Wow - did that just happen?
Yes it really did!
England won a major tournament, for the second time in a row, on penalties and away from home!
I've heard the Lionesses' performances described as 'proper English' throughout this tournament and I can't quite understand why as England for most of my lifetime have never won anything, certainly not on penalties and never on foreign soil.
Anyway, who cares? We won and it feels great.
As regular readers know, I've become a devotee of the women's game since the last Euros and it's completely changed my football life.
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| QPR entertain Brentford on Saturday |
The months ahead look exciting for England and the WSL.
I'm hopeful of a good year for Actonians too - they've made some decent signings this summer and picked up a big one on Friday but that's all I'll say on that for now.
One of the worst things about the last few weeks has been the amount of people, usually men, queuing up to criticise and belittle Sarina Wiegman's team despite their ongoing success.
It's sad that they can't celebrate or feel the joy many of us are experiencing right now but that's their loss.
Anyway, aside from enjoying the Women's Euros, I haven't actually done much else this week as work has taken precedence.
I'm off this weekend so I'll hopefully get to a game then.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week sees League Two get underway as well as the opening round of the FA Cup and even a preliminary round in the EFL Cup . We've also got plenty of friendlies featuring Premier League, Championship and one or two foreign teams plus loads of non-league ones as well.
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 28 July
CCL Division 1
RB Kensington v Chalfont St Peter @745pm - RBK should've gone down last season but received a reprieve to remain in this 10th-tier division. Playing at North Greenford United in 2024/25, they've switched to share with Northwood this season - even further away from their inner city roots. On Saturday they played their part in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Spelthorne Sports. CSP also drew 2-2 in their opening game with Colliers Wood and it could well be close again here
ECL Division 1 South
Lymore Gardens v Brimsdown @745pm - the hosts, who groundshare at Redbridge, are playing in the 10th tier for the first time in their history after stepping up from the Essex Alliance League. They played their opening game on Friday and smashed Hoddesdon Town 5-1 to go straight to the top of the division. Next up they play Brimsdown who finished in the lower half last season and lost game one
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Tuesday 29 July
EFL Cup Preliminary Round
Barnet v Newport County @745pm - with a whopping nine English teams qualifying for European competitions this season, delaying their entry into this cup, a rare Preliminary Round is required. The Bees and their Welsh opponents were two of the four teams who failed to get a bye to the First Round, meaning they'll have to get their seasons underway earlier than everyone else in League Two. The Bees topped the National League last season so they'll hope to carry that winning momentum into this tie. Tickets
Friendlies
Sutton United v Millwall @745pm - for many teams, it's still pre-season and the U's continue their build up to another year in the fifth tier with this challenging fixture against Championship opposition. The Lions have looked reasonable in pre-season and have beaten three EFL sides over the last couple of weeks. However, Sutton have won all four of their warm-up games with the highlights being wins over League One sides AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers. Tickets
Wealdstone v QPR U21 @730pm - the fifth tier Stones began their pre-season programme with two solid wins over Northwood and MK Dons but have since lost twice to Charlton Athletic and St Albans City. The R's youngsters suffered their first defeat of the summer of Tuesday when they lost 3-2 at local non-league club Hanwell Town and this is another game with a derby feel. Tickets
Enfield Town v Arsenal U21 @745pm - the Towners had a rough time in the sixth tier last season but managed to stay up. Pre-season began in underwhelming fashion too as they suffered four straight defeats. However, back-to-back wins over Braintree Town and Wingate & Finchley should have raised spirits. They'll be hoping to boost their finances too as their final two friendlies are against young sides from Arsenal and Spurs. First up are the Gunners who have yet to win in July. Tickets
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Wednesday 30 July
Friendlies
Watford v Deportivo La Coruna @745pm - unbeaten in their three games so far this summer, the Hornets complete their pre-season programme against Spanish opposition. The Galician club won the La Liga title 25 years ago but they've had a terrible time since, dropping into the third tier in 2020. Now back in the second division, they had an almost identical campaign to Watford last year so this could be a pretty even game. Tickets
Essex Senior League
Buckhurst Hill v SOUL Tower Hamlets @745pm - a look at the early league table makes tonight's fixtures look like Super Tuesday as all of the top four are playing each other. The hosts finished ninth last season but were well adrift of the play-off pace. They started with a morale boosting 3-1 win over Ilford on Saturday. STH won promotion last season and took their great form into their opener, triumphing 5-2 at White Ensign, meaning they should be hopeful of getting something here
Romford v Saffron Walden Town @745pm - in the other match of the evening, it's third versus first. Both sides scored four in impressive first run-outs over the weekend and it will be interesting to see what happens here. SWT finished sixth last season and look like strong to contenders to at least make the play-offs this time
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Thursday 31 July
Friendly
