAL Senior Division Cup Final
Woodford Town Reserves v Kulture @730pm - with Woodford's first team losing out in the Essex Senior League play-offs again, they'll be hoping their reserve team can bring them a bit of joy in this cup for 11th-tier teams. They will start as favourites as Kulture finished in the relegation zone. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge and tickets are £6
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Thursday 15 May
League One Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg
Charlton Athletic v Wycombe Wanderers @8pm - these sides fought out a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg on Sunday so it's all to play for at The Valley on Thursday. The last three seasons have seen the Addicks drifting around in the League One doldrums but this year Nathan Jones has transformed them into a far more competitive force and took them to a fourth-place finish. In the four years since their relegation from the Championship, the Chairboys have always been in the top 10 and were in contention for automatic promotion until very late in the day but they ultimately ended up fifth. The winners will play Leyton Orient or Stockport County in the final. Tickets were selling fast and may well be gone by the time you read this
Premier League Cup Final
QPR v Brentford @7pm - open to clubs in the Premier League and EFL, this U21 competition began with a 36-team group stage and we're now down to the final two. Neither of these sides are in the elite Premier League 2 which shows you perhaps how seriously the bigger clubs approach this - many don't even enter. What we do have to look forward to though, is a great West London derby. On paper, the Bees should start as strong favourites. They finished second, on goal difference, in Group South of the Professional Development League and are currently contesting that league's play-offs. They also beat the R's 4-1 and 5-1 in their league meetings this season and won this competition two years ago. The match is being played at Loftus Road and the initial allocation of around 2,000 tickets sold out in hours. Thankfully the club has said it will release more so check to see what becomes available
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Friday 16 May
Premier League
Chelsea v Manchester United @815pm - the weekend begins with what would normally be a top-flight blockbuster at Stamford Bridge. However, things aren't normal at all this year. The Blues haven't won the title since 2017 and have been well off the pace again this time. They are, though, much improved on last season and a win here will go a long way towards them sealing a Champions League spot to go with their trip to the Conference League final later this month. United, on the other hand, are well on course for having their worst season since 1990 when they finished 13th. How they and fellow strugglers Spurs made the Europa League final so comfortably is staggering. Have they saved their best for Europe or is the overall quality of the Premier League way better than everywhere else? Anyway, back to this game - Chelsea are unbeaten at home against the Red Devils since 2020 and that really doesn't look like changing here. Tickets
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Saturday 17 May
Men's FA Cup Final
Crystal Palace v Manchester City @430pm - the showpiece event of the English football calendar is here again and it's great to see that the weekend's Premier League games have all been moved to different days to make sure it gets all the attention. At first glance it looks like there can only be one winner but with City having their worst season for a while, Palace do have a chance. Saying that, Pep Guardiola's side are much improved and are currently showing the best form of anyone in the top five. The Eagles have made the final twice but never won it, they've never won the EFL Cup either so a victory here would be huge for the club. Manchester City have made the final 13 times, winning it on seven occasions - the last time in 2023. Tickets have sold out
League Two Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg
AFC Wimbledon v Notts County @1230pm - earlier in the day in south London, there's another big game at Plough Lane. The Dons finished fifth and picked up a very useful 1-0 win in the first leg. They've also won all three of the home games they've played against the Magpies since they reformed as 'AFC'. Walsall will await the winners in the final. Tickets have sold out
HSCFL Premier
OIR FC v Hinton @2pm - if you can't get into either of the above, then all your other options are in the county leagues of the 11th tier and below. To be honest, I'm not a huge expert on this level and I usually only list games which are being played at proper non-league grounds but given there's so little on, I've included a few more. This match is the only remaining fixture in the whole division and will decide whether the hosts stay up or get relegated. A draw against midtable Hinton will be enough but will the pressure take its toll? This is being played on a 3G pitch at a college in Enfield so there's unlikely to be an admission fee
MCFL Division 1 North & West
Brook House v Wood Lane @tbc - in the 12th tier, one of my local clubs have just been crowned champions. Wood Lane hail from White City Estate and are made up of local players who live there. This season they've pipped Bloomsbury and Harrow Bhoys to the title and if they win this final game of the campaign, their final winning margin will be five points. Brook House first team play in the Combined Counties League so I'm presuming this is their reserve or development team. Annoyingly, this league rarely publishes kick-off times on it's website and they do vary quite a bit so I'm still chasing that info. Admission should be free but have a bit of change ready just in case
CCL Division Two
Langley U23 v FAB @3pm - in theory this league should be in the 11th tier but it exists in a weird ether outside the pyramid and offers no promotion or relegation to anywhere as far as I can tell. There are eight teams in it and these are the top two but they've both played well over 14 games so I don't really know how that works either as information is scant. It's being played at Brunel University near Uxbridge - give it a go if you live on that side of town and let me know what it's all about!
