Greetings one and all and welcome to week two of pre-season in London.
Did you make it to any games last week? Were you at Walton & Hersham for the CONIFA Asia Cup? Congratulations to Tamil Eelam who seemed to canter to the title against East Turkistan and Tibet.
I actually had quite an active week which saw me do one stadium tour and go to two games.
Beginning on Wednesday morning, I flew to the Swiss city of Basel to watch the Women's Euros opening ceremony and the game between Switzerland and Norway.
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| Myself and Christoph at SC Freiburg |
On arrival at the airport, which is actually in France, you're given the choice of leaving via the French or Swiss exit.
TLFG reader Christoph B was there to meet me and advised using the French one.
Out of the terminal it was scorching hot but he'd prepared an amazing welcome pack for me which included a Switzerland scarf, Kicker magazine's guide to the Women's Euros and tourist info booklets about Basel itself.
Although coming to pick me up, Christoph is neither French nor Swiss but actually German and we were soon crossing another border into south-west Deutschland. Although police were doing random passport checks on the bridge over the Rhine, we were waved through unlike the airport shuttle bus which was halted, delaying all on board.
Driving through some beautiful sun-baked villages, surrounded by farms and overlooked by the impressive mountains of the Black Forest, we headed to Freiburg.
We didn't quite make into the town centre but stopped instead at the Europa Park Stadion, home of SC Freiburg where Christoph is an official guide and he treated me to my own personal tour.
Opened in 2021, the stadium has played host to a side which has gone from strength-to-strength in the Bundesliga - they missed a top-four finish by only two points last season to qualify for the Europa League again.
I enjoyed a good look round the stands, went pitch side, popped into the away dressing room (the home one if off limits) and visited the media facilities, before adding to my mug collection in the gift shop - sorry Mrs TLFG!
After this top experience, we drove back to France and checked into our hotel before taking the train the two or three kilometres into Switzerland for the match in Basel - for this leg there were no border checks.
After a bit of food in the impressive Basel station, we headed out to have a nose around town as there was still two or three hours until the game.
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| Alisha Lehmann heads for the team bus |
Only a few hundred metres into our expedition, we came across the Swiss team's hotel which was easily identifiable by their bus which was parked outside.
Seconds later, completely by chance, the players began to emerge with Alisha Lehmann causing the most excitement for the small group of waiting fans - she duly ran straight over to give some of them a hug which was a nice touch.
The whole thing was wonderfully low key - there were no security barriers, only one police officer that I could see and they just got into their bus and rolled off into a rush-hour traffic jam with everyone else.
During the London Olympics, whole expressways were created for athletes and security was massive.
After a wander around some of the old town, going to a fan zone and watching locals take part in the tradition of floating down the Rhine, which looks great, we got on a packed and absolutely boiling tram to St Jakob Park for the game.
I'm afraid to say that the stadium and events centre, which recently hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, which stand either side of the tram stop, are really uninspiring concrete buildings which are nothing to look at - at least not from any angle I managed to view from.
The stadium is wrapped in a shopping centre and it all looks a bit like a 1960's Brutalist-style housing estate.
Getting in was easy enough but our seats up in the gods in the north-east corner of the ground were reached by an incredibly steep climb but they were comfortable enough when we got there.
With the short opening ceremony out of the way, the game began but focusing on it was hard because it was so hot!
Most people were provided with fans and it was obvious how many were melting in their seats.
Switzerland deservedly took the lead midway through the first half and held it until the interval when Christoph and I headed to the concourse to top up our water bottles and get some air.
With a decent breeze down here and a clear view of the pitch, we and several others never returned to our seats and stood down here instead.
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| The view from the concourse was decent |
The second half was more entertaining with an own goal, penalty miss and some big VAR moments which saw Norway come from behind to win 2-1.
After getting separated trying to board the train back into central Basel, Christoph and I finally became reunited in the central station.
He drove me back to the airport the next day and at around 0945 on Thursday morning I was back at Luton Airport and back in Shepherds Bush less than two hours later.
It was a whirlwind 24 hours of football fun but Christoph was a superb host and looked after everything - if you're ever in Freiburg, give one of his stadium tours a go.
My second match of the week took place on Sunday when I went to the far more mundane surroundings of Gunnersbury Park to watch an Actonians trialists' match.
With lots of big teams in their division this year, many of them with enhanced budgets, getting recruitment right is going to be absolutely essential and there were some good players on show.
This week looks like being a much quieter one for me as I'm working but it needn't be for you as lots of teams from Championship level down are in action.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's highlights include friendlies featuring several EFL teams and a number of Premier League clubs' U21 teams.
