Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.
After all the rehearsals, pre-season for all men's teams in the top 10 tiers is now over.
The EFL, National League and all our other local non-league competitions are in full swing and this weekend, the Premier League starts too.
There are only two games in the capital at this level with Tottenham beginning the Thomas Frank era with a home game against Burnley on Saturday whilst there's a derby between Chelsea and Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Thanks to work, I've had a quiet week. I did my job interview on Thursday - it went well enough but there's only one spot and I'm up against numerous candidates including someone who's doing the job well already. My chances look negligible!
I've found my recent career to be rather unfulfilling and have used things like this blog, Non-League Day (NLD) and my voluntary roles at Actonians to keep me going.
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| The next round of the FA Cup takes place this weekend |
The week ahead looks quite a bit more interesting.
At short notice, my wife received an invitation to take the kids to see a friend in Belgium for a few days so I'm home alone until Sunday.
Aside from work, my main goal this week is to launch a new Actonians podcast.
I've got all the kit and will head to their in-house training match on Tuesday to interview a few club personalities and hopefully some players and coaching staff ahead of their season opener at Norwich City on Sunday.
As regular readers may remember, I attempted a TLFG podcast a couple of years ago and it was easy to produce but sadly the app I used got bought by Spotify and made far less useful.
The next couple of days will be spent experimenting with free editing software and we'll see where it goes.
Talking of Actonians' match at Norwich, I'll be travelling to it on the team bus for the first time following an invitation from the coaching team.
The last time I did this sort of thing was as a teenager in the 1990s when I used to go to Harrow Borough away games with the team.
One of the benefits of supporting a smaller club is access and that's definitely the case at Actonians where every supporter also contributes in a volunteering capacity of some kind too.
In my short time with the club, I've done meet and greet, programme production, photos and videos and now hopefully a podcast too.
Norwich women's team were pretty mediocre until about two years ago when they started to receive a lot more investment.
They were runners-up last season and have way more resources and supporters than the A's but we did beat them 2-1 at The Nest in what was my highlight of the campaign.
Our squad is noticeably different now and a trio of key players are unavailable this weekend so I'll be delighted with a draw.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The opening round of games in the Premier League dominates proceedings this week but decent crowds should also be expected at fixtures throughout the EFL.
At non-league level there's a full selection of games in the National League, plus the next round of the FA Cup to enjoy too.
In women's football, it's also the opening day in tiers three to six.
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 and development matches. 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 11 August
Isthmian League Premier Division
Carshalton Athletic v Lewes @745pm - the Robins finished two places below the play-offs last season and will fancy their chances of challenging again. They got off to a fine start on Saturday, winning 2-0 at Cray Valley PM who managed a top-four finish in 2024/25. Next up they face the Rooks from Sussex. They spent seven years moving between the top two divisions of non-league in the early part of this century but have been in the seventh and eighth tiers since 2011. They are a well supported club for the level but had their worst season for sometime last year, finishing 13th. Their campaign began with a disappointing 2-0 reverse at home to Hashtag United.
Tickets
Isthmian League North
Redbridge v Grays Athletic @745pm - the Motormen got stuffed 5-1 at Maldon & Tiptree on opening day, which must have been thoroughly disheartening for all involved. Grays ended last season in ninth and beat newly promoted Takeley 3-0 in their first match on Saturday. Tickets are £10 on the gate
ECL Division 1 South
Barkingside v Stansted @745pm - the 'Side have got off to a very promising start. Unbeaten in three, they're fifth coming into this one. With four points from four games, the Airportmen haven't made quite such an impressive start. Tickets for their last game were £5 on the gate but check the club's social media on the day as they often run admission promotions
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Tuesday 12 August
EFL Cup First Round
Charlton Athletic v Stevenage @745pm - with its highly unusual Preliminary Round out of the way, the EFL Cup gets fully underway this week. The Addicks began life back in the Championship with a last gasp 1-0 win over Watford on Saturday. In the division below, Stevenage also won 1-0 against Rotherham to get their season off to a positive start. According to Wikipedia, the Hertfordshire club's all time record defeat came against Charlton as recently as 2018 when they lost 8-0 so they'll be hoping for a lot better performance than that.