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Sunday 18 May
Premier League
West Ham United v Nottingham Forest @215pm - this match is really all about the visitors. They've had a great campaign, going from relegation prospects at the start to top-four contenders by the end. No-one saw this season coming and boss Nuno Espirito Santo has done an amazing job. However, his magic seems to be wearing off at the most critical time. With only one win in six, they've slipped down to seventh as their form has deserted them. A Champions League spot is still within their grasp but if they lose here, it could well be gone for good. The Hammers have been pretty abject this season but still managed to win 2-0 at Old Trafford in their last game to go above Manchester United and heap further shame on the Red Devils. Forest could only draw with already relegated Leicester in their last game so any result seems possible here. Tickets
Brentford v Fulham @3pm - on the west side of town it's derby day and with four wins in a row, the Bees suddenly find themselves in the top eight and in the race for a European place. To get it, they'll need to finish eighth and hope Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Saturday and finish in the top four. Their rivals for that final Euro spot are Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham who visit here. The stakes are therefore incredibly high for both, with defeat for the Cottagers knocking them out of the race. Tickets are only available to members
Arsenal v Newcastle United @430pm - the biggest game of the day sees second play third at the Emirates. The Gunners seem to have been second all season but with two games to go, they can mathematically still be caught by Forest down in seventh (unlikely as the goal difference is huge). Newcastle are two points behind Arsenal so are even more vulnerable to slipping out of the top five but with the EFL Cup already won, they have at least a Conference League place to look forward to. Tickets are only available to members but hospitality packages are available from £525
National League South Play-Off Final
Boreham Wood v Maidstone United @1230pm - having finished fifth and seventh, these two have done well to find themselves just 90 minutes away from a return to the fifth tier. The Wood looked dead and buried when they went 3-1 down in the 81st minute of their opening play-off game against Dorking Wanderers but sensationally came back to win 4-3. They then made the long trip down to Devon to beat former EFL club Torquay United 1-0. By only claiming the last play-off place, the Stones have had to play all their games away from home so it's some achievement to have made it this far after wins over Worthing and Eastbourne Borough. Unsurprisingly it has sold out
Women's FA Cup Final
Chelsea v Manchester United @130pm - the showpiece of the women's football calendar takes place less than 24 hours after the men's event on the same hallowed Wembley turf. Despite their domestic dominance of recent years, the Blues are still several years away from surpassing Arsenal as the most successful team in the competition and it's been two years since they last won. If they do win, they'll complete an impressive domestic treble under new boss Sonia Bompastor having won the WSL and League Cup already. United are the reigning champions and made the final in 2023 too. Finishing third in the league, they'll do really well to retain their title but games between the two have been tight this season with both ending 1-0 to Chelsea. If you've never been to Wembley, now's your chance as tickets are very reasonably priced
L&SE Women's Regional League Premier
Dartford v Fulham @3pm - these two complete their seasons at Princes Park. It could've been a huge title decider but with the Cottagers having already wrapped up the title and the Darts confirming a second-place finish, there's not a lot riding on it. However, more important things are going on as the club are celebrating 25 years of DWFC and raising funds for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel as one of their former players, still in her 30s, is fighting the disease. With a DJ, bouncy castle, face painting and much more, there's loads going on. Tickets are £7
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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