Greetings and welcome to the first TLFG piece of 2026 - Happy New Year to you all.
I hope the festive period was good for you. I got to go to a sum total of zero games as I worked most of it.
A costly boiler repair means I had to work a night shift on New Year's Eve and means I'm going in again shortly, on Sunday night, for some more overtime.
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| Tickets are available for this big derby |
Consequently, I've only managed some previews for the early part of the week but I have Monday off to try and add some more (update - previews are now available up to Friday).
Freezing weather has hit London over the last few days and it's likely to have an impact on other games, particularly at non-league level, as the week progresses so check if games are on before you travel.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Premier League tops the bill this week but it's also the Third Round of the FA Cup which sees all the remaining lower league teams go into the draw with the biggest clubs in the land.
At non-league level, it's also the Fourth Round of the FA Trophy - a weird bit of scheduling alongside the FA Cup but there are also games in all the other leagues at this level.
In the women's game, the Women's Super League returns from its winter break with Arsenal hosting Manchester United at the Emirates on Saturday being the highlight.
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 5 January
CCL Division 1
RB Kensington v Hillingdon Borough @745pm - there's only scheduled to be one game on Monday but with temperatures remaining low, it's unlikely to go ahead. If it does, RBK need a win to get out of the relegation zone. Although in the bottom two, they've got games in hand on all those immediately above them. Hillingdon are bang in the middle of the table but lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture in August. RBK have no online presence so check Hillingdon's social media updates for whether the game is on or not. Tickets should be around £7-8 on the gate MATCH OFF
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Tuesday 6 January
Premier League
West Ham United v Nottingham Forest @8pm - these two are in bad way right now. The Hammers suffered the ignominy of becoming the first team to lose to bottom club Wolves on Saturday. They're in the bottom three, four points adrift of safety and nine without a win - it looks really bleak. People were singing Sean Dyche's praises just before Christmas but a disastrous festive season has seen them lose four in a row and now sit just above Forest in the table. It's a huge game for both. Tickets
Premier League International Cup
West Ham United v Anderlecht @7pm - if you can't afford Premier League prices then you could watch the Hammers' U21s instead. We're still in the group stage at the moment. Sadly, it seems West Ham's youngsters are even worse than the senior team. Currently bottom of their eight-team group with zero points, they have to win or they'll go out. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge and admission should be around £5
National League South
Enfield Town v Hampton & Richmond Borough @745pm - in north London we have another relegation six-pointer between two of the bottom four. Hampton saw their game postponed on Saturday whilst the Towners travelled down to Hampshire and lost 3-2 to AFC Totton, to go bottom of the form table. Five points adrift of safety, they really can't afford to lose this. Tickets MATCH OFF
Isthmian League South Central
Raynes Park Vale v Leatherhead @745pm - game of the day in the eighth tier takes place at Grand Drive. RPV are often among the leading group but come into this in ninth. Their form has been iffy recently but won 3-2 against Metropolitan Police on Saturday. Here they welcome the leaders who have only lost two league games and have a big FA Trophy match to look forward to at the weekend. With the sides also on the same train line about 25 minutes apart, there's a bit of a derby flavour to this too. Tickets are £10 on the gate MATCH OFF
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Wednesday 7 January
Premier League
Brentford v Sunderland @730pm - it's a big night of Premier League football with three games on in London. The Bees continue to go from strength to strength with Sunday's 4-2 win at Everton firing them up to seventh and taking them to third in the London club rankings. The Black Cats drew again at Spurs to slip just below Brentford on goal difference - a draw looks like the most likely outcome here. Tickets are only available to members but some hospitality options look like they could be available but you have to login for more info and I don't have time for that right now
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa @730pm - the Eagles are experiencing a bit of a slump at the moment with Sunday's loss at Newcastle making it five without a win. The same can't be said of Villa who responded to their humbling loss at Arsenal by beating to Nottingham Forest to stay third, moving level on points with Manchester City. Although the hosts' form is poor, they're unbeaten in six against Unai Emery's team and seem to know just what to do to beat them. Incredibly rarely for a Palace home league game, tickets are on sale to non-members
