Greetings one and all - sorry for the late publication again.
This is just holding piece for now so you can see the maps and what's going on in the early part of the week.
I'll flesh it out a bit more in the next day or two.
Lastly, many thanks to Charles F from Oregon, USA who very kindly donated to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund - it's hugely appreciated.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's highlights include matches in the Premier League, EFL and EFL Cup.
At non-league level there are games in the National League but most interestingly, the next round of the FA Cup.
In the women's game, there are some WSL games at big stadiums, plus a round of the Women's League Cup in midweek. On Saturday there's even a men's and women's doubleheader at Leyton Orient.
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
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 22 September
Championship
Millwall v Watford @8pm - the week gets underway with a derby of sorts at The Den. The Lions started well but within only one win in four have slipped back into midtable. The Hornets haven't found their feet at all under new boss Paulo Pezzolano and only goal difference is keeping them out of the relegation zone. The visitors have won only one of their last six against Millwall but the last time was here last season. Tickets
Premier League 2
Crystal Palace v Leeds United @7pm - if you don't fancy the expense of a trip to Millwall, then maybe an evening at Gander Green Lane watching an U21 match could be more to your liking. Tickets
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Tuesday 23 September
EFL Cup Third Round
Fulham v Cambridge United @745pm - this should be exactly the type of competition that a midtable Premier League club like Fulham should see as a top priority. Two seasons ago they made it to the semi-finals and you'd expect them to get through this tie against League Two opposition. Tickets are cheap and in good supply
Middlesex Senior Cup First Round
QPR U21 v Harefield United @745pm - the R's have entered a team in this county cup again which is good to see. Rather than play at Loftus Road, this being hosted by Hanwell Town which is also the base for QPR's women's team. Rangers have yet to make a mark in this competition whilst ninth tier Harefield were runners-up in 2021. Tickets will probably be around £5 on the gate
London Senior Cup Second Round
Enfield Town v Cockfosters @745pm - there's action in several county cups on Tuesday. This match sees the sixth-tier Towners host ninth-tier opposition. They should win but it's a derby, with Cockfosters located just a mile or two to the west. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Hayes & Yeading United v Raynes Park Vale @745pm - five wins on the bounce in all competitions means the hosts come into this game in decent form. Seventh in the table, this match against second place RPV is one of the bigger league games of the night. Tickets are £12 on the gate
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Wednesday 24 September
EFL Cup Third Round
Tottenham Hotspur v Doncaster Rovers @745pm - Spurs have had a pretty decent record in this in recent years, reaching the final once and semi-finals twice since 2021. League One Rovers enjoyed a notable 4-0 win at Championship leaders Middlesbrough in the opening round so they're capable of causing an upset. The last time they made it this far in the competition was in 2017 and that run took them to north London too. On that occasion, a goal from Theo Walcott was enough to see Arsenal make progress. Tickets
Women's League Cup
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa @7pm - this competition, aka the Subway Cup, gets underway today. There are three group games in London on Wednesday with this all-WSL tie being the pick of what's on offer. Spurs have made the better start to their season so should start as favourites but with squad rotation common at this stage, it could be a bit more unpredictable. This is being played at Leyton Orient. Tickets
SCEFL Premier
Sutton Athletic v Erith & Belvedere @745pm - the best non-league option for me is this match between two promotion chasers in this ninth-tier division. The hosts are level on points with leaders Bearsted so could go top with a win here. The Deres are back in seventh but only four points behind. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Thursday 25 September
CCL Division 1
London Samurai Rovers v Bedfont @745pm - we're lucky enough to have a bonus bit of 10th-tier action on Thursday. LSR, who groundshare at Hanworth Villa, finished in the bottom six last season so to be up in 12th after nine games shows some improvement. Here they welcome third place Bedfont who play a couple of miles up the road. Tickets are £6 on the gate
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Friday 26 September
Premier League 2
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion @7pm - there are a number of good options on Friday. First up we have this U21 match at the Hammers' Rush Green training facility. The Seagulls have made the better start to their season and are in the top four of this 29-team division. Tickets are usually around £5 on the gate
Premier League Cup
Millwall v Wolverhampton Wanderers @7pm - if you want to see a game at one of the capital's bigger grounds then The Den is hosting this one. The Lions haven't played in this U21 competition since 2016 so they'll be hoping to get off to a good start. Wolves went out in the group stage last year but are in the top eight in the PL2 after four games. On paper, they should start as favourites. Tickets
