TLFG: 15-21 September 2025

Apologies for the slightly late publication, I was a bit down yesterday evening and pretty tired so called it a day earlier than normal.

As regular readers know, I work on the railway and Saturday was spent dealing with all the people attending the 'Unite the Kingdom' march in central London.

Although I didn't suffer any abuse or aggression directly, colleagues from ethnic-minority backgrounds did - it was a bad day and I've been under a cloud since.

Tickets are available for this game at London Stadium 

I had hoped my trip to watch Actonians play bottom of the league and winless MK Dons would improve my mood but they contrived to lose 1-0 to put a real dampener on things.

Anyway, hopefully the week ahead will be filled with more hope on all fronts. 

Lastly, many thanks to Lewis D-A from Essex and Kelvin W from Ealing who very kindly donated to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund - it's hugely appreciated.

THE WEEK AHEAD

This week sees the return of the Champions League and the next batch of games in the Premier League and EFL.

We've also got the next rounds of the EFL Cup, EFL Trophy, FA Vase and FA Youth Cup, there also some FA Cup replays too.

In the women's game, there are some WSL games, many matches in the divisions below and the next round of the Women's FA Cup.

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.

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

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 15 September

Isthmian League Premier

Aveley v Folkestone Invicta @745pm - the Millers suffered relegation from the NLS last season and have yet to properly settle in the seventh tier but they are holding their own. On Saturday they enjoyed a 2-1 win at AFC Sudbury in the FA Cup. Kent club Folkestone are in the top four and also progressing well in the FA Cup after their really fine win over county rivals Maidstone at the weekend. Tickets are £14 on the gate

ECL Division 1 South

Newbury Forest v Barkingside @745pm - in the 10th tier we have a derby on the north east side of town. After being given a reprieve from relegation last season, the hosts have made a cracking start and are third coming into this. Matches at this stadium are always bittersweet for 'Side fans whose ground it once was but it's a long story and you can look it up. On paper this looks like a home win. Tickets should be in the £5-7 bracket

FA Youth Cup First Round Qualifying

Aside from the non-league options on offer, there will also be games in this U18 competition most nights this week. On Monday we have ties at Hampton & Richmond Borough and Walton & Hersham but the pick of the ties for me is probably the south London derby between Carshalton Athletic and Tooting & Mitcham United where it's free entry

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday 16 September

UEFA Champions League

Tottenham Hotspur v Villarreal @8pm -with the qualifying rounds out of the way, the group phase of the Champions League gets underway this week. Despite having one of the worst league campaigns in decades, Spurs still made it into this competition thanks to their victory in the Europa League. They begin their campaign with a home game against the club which finished fifth in Spain last year and they arrive in N17 in fifth again. This will be Tottenham boss Thomas Frank's first big European test, let's see how he manages. Tickets are on general sale

EFL Cup Third Round

Brentford v Aston Villa @8pm - the Bees grabbed an injury-time equaliser in the derby against Chelsea on Saturday as they recorded a 2-2 draw and kept their decent record against the Blues going. Villa have made a worrying start and picked up only their second point of the season with a 0-0 draw at Everton this weekend. Brentford have never made the final before whilst the visitors have won it five times. Unlike Premier League games at the GTech, tickets are on general sale 

Crystal Palace v Millwall @8pm - in one of the ties of the round, these two south London rivals will meet again. Earlier this year, they met in the FA Cup in a bad tempered affair which saw the Eagles win after the Lions had their goalkeeper sent off for a terrible foul in the opening minutes. Ultimately Palace went on to win that competition and they'll hope for another great cup run this season. For security reasons, tickets are not on general sale

EFL Trophy

AFC Wimbledon v Crystal Palace U21 @7pm - elsewhere in south London, the Eagles' youngsters make the trip over to Plough Lane for this. We're still in the group stage at the moment and neither side have won a game yet. The Dons got thrashed by Stevenage in their opener whilst Palace lost on penalties to Bromley. Interest in this competition is notoriously low so getting tickets will be easy

National League Cup

There are also a couple of games in this competition which is incredibly similar to the one above - instead of U21 teams playing League One and Two sides, they play National League ones instead. On Tuesday, Sutton United welcome Brighton & Hove Albion and Wealdstone take on a young side from Leicester City

