Greetings everyone and welcome to the latest TLFG and it's a full edition too!
Yes, somehow I managed to find the time and energy to write a few previews and I hope they prove beneficial.
Non-League Day preparation has kept me busy again. This week's meetings have seen me chat to the National League Trust, the Grounds Management Association and Prostate Cancer UK.
This morning, Monday, I have a call booked with the Football Supporters' Association and then on Thursday, members of the NLD team will take part in an interview with Paul Merson and his son Sam at Hanworth Villa for Sky Sports. Sadly I'm working so can't go to that one.
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| 2026 will see the 15th staging of NLD |
Aside from that I also managed to squeeze in another episode of the AAA Actonians podcast which I produce. This week I chatted to the club's Egyptian midfielder Nour Aboul Kheir about her roots in Cairo, growing up in Switzerland and playing for Servette and moving over to England to play for Brentford and now Actonians. My cat even makes an appearance and causes some podcast chaos!
Busy, busy, busy - just how we like it!
In order to get time to write this, the trade off was having to sacrifice going to a game. I actually had a free Saturday but with the kids around and not really wanting to go I stayed home - the sense of loss was real!
It could well be a couple of weeks before I get another chance to see anything else but if I can contribute to this city's thriving football scene by getting you out there, then I'll have done my job.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Premier League tops the bill this week and most specifically the North London Derby between Spurs and Arsenal.
We've also got games in the EFL, National League and all our other local non-league competitions.
In the women's game, the UEFA Women's Champions League returns and it's the next round of the Women's FA Cup. Lower division clubs like Brentford and Fulham have big league games this week and are playing them at their main stadiums. AFC Wimbledon are doing this too.
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. I no longer write previews for sold out matches or ones where membership is a minimum requirement for tickets so Premier League matches will rarely appear here - they will still be on the match maps though.
Monday 16 February
Isthmian League Premier
Aveley v Chichester City @745pm - the week begins with a decent selection of non-league games. First up we have this seventh-tier game featuring the promotion chasing Millers. The Essex club are second in the table and in the best form over the last 10 games but still a whopping 14 points behind leaders Folkestone Invicta. The visitors have only won one of their last six and should be beaten but the sides last met two weeks ago and only a solitary goal saw Aveley over the line. Tickets are £14 on the gate
Isthmian League Cup Quarter-Final
Redbridge v Crowborough Athletic @745pm - we're getting towards the business end of this competition and these two eighth-tier clubs are the lowest-ranked teams left in it. The Motormen are pushing for promotion in the North Division so should start as favourites. The winners will play Wingate & Finchley in the semi-finals. Tickets are £10 on the gate
ECL Division 1 South
Barkingside v Hutton @745pm - in the 10th tier there's a game which affects both ends of the table as second bottom hosts second top. The 'Side are six points adrift of safety but have two games in hand so it's not over but they'll do superbly well to get anything here. Tickets are available on the gate for around £7-8
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Tuesday 17 February
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth @745pm - two of the sides sitting in the group just above the relegation zone meet at The Valley for a crucial game. The Addicks are unbeaten in three and in better form but lost the reverse fixture 2-1 in late December. London matches for Pompey are effectively derbies and I think they've sold out their allocation. Consequently, you have to have a previous purchasing history if you want to get tickets
League One
Leyton Orient v Plymouth Argyle @745pm - with only two wins from 10, the O's find themselves just one point above the relegation zone. Argyle enjoyed a stonking 4-0 win at Blackpool on Saturday and won 1-0 at Brisbane Road in the EFL Trophy a couple of months ago. Tickets
League Two