ECL Division 1 South
Barkingside v Lymore Gardens @745pm - this derby between two sides who play their games in the Ilford area stands out for me at non-league level. The 'Side aren't doing too well in this 10th-tier division but the visitors are only being kept off top spot by goal difference. Tickets are £5 on the gate
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Saturday 27 September
Premier League
Brentford v Manchester United @1230pm - for the second time this month, there's a bumper selection of top-flight games in London on Saturday. It all begins at the GTech at lunchtime. The Bees, with several key players and their manager having left for pastures new, were expected to struggle this season so it will come as no surprise that they're in the bottom four. United are in midtable but still playing at a level way below their fans' expectations. Since Brentford joined this division in 2021, United have only won one of their four games at this stadium - there's not a lot to suggest they will improve that record here. Tickets are only available to members
Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion @3pm - despite Man Utd's poor form, they became the first team to beat Chelsea this season on Sunday (an early red card helped). No doubt riled by that result, the Blues will want a big performance against the Seagulls. After some fine years, Brighton haven't got going yet and with only one win from five they've made a disappointing start. Tickets
Crystal Palace v Liverpool @3pm - five games into the new season, these two are the only remaining unbeaten sides in the Premier League. Eagles fans are having the time of their lives - an FA Cup and Community Shield win, followed by a decent start is the stuff of dreams. The Reds have picked up from where they left off. Winning the title last year, they've won all five of their games so far and are already five points clear. Tickets are only available to members but hospitality packages are still on sale
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolverhampton Wanderers @8pm - on paper this looks like a home banker. Thomas Frank's Spurs are third and going well in the Champions League and EFL Cup, while Wolves are bottom after losing every game. The Midlands club have only lost one of their last four at the THS but it's not looking good for them this time. Tickets are only available to members but hospitality packages are available
Women's Super League
Arsenal v Aston Villa @12pm - if you want a big stadium experience without a substantial cash layout, then head to the Emirates for this WSL game. A load of international stars should be on show as the Gunners go after they win they need to keep up with leaders Chelsea. It's still early days but Villa have yet to win. The early kick-off means you should be able to combine this with one of the 3pm games in the area. Tickets
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers @3pm - back in the men's game we have this, I'm afraid to say, fairly unremarkable midtable match. Neither side are doing anything particularly earthshattering at the moment but both won their last matches. I really have little else to say! Tickets
Watford v Hull City @3pm - the Hornets began the week with another loss, this time to Millwall. Only goal difference is keeping them out of the relegation zone and things need to improve soon or the famously trigger-happy board could be looking for a new manager. Hull have the most midtable record possible with two wins, two draws and two defeats. They come into this on the back of a solid 3-1 win over recently relegated Southampton so should back themselves to get something here. Tickets
League One
Leyton Orient v Stevenage @1230pm - since losing in last season's play-off final, the O's have really struggled to build consistency and find themselves in 14th after nine games. Not so their opponents who, with only one defeat so far, are second with a game in hand on the leaders. Stevenage is only a few miles to north of London so this, in a national division, may as well be a derby. The other big thing to note, is that Orient are putting on a doubleheader with their women's team playing afterwards against Luton Town Development. To give a bit of context, the O's women play in Tier 7, an amateur league with games largely played on park pitches or similar. The new American owners have decided to recruit a squad of players largely from Tier 3 and even Tier 2 who were semi and fully professional. Consequently they are absolutely destroying everyone they're playing - their worst result so far has been a 5-1 away win. Usually they score double figures so don't expect a particularly competitive spectacle. Tickets
Premier League 2
Chelsea v Stoke City @11am - this early kick-off provides another great option for people who want to see more than one game on Saturday. If you've got tickets for the late game at Spurs then you could easily go to three. This U21 game is being played at Kingsmeadow which is walkable from Norbiton station in south-west London. Tickets
National League
Boreham Wood v Woking @1230pm - my game of the day in the fifth tier takes place at Meadow Park. After one season in the NLS, the Wood have returned to the National League with a bang. Despite being one of the division's smaller clubs, they're fourth and are currently TLFG's highest ranked non-league club. Here they play a side from just outside London which should give it a derby feel like the Orient game above. The Cards, however, are struggling and are down in the relegation zone. The early kick-off means you should just about have time to get to London Lions for their game at 3pm. Tickets