FA Cup Second Round Qualifying Replays

Dagenham & Redbridge v Bedford Town @745pm - the Daggers got relegated last season and have continued to find things difficult in the NLS. On Saturday they travelled to NLN strugglers Bedford and drew 1-1. The Daggers haven't played in the FA Cup this early since 2000 so it would be quite a disappointment to go out, especially when you consider they made the Third Round proper last season. Tickets

Isthmian League South Central

Hayes & Yeading United v Bedfont Sports @745pm - marginally the non-league pick of the day is this eighth-tier derby on the west side of town. The hosts spoiled Hanworth Villa's big pitch unveiling on Saturday to climb back into the top eight. Bedfont spent Saturday pulling off a shock FA Cup win over Hanwell Town and are unbeaten in their three league games so far. Tickets are £12 on the gate

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday 17 September

FA Cup Second Round Qualifying Replay

Woodford Town v Bury Town @745pm - ninth tier Woodford have made an impressive start to their season. Second in the Essex Senior League, they drew 1-1 at Bury who play two levels above them. Now back on home turf, this could be one to keep an eye on. Tickets are £7 on the gate

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 19 September

Women's Super League

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City @730pm - the biggest game of the day is this one at Brisbane Road. Despite predictions they would struggle, Spurs have begun with two wins over West Ham and most recently Everton - ruining the Toffees' opening game at Goodison Park. After losing to Chelsea in their first game, City beat Brighton on Friday to pick up their first three points. Tickets

Premier League 2 & Professional Development League

There are also several U21 games on Friday. If you want to see two games today, head to Vicarage Road for 2pm where Watford host Cardiff City. Later in the day, Fulham play West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United play Birmingham City. Both matches are at the clubs' training grounds and start at 7pm

FA Vase Second Round Qualifying

The next round of this national knockout competition for clubs in the ninth and tenth tiers with its final at Wembley takes place this weekend. There are three ties on Friday:

Tooting & Mitcham United v Guildford City @745pm - in the all ninth-tier tie of the night, two CCL Premier South teams meet at Imperial Fields. The Terrors have only recently returned to this competition after over 20 years but they've yet to make it beyond this stage. Their chances look pretty good as Guildford are bottom of the division. Tickets are £8 on the gate

Cannons Wood v Great Wakering Rovers @745pm - the hosts are struggling towards the wrong end of their tenth-tier division so they're going find this match against the leaders of the Essex Senior League incredibly challenging. GWR made it all the way to Wembley in 2024 but lost to Romford. Tickets are £7 on the gate

Lymore Gardens v Frenford @745pm - in the final tie of the day, we've got a derby at Redbridge's ground in north-east London. Lymore Gardens are new to the tenth tier and competing in the Vase for the first time. They've started well in the league and pulled off a stunning win over Woodford Town in the last round. That result should give them every confidence of beating another team from the same division. Tickets are £7 on the gate

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 20 September

Premier League

West Ham United v Crystal Palace @3pm - there are two top-flight games in London on Saturday, they're both derbies and tickets are available. The Hammers have had a rough start. With three defeats from four, boss Graham Potter is under a huge amount of pressure. With the names of replacements popping up across the media, he badly needs his team to win here. Although the Eagles aren't one of the biggest clubs in the league, they are one of only three who are unbeaten. Tickets

Fulham v Brentford @8pm - for the second Saturday running, the Bees have been handed an 8pm kick-off and a west London derby. Last week they scored an injury-time equaliser to draw 2-2 with Chelsea. The Cottagers are unbeaten in three against Brentford and with home advantage, should start as marginal favourites here. Tickets

Championship

QPR v Stoke City @1230pm - this early kick-off in the second tier a couple of miles north of Craven Cottage means you can easily see two games on Saturday. After getting thrashed 7-1 by Coventry in late August, the R's haven't looked back as they've beaten both Charlton and Wrexham 3-1 in the games since. It could get a bit trickier here though as the Potters are one point off top spot in second. Tickets

League Two

Barnet v Grimsby Town @3pm - with one defeat in five, the Bees are more than holding their own on their return to the fourth tier. Next up they face the Mariners who are having a fine start to the season. Not only are they fifth in the table with one defeat from eight, they're also through to the Fourth Round of the EFL Cup - a run which saw them grab plenty of  headlines for beating Manchester United. Tickets

Bromley v Chesterfield @3pm - in south-east London, two sides in the play-off places meet at Hayes Lane. These clubs came up from the non-league ranks together in 2024 and look set to make another push for progress up the pyramid this year. Tickets