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
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 7 July
Friendlies
Aveley v Fisher @745pm - after suffering relegation from the NLS last season, the Millers will hope for a much more positive campaign back in the seventh tier. They enjoyed a solid 3-0 win over local rivals Dagenham & Redbridge on Friday night but only managed a draw and a loss to Walthamstow and hosts Barking in a three-team mini tournament 24 hours later. Fisher play two divisions below them but made the SCEFL Premier play-offs last season. Entry to Parkside is free
Redbridge v Newbury Forest @8pm - also on the east side of town, we've got this groundshare derby. The Motormen beat Buckhurst Hill 2-1 in another derby on Friday and should be confident of another victory against 10th-tier opposition. Entry on Friday was £5 so I presume it will be the same here
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Tuesday 8 July
Friendlies
Barnet v Crystal Palace U21 @745pm - after a win at Hitchin Town and draw at Hemel Hempstead, League Two returnees Barnet play their first home game of pre-season. In it they welcome a development side from FA Cup winners Crystal Palace who should give them a good workout.
Tickets Bromley v Tottenham Hotspur U21 @745pm - in south-east London, the Ravens are preparing for their second year in the fourth tier and, like Barnet, welcome a development team from one of the capital's biggest clubs.
Tickets Boreham Wood v Watford @730pm - arguably the biggest game of the day takes place at Meadow Park where The Wood, newly promoted to the National League, welcome Championship opposition. The Hornets have this listed as a first-team game on their website so they should bring a strong team.
Tickets
A bit further afield
Three Bridges v Crawley Town @745pm - to south of London, close to Gatwick Airport, we've got this local derby between an Isthmian League club and one from League Two.
Tickets -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday 9 July
Friendlies
Enfield Town v AFC Wimbledon @7pm - the Towners found their first season in the sixth tier really tough but a superb run of results towards the end of the campaign kept them in the NLS. On Wednesday they take on a Dons side who won promotion back to League One after beating Walsall in the play-off final at Wembley. This is listed as a first-team game on Wimbledon's website.
Tickets
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Friday 11 July
Friendlies
Cobham v Hanworth Villa @745pm - both these sides had great seasons in the Combined Counties League and Isthmian League but ultimately fell short in the play-offs. With big sides leaving both of their divisions, their chances of going up this time seem improved. Villa have also managed to retain the services of prolific striker Sam Merson, son of Paul, who will spearhead their attack again. Entry for pre-season games here has been £5 so far, so I'm expecting the same
A bit further afield
Potters Bar Town v Watford U21 @730pm - Isthmian Premier side PBT are back in their ground after laying a new 3G pitch and will look forward to hosting a development side from a fellow Hertfordshire club. Tickets are £10 on the gate
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Saturday 12 July
Friendlies
Watford v AFC Wimbledon @3pm - it's Championship versus League One in what must be the biggest match of the pre-season period in London so far, certainly in front of a crowd. To make things interesting, this is being played at Wealdstone's ground in Ruislip.
Tickets Boreham Wood v Arsenal U21 @3pm - the hosts have provided a home for the Gunners' youth and women's teams for several years now so a match against an Arsenal XI has become a pre-season tradition.
Tickets Cray Wanderers v Crystal Palace U21 @3pm - London's oldest club are into the second season at their new stadium. The seventh-tier side will hope for a good turnout as they welcome the Eagles' youngsters.
Tickets Dartford v Charlton Athletic @3pm - these sides experienced contrasting fortunes in the play-offs last season with the Darts losing to stay in the Isthmian Premier whilst the Addicks triumphed to return to the Championship. This is listed as a first-team game on Charlton's website.
Tickets
A bit further afield
Gillingham v Reading @3pm - to the east of London, two EFL clubs meet at the Priestfield. Despite a decent final run of games, the Gills finished an uninspiring 17th in League Two last season. The Royals, on the other hand, only just missed a play-off place in League One which was quite an achievement given their off-field problems.
Tickets Eastleigh v Southampton @3pm - there's a local derby in Hampshire where the Spitfires welcome the Saints who are now back in the Championship following relegation from the Premier League. This is being listed as a first-team game on Southampton's website.
Tickets Bishop's Stortford v Stevenage @3pm - to the north of town we've got a Hertfordshire derby as the Southern League Blues welcome League One opposition.
Tickets East Grinstead Town v Crawley Town @3pm - Scott Lindsey's side continue their tour of local non-league clubs as they prepare for another year in League Two. Tickets for EGT games are usually £10 on the gate
Hitchin Town v MK Dons @3pm - after entertaining sides from Barnet and Luton Town, the Canaries next welcome further League Two opposition from MK Dons.
Tickets Maldon & Tiptree v Colchester United @3pm - fancy an Essex derby? Then check out the Isthmian League Jammers who take on their local League Two club.
Tickets
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Sunday 13 July
Friendlies
London Bees v Ascot United @2pm - it's all about women's football today with the pick of the action involving Women's National League teams who play in the fourth tier. After finishing fourth in the Division 1 South East last season, the hosts are one of several teams to be spending significant sums to try and get up this season. Ascot won their fifth-tier division last season to move up to the parallel Division 1 South West so it will be interesting to see how they do. Tickets for London Bees' game last week were free but check on the day, it shouldn't be more than £5. London Bees are Barnet's women's team and they play at The Hive complex
QPR v Northampton Town @2pm - another one of the division's most ambitious clubs, the R's will be looking for a strong showing against the Cobblers who were runners-up in the Midlands Division last season. This is being played at QPR's training ground - the R's manager has confirmed to me that anyone wanting to go will have to
pre-register for free
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.
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