Barnet v Swindon Town @745pm - there are two important games in the fourth tier in London on Tuesday. With only one defeat in 10 games, the Bees are more than holding their own since rejoining the EFL over the summer. Third-placed Swindon suffered a surprising loss to lowly Shrewsbury in their last match and will no doubt want to bounce back quickly. Tickets
Bromley v Cheltenham Town @745pm - the Ravens' draw with Notts County on Saturday allowed Cambridge United to close the gap on the leaders to four points. With almost identical goal difference, Bromley need some convincing wins and they could get one here. The Robins are in the lower reaches of the table and are winless in five. Tickets
National League
Sutton United v Woking @745pm - the biggest non-league game of the evening is this Surrey derby at Gander Green Lane. With only two wins from 10, the U's are back in the bottom four. However, they're only a point adrift and have two games in hand. The Cards won 2-0 at Truro in their last match and are in the top half. Tickets
National League Cup Semi-Final
Boreham Wood v Truro City @730pm - I debated whether or not to include this game as it's such an unpopular competition and both teams have far more important things to play for at either end of the table. If you don't know, this competition began last season as a kind of a consolation prize for replays being removed from the FA Cup. Premier League academy teams play against National League sides in a group stage before the knockout rounds begin. Leeds United U21s are the reigning champions but lost in the group stage this time. The winners of this tie will play Tamworth or West Ham United U21 in the final. Tickets are £10 which is half the normal price at this venue
National League South
Enfield Town v Horsham @745pm - I went to this match a couple seasons ago when both were in the Isthmian Premier. Now both in the sixth tier, the clubs are experiencing different fortunes. The Towners are in trouble. Bottom of the division and winless in 10, things are looking pretty dark. Horsham aren't in much better form but they won the reverse fixture in Sussex 1-0 in October. Tickets
Isthmian League Premier
Wingate & Finchley v Potters Bar Town @745pm - elsewhere in north London, there's a big relegation six-pointer at Summers Lane. Following the tragic death of a Chichester player at their ground in September, Wingate played all their league matches away for two months until changes were made to their stadium. Weirdly, they won almost all of them and didn't lose any to move into promotion contention. Since coming home, they've won one in three months. Now in the bottom four, they badly need to reverse that trend and with PBT just below them in the table, now's the time to start. Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Hanwell Town v Farnham Town @745pm - also in the seventh tier, we have another game affecting both ends of the table. I think this match has been postponed at least twice and with bad weather still forecast, it could go again. However, if it does go ahead then you'll get to see the relegation threatened Geordies take on promotion contenders Farnham. Tickets
CCL Premier South
Tooting & Mitcham United v Abbey Rangers @745pm - with Cobham a ridiculous 27 points clear at the top, it's now all about who joins them in the eighth tier via the play-offs. These two are both in the top four and need to keep winning to cement their places. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Wednesday 18 February
UEFA Women's Champions League
Arsenal v OH Leuven @8pm - the biggest crowd of the night should be found at Boreham Wood's ground where the Gunners should make sure of their place in the next phase of this competition. Having won the away leg 4-0, the reigning champions should be feeling confident. If they do go through, they'll face old rivals Chelsea in the quarter-finals. Tickets
FAWNL Division 1 South East
Fulham v QPR @745pm - there could also be a decent turnout at Craven Cottage for this big derby in the women's game. The hosts are top and favourites to win this division after beating nearest rivals Norwich City last week. They have also yet to lose a league game this season but one of only two sides to take a point off them are QPR who held them to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season. The R's are down in fifth and realistically out of the promotion race but they'd dearly love to throw a spanner in the works here. Tickets
Premier League International Cup