Tickets Watford v Norwich City @745pm - no Premier League sides enter the draw this early so the best you can see are Championship clubs and two of them meet here. With the Hornets losing to Charlton, the Canaries came unstuck at home to Millwall as they both endured miserable afternoons. This competition has generated a lot of happy memories for Norwich fans as they've won it twice but the last time was back in 1985 so there won't be many under 50 who'll remember it.
Tickets Leyton Orient v Wycombe Wanderers @745pm - both these sides made the League One play-offs last season but both fell short. Two games into their league campaigns, neither are pulling up any trees yet. The O's did get their first win on Saturday though so, with home advantage, you'd expect them to progress here.
Tickets Bromley v Ipswich Town @745pm - arguably the tie of the night is this David v Goliath contest at Hayes Lane. The Ravens only made it into League Two for the first time last season to play in this cup for the first time too. They lost in the First Round to AFC Wimbledon and they'll do incredibly well to win against the Tractor Boys who've just come down from the Premier League.
Tickets
National League Cup
Sutton United v Fulham U21 @7pm - this much maligned cup competition returns for a second season. Featuring fifth-tier clubs and development sides from Premier League and Championship clubs, interest from fans has been minimal. There are three group stage matches in London on Tuesday, with this derby being the pick of the games in my opinion.
Tickets
Professional Development League
QPR v Coventry City @2pm - if you want to see two games in a day then we've got an U21 match at lunchtime. The R's were supposed to be playing this at Loftus Road but it's been shifted to the club's training ground in Heston, near Heathrow. Fans can attend but you have to
pre-register online in advance
Isthmian League Premier
Dartford v Billericay Town @745pm - there are lots of games in the seventh tier on Tuesday and I've gone for this one as it features the sides who finished third and second last season. Alongside eventual champions Horsham, three clubs went into the final day of the 2024/25 campaign with a chance of winning the league such was the competitiveness of the division. Sadly for the Darts and Billericay, it was Dover who prevailed in the play-offs. The hosts began with a shocking 4-0 loss at Dulwich Hamlet whilst the visitors beat Wingate & Finchley 2-1. Both sides are well supported so there should be a good turnout.
Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Hendon v Bedfont Sports @745pm - with many games in the eighth tier too, it's been really hard to single out here. In the end I've gone for this one at Silver Jubilee Park. Last season two divisions separated these clubs but following the Greens' first relegation in decades and Bedfont's promotion, they're now in the same one. Hendon's bad form continued with a sorry 3-0 loss at Hartley Wintney on Saturday while the visitors enjoyed a thrilling 3-2 win over Kingstonian. Tickets are £12 on the gate
SSML Premier
Haringey Borough v Sawbridgeworth Town @745pm - in the ninth tier, two of the early pacesetters meet at Coles Park. Haringey are back at this level for the first time in 10 years following their relegation from the Isthmian League. However, their landing has been good. Unbeaten in three they come into this in third but the visitors have won all three and are top. Tickets are £10 on the gate
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Wednesday 13 August
Professional Development League
Brentford v Hull City @1pm - the Bees won the PDL last season and begin the defence of their title against the Tigers at Wheatsheaf Park in Staines at lunchtime, meaning you can see two games in a day.
Tickets are usually available in advance through the club's website but I can't see anything on there yet, check with the club by calling 0333 005 8521 for the latest
Southern League Division 1 Central
London Lions v Rayners Lane @745pm - the hosts are London's highest ranked club for Jewish players. Last season saw them promoted to the eighth tier for the first time in the club's history. After losing in the FA Cup last week and their opening league game at Flackwell Heath, this will be their first home game at this level. Rayners Lane played in the parallel Isthmian League South Central last season and retained the Middlesex Senior Cup. A lot has changed off the field for the visitors and they have a new manager in post so it will be really interesting to see how they fare this year. It's hard to get information about games at Rowley Lane but expect to pay anywhere between £8-12 to get in
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Friday 15 August
Premier League 2
Arsenal v Fulham @7pm - after a quiet Thursday, there's a good selection of games on Friday. First up is this U21 fixture at Boreham Wood's ground. This is the first game of the season for both these sides who both made the quarter-finals of the PL2 in 2024/25. The format of this competition is a little unusual. It begins with a 26-team league phase where each team only plays 20 games. The top 16 then make the play-offs. Fulham finished second in the league phase last season and beat Arsenal 6-3 in the process. Entry to these games is usually free but check with the club on the day - it certainly shouldn't exceed £5
Further previews for 15-17 August to follow after teams' midweek games
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.
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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