Hashtag United v Soccer Elite @730pm - the only game within the M25 that I'm aware of is this women's match at Aveley's ground on the far east side of town. I'm afraid to say there's not a lot going for it. Apparently the Tags have cut spending to their impressive women's team, most of their stars have departed and a it's set to be a struggle in the third tier this year. Soccer Elite play way down in the sixth tier and this kind of shows the ambition, or lack of, which the Essex club now have
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Friday 1 August
Friendly
Welling United v Millwall U21 @745pm - there's only one option on Friday too but this should be a bit more interesting. Following their relegation to the Isthmian League, the Wings have been a real mixed bag in pre-season with Saturday's 3-2 win at local rivals VCD Athletic probably being the highlight. The Lions' youngsters have lost their two games so far, so Welling will hope to end their preparations on a high. Tickets will be available on the gate
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Saturday 2 August
Friendlies
QPR v Brentford @3pm - the most eye-catching game of the weekend would appear to be this west London derby at Loftus Road. For decades, the R's were the more senior team but now it's the Bees who are the Premier League side with the bigger names and bigger budget. Both sides are starting 2025/26 with new managers and both will have something to prove. I'm told the visitors have sold out their allocation so there should be a good atmosphere. Tickets
Millwall v GD Estoril Praia @3pm - the Lions conclude their pre-season by playing a European opponent. The Canaries finished eighth in Portugal's top flight in 2024/25 and should provide a different type of test for Alex Neil's side. Tickets
League Two
Barnet v Fleetwood Town @3pm - after the midweek cup game, the Bees properly begin their return to the fourth tier by playing the Fishermen who make the long journey down from Lancashire. Pete Wild took over at Highbury just after Christmas and guided them to a 14th-place finish. These sides haven't played since 2019 and on that occasion, Fleetwood won 2-0 at The Hive in the FA Cup. Tickets
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
There are lots of friendlies featuring the highest ranked non-league teams on Saturday but the most interesting matches at this level are those taking place in the opening round of the nation's favourite cup competition. Sides in the eighth and ninth tiers populate the draw at this early stage. The winners of each game earn £1,125 whilst the losers bank £375. Here are a few ties which catch my eye:
AFC Croydon Athletic v Roffey @3pm - it's quite hard to recommend games at this early point of the season but I'll give it a try. The Rams play a level above SCFL side Roffey so they should start as favourites. The most notable thing about these clubs is the famous names associated with them. The hosts are owned by rapper Stormzy and former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha. Roffey, on the other hand, have Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes' brother Ricardo playing for them
AFC Whyteleafe v Chipstead @3pm - there's a local derby in the deep south where the newly promoted Leafe entertain the Chips. Last season, the hosts made it all the way to Wembley before losing in the FA Vase final to Whitstable. The visitors play at the same level as Whyteleafe but they've lost in the opening round of the FA Cup for the last three seasons
Haringey Borough v Halstead Town @3pm - when I started this blog in 2011, Haringey were in the ninth tier and playing in front of tiny crowds. Then in 2013 things began to change. A second-place finish in the Essex Senior League was followed by them winning the title the following year. Three seasons later they found themselves in the seventh tier, entertaining hundreds of fans in the Isthmian Premier. While there, they famously made it to the First Round of the FA Cup where they narrowly lost 1-0 to AFC Wimbledon. Sadly that was their peak season and since Covid, it's been downhill all the way. Two relegations later and they're back in the ninth tier and hoping for a much better season. Here they play a fellow ninth-tier club from Essex
SSML Division 1
Everett Rovers v Rothwell Corinthians @3pm - in the 10th tier I've gone for this match as it's the first home game for Everett at this level following their promotion. It all began incredibly well for them on Saturday when they won 3-0 at Rushden & Higham United so there must be lots of optimism at this Watford-based club going into this
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Sunday 3 August
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Stansfeld v Harrow Borough @1pm - the hosts groundshare with Cray Valley PM in south-east London and as they're at home on Saturday, this tie is being played on Sunday. Since moving up to the ninth tier, they've found things a struggle but they've stayed up. Still yet to make any real impact on the FA Cup, they face an Isthmian League club who've made a number of appearances in the First Round and even made the Second Round on one occasion. After a midtable finish last season, Boro come into this one with new boss Wayne Carter at the helm. He took Harefield United to the Combined Counties League play-offs last term and presided over their considerable cupset of Lewes in the First Qualifying Round
Hilltop v Deal Town @3pm - having spent some time outside the M25 at Beaconsfield Town, Hilltop are back in the capital this year groundsharing at Silver Jubilee Park alongside Hendon and Edgware & Kingsbury. A look at the records shows that the hosts, who have their roots in the Somali community, have never won an FA Cup tie and it's not going to be easy against Deal. The Kent club won the FA Vase back in 2000 and play a division above so will start as favourites
Friendly
AFC Wimbledon v Southampton @2pm - the pick of the women's friendlies sees the third-tier Dons welcome Championship opposition. After beating London Bees, from the division below last week, the south London club took on Loughborough Lightning from a parallel division on Sunday but lost 2-1. The Saints should be tough. This is being played at Tooting & Mitcham United
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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