Greetings one and all and welcome to the first TLFG of December - it seems no time since the season openers in August!
How has your week been?
In football terms, I've had a pretty eventful one.
On Monday, my Non-League Day adventures took me to the prestigious art college Central St Martins which is now based in Kings Cross in a very cool restored granary building - you'd expect nothing less.
I was invited by student Maxine R who's making a film on the changing football culture in this country and wanted my views from a non-league perspective.
Her story is really interesting, having moved from Singapore, she's got really into the non-league scene in north London and regularly watches games at clubs like Enfield Town, Haringey Borough and Walthamstow - I looked forward to the finished piece.
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| Non-League Day is up for an award on Monday |
On Tuesday, myself and members of the Non-League Day team had our first planning meeting of the campaign with our friends at the Premier League.
They came up with some very positive suggestions as we look to make our 15th event the biggest yet.
Talking of Non-League Day, we're up for a gong at the FSA Awards in London tonight (Monday).
Hosted by Victoria Derbyshire, a lot of big names are up for recognition in lots of categories so there could be some really interesting people in attendance.
I'll let you know next week how we get on.
When it came to actually watching a game, I headed to Champion Hill on Sunday to see Actonians grind out a 1-0 win over Dulwich Hamlet.
Now unbeaten in five, the A's are into the top six for the first time this season.
Weirdly, they've only managed one point at home in the league this season with all five wins coming on the road.
Hopefully that first home win will come on Sunday when Cambridge United pay us a visit.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Premier League tops the bill this week but it's closely followed by some ties in the Second Round of the FA Cup.
Aside from a selection of games in the EFL, we also have the next round of the FA Vase and plenty of games in all the other non-league divisions TLFG covers.
In the women's game, the highlight would appear to be the Women's Super League game between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates at midday on Saturday, giving you the chance of seeing two games that day.
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 1 December
Isthmian League Cup Fourth Round
Aveley v Redbridge @745pm - the Millers held Essex rivals Brentwood Town to a 3-3 draw on Friday to end the weekend fifth in the seventh tier Isthmian Premier. The Motormen play a level below the hosts but are in the top six in their division and having a good season. On paper, Aveley should win but will they field a full-strength side? Admission is £10 on the gate
ECL Division 1 South
Lymore Gardens v AS London @745pm - the home team are playing in the tenth tier for the first time following their promotion last season. They were top earlier in the campaign but are now sixth. However, they have the games in hand to potentially put them top again. AS London challenged for promotion in 2024/25 but they've yet to recapture that form and are in the bottom five. I haven't seen any admission prices but it's usually around £7 at this level
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Tuesday 2 December
Premier League
Fulham v Manchester City @730pm - the Cottagers made it three wins from four as they triumphed 2-1 at Spurs on Saturday night. Although still only 15th, they've opened a six-point gap between themselves and the bottom three. City arrive at Craven Cottage on the back of a shaky 3-2 win over struggling Leeds United but it was enough to elevate them to second. To say the Mancunian club are a bogey side for Fulham would be an understatement - City are unbeaten in 24 matches against them and have won all of the last 18!
Tickets
EFL Trophy Second Round
Leyton Orient v Plymouth Argyle @7pm - after cruising through their group with a 100% record, the O's were seeded for the draw in this first knockout round. Devon club Plymouth managed wins over Cheltenham Town and Tottenham Hostpur U21s on their way to this stage.
Tickets
U21 & Development Matches
Several pro clubs have U21 sides in action in various competitions on Tuesday. Charlton Athletic play Preston North End at Dartford's ground in the Premier League Cup at 7pm. Boreham Wood welcome a young side from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the National League Cup, also at 7pm. Lastly, QPR U21s travel to Cray Valley PM in the London Senior Cup at 745pm. Tickets vary in price so check with each club for details
National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough v AFC Totton @745pm - these two are the most out of form teams in the division. This has seen the Beavers plummet into the bottom three while Totton's collapse has seen them fall to 10th and out of title contention. Who will get their act together first? Head to the Beveree to find out.
Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Hanwell Town v Farnham Town @745pm - with only one win from five, the Geordies find themselves only two points above the relegation zone but they have games in hand on pretty much everyone in what is a very congested lower half of the table. A lot was expected of newly promoted Farnham at the beginning of the campaign. With a large budget, many thought they would be title challengers or even stroll through the division. Although they have two games in hand and are very much in play-off contention, they're currently 15 points behind leaders Walton & Hersham so can't afford too many more defeats.
Tickets
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Wednesday 3 December
Premier League
Arsenal v Brentford @730pm - the Gunners only managed a 1-1 draw against the 10 men of Chelsea on Sunday to see their lead at the top cut to five points by Manchester City. Next up they face a Brentford side who are in a decent bit of form with four wins from six. The Bees have drawn two of their last three at the Emirates and with Igor Thiago second in the Premier League scoring charts, they've got a chance of causing Arsenal some more problems. Tickets are only available to members but
hospitality is available from £327
Premier League International Cup
Wednesday sees the next batch of games in this U21 competition which sees Premier League clubs host teams from around Europe. Topping the bill is the game at Kingsmeadow between
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain (
tickets are £4). In the other game,
West Ham United welcome Athletic Bilbao to Dagenham & Redbridge (tickets shouldn't exceed £5). Both games kick-off at 7pm
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Friday 5 December
FA Youth Cup Third Round
The pick of the action on Friday would seem to be the two ties taking place in the country's most prestigious U18 competition. All the big clubs' youngsters join the draw at this stage. In the earlier tie at 6pm,
Crystal Palace host Bradford City at Selhurst Park (
tickets). Arguably the tie of the night starts at 7pm at The Den where
Millwall take on Everton (
tickets)
Essex Senior League
Woodford Town v Great Wakering Rovers @745pm - the best non-league option is this game at Ashtons in north-east London. At the time of writing, the hosts are four points behind the leaders in third but have played a game more. Coming up against them are 2024 FA Vase finalists GWR who are eighth and capable of giving them some problems. Admission is £7
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Previews for 6-7 December to follow
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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