Fulham v Chelsea @730pm - the game of the night is this west London derby at Craven Cottage as two of the closest neighbours in the Premier League meet for the second time this season. Historically, the Blues have utterly dominated these matches with Fulham winning only three of the 37 league matches played between them since 2000. However, two of those have come in the last three years. Marco Silva's side are also in good form with their draw against Liverpool at the weekend making it five without defeat. This match is also taking place at a time when Chelsea have just sacked their manager and, at the time of writing, have yet to announce a replacement. Interim boss Calum McFarlane saw his side grab a very decent draw at Manchester City on Sunday so he seems a capable replacement for now. Tickets, albeit very pricey, are available in the new Riverside Stand
Premier League International Cup
Chelsea v Benfica @7pm - at Kingsmeadow, the Blues' U21 side are in action against Portuguese opposition. Like West Ham, they've also lost both of their games so far and are bottom of their group. From my understanding of the rules, I think they're already out but defeat will definitely kill them off. Tickets are £4
Isthmian League South Central
Kingstonian v Ascot United @745pm - the top level non-league match of the night can be found at Grand Drive. The K's have struggled in this eighth-tier division this season and are in the bottom four. Three points adrift of safety, they do have two games in hand so they've got a chance. Ascot are in midtable so are beatable. Tickets are £10 on the gate
Essex Senior League
SOUL Tower Hamlets v Buckhurst Hill @745pm - leaders Little Oakley play on Tuesday night against STH's co-groundsharers Sporting Bengal United. If they drop any points, STH will go top if they win this. Although in midtable, the visitors managed a very dramatic 2-2 draw when they played back in July and they're also top of the current form table so this could be some game. Tickets MATCH OFF
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Thursday 8 January
Premier League
Arsenal v Liverpool @8pm - the Emirates would appear to be the place to be on Thursday as the reigning Premier League champions travel to the current leaders. The Gunners had a good festive period and are now six points clear at the top. Although the visiting Reds are unbeaten in eight, they've drawn four of those games and seem very very unlikely to retain their title. Liverpool won the reverse fixture 1-0 in August but haven't won a league game here since 2022. Tickets are only available to members but hospitality is available from £1,225
FA Youth Cup Fourth Round
Watford v Charlton Athletic @7pm - if a four-figure sum to watch football doesn't seem like good value to you, then you could head to Vicarage Road instead for this U18 game. The Addicks won 3-2 at Liverpool in the last round so that makes them favourites for me. Tickets
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Friday 9 January
Premier League 2
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion @7pm - there's a bit more development football for you to enjoy in this U21 league at the beginning of the weekend. I say 'enjoy' but neither of these sides have been particularly impressive this season. There are 29 teams in this competition - the Gunners are 15th and the Baggies 27th. This is being played at Boreham Wood and admission is often free but be prepared to pay a few quid just in case
Isthmian League Premier
Cray Wanderers v Aveley @745pm - we've an unusual bonus double bill of games in this seventh-tier division on Friday. First up is this mouthwatering game between two of the top six. With three wins from four, London's oldest club are up to fourth. However, the visitors are looking even better. Without a league loss since the 15 September, the Millers are sixth but have games in hand on all of those above them. I have to caveat this by saying they have another match before this on Tuesday at leaders Folkestone, who were the last side to beat them. If they win in Kent, they'll go above Cray into fourth and make this game even bigger! Tickets
Hashtag United v Dartford @745pm - in the other game at Parkside, we have a match which affects both ends of the table. The Tags are in the bottom four but four points from their last two games has given them a real chance, with only goal difference keeping them in the relegation zone. The Darts, on the other hand, are in the top six and right in the mix with Aveley and Cray Wanderers so need to win to stay in the play-off race. Tickets are £12 on the gate
More previews for 10-11 January to follow
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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