Crystal Palace v Borussia Monchengladbach @7pm - the most eye-catching men's match of the night takes place in this U21 competition at Sutton United's ground in south London. All the games in the group stage have been played except this one. It's important too as the Eagles need to win to go through. They'll also need to win by two goals or more to make sure. To make things that bit tougher, their opponents are currently top of this eight-team group but it's incredibly tight. If Palace do win by two goals or more, Borussia will slip from first to third and go out. Tickets are £5
Isthmian League South Central
Southall v Ascot United @745pm - this relegation six-pointer in west London is the highest level non-league game on Wednesday. The 'All are in the bottom three but only two points behind the visitors who sit just above the relegation line - a huge game for both. This match has been moved to Bedfont Sports and tickets should be around £10 on the gate
SCEFL Premier
Erith & Belvedere v Bearsted @745pm - there are a couple of good options in the ninth tier and I've gone for this over the ESL game at SOUL Tower Hamlets because it should get a bigger crowd and it's being played in a proper football ground and not an athletics stadium. The Deres are being kept out of the play-off places by goal difference and Bearsted are one of the teams who are just ahead of them. Crucially E&B have played more games than the teams immediately above them so a loss here could be really damaging. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Thursday 19 February
FAWNL Division 1 South East
Actonians v London Bees @745pm - the only senior game I'm aware of on Thursday is this women's match. The A's are really inconsistent at the moment and bedding in a new management team but are due a big result and beating third place London Bees would definitely be impressive. The visitors are a bit up and down themselves but come into this off a solid 4-1 win over MK Dons. When the sides last met in late October at The Hive, the A's were again looking for a pick-me-up after a heavy cup loss to Watford and won 2-1 so they know they can do it. This game is scheduled to be played at North Greenford United but the pitch really struggles during wet spells and it could well be moved to somewhere like Rectory Park or Bedfont Sports. Tickets MATCH OFF
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Friday 20 February
Essex Senior League
Woodford Town v Frenford @745pm - the top level game in London on Friday is this ninth-tier match and I regret to say it's not hugely mouthwatering as it features two teams who are really struggling for form. Woodford have been there or thereabouts in the promotion race in recent years and started very strongly again but three wins from 10 have seen them slip to eighth. Still only four points shy of the play-off places, their season isn't over by any means. They beat Romford last time out and will be hopeful of building some momentum as Frenford are bottom with only three wins all season. Tickets are £7 on the gate
UPDATE - the game between Southall and Raynes Park Vale on Saturday has been brought forward to Friday night and is now being played at Uxbridge FC at 745pm
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Saturday 21 February
Premier League
West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth @530pm - with loads written about Premier League games and tickets almost impossible to get, I'm going to limit my previews when it comes to the top flight as they're very little use to the football traveller. Brentford and Chelsea are both at home on Saturday but unless you have membership or want to pay big sums for hospitality, then you're not getting in. You will, however, be able to get into London Stadium for this. With a decent 10 points from five games, the Hammers' hopes of avoiding relegation have received a significant boost. Now only three points adrift of safety, they face a midtable Cherries side who are back in great form after suffering a worrying slump. If you do the football pools, these sides have produced a score draw on the last five occasions and it could well end that way again. Tickets
Championship
Watford v Derby County @3pm - with Millwall selling out their game against Portsmouth, this is your next best option in the second tier. The race for the play-offs is really tight. The Hornets are down in 12th but only three points behind the Rams who occupy the all-important sixth place. Tickets are available but there aren't many left so don't delay!