FA Cup Third Round Qualifying
The highlight of the non-league schedule, for me at least, will be the next round of the FA Cup. At this stage no new sides enter the draw so it's made up of all the surviving sides from tiers 6-9 who have got this far. This winners of each tie receive £5,625 and the losers £1,875. There are five ties within the M25:
Bedfont Sports v Slough Town @3pm - this is probably the game I would pick to go to. It's my nearest, the ground is right next to Heathrow airport so planes fly right past the pitch and it's packed with cupset potential. The hosts play in the eighth tier and they've won through four rounds to get this far, picking off the higher ranked Hanwell Town in the last round. Slough play two levels above them but are struggling a bit and could be vulnerable. To top it all, the Rebels only play a few miles to the west so it's pretty much a derby too. Tickets are £10 on the gate
Cray Valley PM v Tonbridge Angels @3pm - over in south-east London there's some great cupset potential too. CVPM play in the seventh tier but have made the First Round proper twice in 2020 and 2023 so know what it takes to have a good cup run. It's a similar story for Kent club Tonbridge Angels who've also made the First Round twice in recent years. The visitors play a level above CVPM but I still feel they could come unstuck here. Tickets are £2 cheaper if bought in advance and if you arrive before 2pm you'll get a free pint of beer
Enfield Town v Quorn @3pm - the Towners successfully got through a tricky away derby against Enfield FC in the last round to land a home tie here. Quorn come from Leicestershire and are one of the better teams in the Southern League Premier Central, one level below the hosts. Gavin MacPherson's side aren't having the best of season's and have never made the First Round so they could face a challenging afternoon here. Tickets
Walton & Hersham v Chippenham Town @3pm - there's a very real chance of an upset in Surrey where seventh tier Southern League Premier South leaders W&H take on a side who find themselves in the relegation zone in the division above. I'd almost go as far as to say it would be an upset if Chippenham won! Tickets
Woodford Town v St Albans City @3pm - lastly we have this incredibly intriguing tie in north-east London where most neutrals will be hoping to see some real FA Cup magic. Woodford are one of the only ninth-tier teams left in the competition in the whole country. Currently top of the Essex Senior League, they've toppled higher-ranked sides Newmarket Town and Bury Town in the last two rounds so a home tie against another seventh-tier team shouldn't faze them. Don't get me wrong, it would still be a big upset if they pulled it off but it's possible. Tickets are £7 on the gate - bargain!
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Sunday 28 September
Women's Super League
West Ham United v Chelsea @230pm - the biggest crowd of the day should be found in Dagenham for this women's top-flight match. How competitive it will be remains to be seen as it pits the winless, bottom club against the reigning champions who've won every game so far. With Arsenal dropping two points on Saturday against Aston Villa, the Blues should move further clear at the top. Tickets
FAWNL Cup
With no local games in the second tier, the focus switches to this competition which is the women's equivalent of the EFL Trophy. Today sees the final round of group games. The top team in each four-team group goes through to the knockout stage with the 10 best runners-up. The remaining runners-up and 20 best third-place teams drop into the FAWNL Plate instead
Actonians v AFC Wimbledon @2pm - this match looked all set to decide Group H but the Dons played an ineligible player in their last game so will come into this in last place and will need a win to make the Plate. The A's, who play a level below them, have won both of their previous games so just need a draw to win the group. This is being played at North Greenford United and tickets are £6 on the gate
Dulwich Hamlet v Hashtag United @2pm - two other sides to have found it tough going in the league come into this match as the top two in Group I. The Hamlet play a level below the Tags but are top and, like Actonians, just need to draw to finish first. Tickets
London Bees v Crystal Palace U21 @2pm - if Dulwich and Hashtag draw then the hosts here can only finish third at best. The Eagles' youngsters have lost both their games and have to win this heavily to have any chance of making the Plate. Tickets
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion U21 @2pm - the Cottagers are top of their fourth-tier division with a 100% record but they've lost a game in this and have to win here to finish at least second. This is being played at the club's Motspur Park training ground. Tickets
QPR v Watford @2pm - apart from being a derby, these two are joint top of Group J with maximum points and are uncatchable by Charlton and Chesham. The R's play a level below the Hornets and will want to test themselves against one of the top clubs in the third tier. This is being played at Hanwell Town 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!
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