National League South

Enfield Town v Chippenham Town @3pm - both these sides have only won one of their eight fixtures and are unsurprisingly in the bottom five. Therefore this match is taking on the form of an early season six-pointer. Enfield Town come into this on the back of an FA Cup win over local rivals Enfield so should be buoyed by that experience. Tickets

Isthmian League Premier

Aveley v Dartford @3pm - the Battle of the Bridge derby, so-called because the clubs are situated at either end of the QEII Bridge on either side of the Thames, takes place on Saturday. Neither side are pulling up any trees so far this season but the Millers have made the better start and being at home should give them the edge. Tickets are £14 on the gate

FA Trophy Second Round Qualifying

Hayes & Yeading United v Southall @3pm - the next round of this competition for clubs in the fifth to eighth tiers takes place this weekend. In my opinion, the best tie in London is this groundshare derby in west London. The sides both play in the Isthmian South Central and last played about 10 days ago in the league cup, a game which produced an entertaining 5-2 win for Hayes & Yeading. Tickets are £12 on the gate

FA Vase Second Round Qualifying

It's also the next round of this competition for clubs in the ninth and tenth tiers. There are ties all over London and it's hard to pick only one so here's three that should be worth a look:

Fisher v Sutton Common Rovers @3pm - the Fish made the SCEFL Premier play-offs last season but got no further. Up in the top six again and with games in hand on all those above them, they look like a decent outfit once again. SCR have just come down from the Isthmian League but are currently top of the parallel CCL Premier South so this likes being a decent contest. Tickets are £8

Ilford v May & Baker @3pm - on the east side of town we have a derby between a side towards the wrong end of their ninth-tier division and one midtable in the division below. If M&B bring their A game they could pull off a cupset. Tickets should be in the £5-7 bracket

Brook House v Winslow United @3pm - the 10th tier hosts are in the top five of the CCL Division 1 and going well. On Saturday they welcome a team who are going for the title a level above them in the Spartan South Midlands League so it looks like being a big day for them. Again tickets should be between £5-7

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday 21 September

Premier League

Arsenal v Manchester City @430pm - one of the biggest matches of any season takes place on Sunday. Both sides have been champions of England multiple times but it's been over 20 years since the Gunners last brought home the title. Arsenal are in better form and are unbeaten in four against City but they both come into this on the back of solid European wins over Athletic Bilbao and Napoli respectively. The smart money is probably on a draw. Tickets are only available to members but hospitality is available from £895!

Women's Super League

Chelsea v Leicester City @12pm - the Blues have begun the defence in their title in assured fashion seeing off title rivals Manchester City in their opening game and winning comfortably enough at Aston Villa in the following fixture. The Foxes are expected to struggle this season but after getting thrashed by Manchester United, they bounced back with a valuable 1-0 win over Liverpool. However, the chances of them getting anything on their visit to Kingsmeadow are slight. Tickets

Women's Super League 2

Charlton Athletic v Ipswich Town @2pm - although often there or thereabouts, I didn't hear any pundits predicting a title charge from the Addicks. After two games, they're the only ones with a 100% record. Here they play newly promoted Ipswich who have lost both matches so you'd think another three points could be coming their way. This is being played at The Valley. Tickets

FAWNL Southern Premier

AFC Wimbledon v Gwalia United @2pm - four games in and the Dons have yet to win a league game, in the bottom two they're struggling. Next up they face opposition from Wales (Gwalia is an old term for the country) who are midtable. Games between these two were tight last year with both sides winning their home games 1-0. I'm sure Wimbledon will be overjoyed with a repeat performance. This is being played at Tooting & Mitcham United. Tickets

FAWNL Division 1 South East

London Bees v Norwich City @2pm - game of the day in the women's fourth tier sees the teams in second and third meet at The Hive complex in north London. As mentioned last week, the Bees were top after beating all the division's strugglers and it would be interesting to see how they got on against Chatham, a tougher opponent. They drew 0-0. The Canaries should produce an even sterner test. Tickets

Women's FA Cup Second Round Qualifying

Dartford v AFC Greenwich Borough @2pm - this competition is hugely important for most women's clubs as the prize money is significant for organisations of their size and budget. A win in this match will earn the victor £3,000 and it gets bigger every round. At this stage, all the teams in the fifth tier enter the draw and the Darts are one of the top teams at this level. Here they've landed a home tie against a new side who've entered at tier six this season and don't play all that far away. Anything other than a home win looks unlikely but this is the FA Cup! This is being played at Princes Park and tickets are £5 on the gate

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here