League One
AFC Wimbledon v Bradford City @3pm - sadly the Dons are significantly closer to the bottom four than the teams at the top so their priority is now avoiding the drop. The Bantams are in the top four but well adrift of the automatic promotion spots, so securing a play-off spot would appear to be their main goal at this stage. Tickets
National League
Boreham Wood v Forest Green Rovers @3pm - two of the top six in the fifth tier meet at Meadow Park in the pick of the games at this level. The Wood were right up in title contention a few weeks ago but a run of four consecutive defeats has seen them fall well behind the top two. A place in the post-season is still theirs to lose though. FGR, managed by Robbie Savage, were also right up there but they've fallen away too and are two points behind the hosts. Tickets
Isthmian League Premier
Dartford v Cray Wanderers @3pm - two local rivals in south-east London meet at Princes Park for one of the matches of the day in the seventh tier. A whopping crowd of over 1,200 watched the reverse fixture in October and with only a point separating them just outside the play-off zone, it should draw a sizeable attendance again. Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Walton & Hersham v Basingstoke Town @3pm - there should also be a good turnout for this South Western Railway derby in Surrey. The hosts are nine points clear at the top with a game in hand, so after coming close in recent seasons, promotion looks highly likely to be coming their way. The visitors could do with a win or two to make sure of avoiding the drop. Tickets
CCL Premier North
British Airways v North Greenford United @3pm - nothing really stands out for me in the eighth tier but in the ninth we have this groundshare derby at Berkeley Fields. With Actonians also sharing this ground on Sundays, the pitch here has really struggled in the recent wet weather so neither side has played many home games recently. BA are down in 16th whilst NGU, the landlords, are still in with a chance of the play-offs if they can get the games on. If it goes ahead, tickets will be available on the gate for £9
London Senior Trophy Semi-Final
AFC Greenwich Borough v Tooting Bec @3pm - two 10th tier teams from the SCEFL Division 1 meet at the University of Greenwich campus near Eltham for a place in the final of this competition. Greenwich are currently second in the division and have the games in hand to go top so they'll start as favourites. The winners will face Croydon or Wimbledon Casuals in the final
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Sunday 22 February
Premier League
The derby between Spurs and Arsenal dominates football in the capital this week but if you haven't got a ticket yet then you're not likely to get one without spending a small fortune. I was hopeful that some tickets would be available for Crystal Palace and Wolves but having just logged into the Eagles' booking system, even with my previous purchasing history, I wasn't allowed to get any so I guess you might struggle too
Women's FA Cup Fifth Round
Your best bet of watching live football in London on Sunday will be in the women's game and there are three ties in this competition featuring some of the country's top sides. The winners of each tie receive £80,000, the losers £20,000
Arsenal v Bristol City @1pm - the Gunners are the most successful side in the history of the men's and women's FA Cup. Having won this competition 14 times, they're well clear of next best side Southampton WFC who only have eight wins. However, it's been 10 years since they last won it. Renee Slegers' side are on a bit of a roll at the moment beating Manchester City and Chelsea in recent weeks so they should be strong contenders. The Robins play in the division below and should be beaten. This is being played at Boreham Wood. Tickets are available but the ground is small and often sells out so buy in advance
Chelsea v Manchester United @130pm - this match between two of the WSL's top clubs is arguably the tie of the round. These two sides have dominated this competition in recent years. They met in last season's final, which Chelsea won, and United beat Spurs to win it in 2024. The Blues won the previous three before that. This is being played at Kingsmeadow, another small ground, so you're also advised to buy your tickets in advance
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion @12pm - in the earliest game of the day, 2019 finalists West Ham will be hopeful of sealing a place in the quarter-finals. Two wins from four have got them out of the relegation zone and although the Seagulls are above them, their form is not as good. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge and tickets are available
FAWNL Southern Premier
AFC Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle @2pm - if you need to tick Plough Lane off your list, then the Dons' women are getting a run out there in this third-tier game. Second from bottom and battling to avoid the drop, they face a tough afternoon against an Argyle side who are second and going for the title. Tickets
Watford v Cheltenham Town @2pm - currently top and looking to hold off Plymouth, the Hornets have moved their women's games to Uxbridge FC for the rest of the season. AFC Bournemouth are also in contention in what could be a thrilling run in. Given it's so tight, Watford really can't afford to drop any points against the Robins who are in the bottom five. Tickets
L&SE Women's League Premier
Brentford v Saltdean United @2pm - given I'm running out of time and the day's fourth-tier matches look like being fairly inconsequential midtable games, this hugely important match in the fifth tier has been looming large on the women's football calendar for a while. There's another three-way title battle in this division between Brentford, Saltdean and Dartford. The Bees are top but have played three more games than Saltdean and five more games than Dartford. As a result, if the hosts lose this then Saltdean will end the day three points behind with three games in hand. With only one team going up, that's not something Brentford want to contemplate - they've already lost to Dartford too. Given the enormity of the game, it's being played at the GTech and tickets are free
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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