Greetings everyone and welcome to the latest TLFG and it's another 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. The highlight of last week's action was an interview with Paul Merson at Hanworth Villa for Sky Sports. Sadly I couldn't go but my team did me proud.
We also heard from Italy how one of the biggest clubs in Serie A will be joining this year's celebrations, taking the total number of pro clubs from that country which will be getting involved to three. I'll announce all the names in due course, just in case something goes wrong!
These together with Athletic Bilbao from La Liga are showing the growing presence and recognition across Europe which is really pleasing for what is our 15th event.
I also managed to secure the support of a senior politician in one of our main political parties here in the UK - they've committed to endorsing the day, promoting it and attending a match at their local club.
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| 2026 will see the 15th staging of NLD |
Aside from that I'm also building up for another episode of the AAA Actonians podcast on Tuesday.
This one has taken some planning as it will feature Camila Orozco Saenz, one of our former players who left last January to turn pro in her native Colombia. After a fine first season playing for Once Caldas, she's started this new campaign with Atletico Nacional in Medellin. They are one of the biggest clubs in the country and finished third in the women's Copa Libertadores in 2023 - some step up from Rectory Park on a chilly Sunday afternoon!
Anyway, have a great week - I'll hopefully get to a game on Sunday.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Premier League tops the bill this week but there's also a game in the UEFA Conference League and plenty of action in the EFL.
We've also got games in the National League and all our other local non-league competitions.
In the women's game, we have an FA Cup match on Monday before an international break kicks in. The highest level action on Sunday will be in the third tier where AFC Wimbledon will be playing a game at Plough Lane.
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 23 February
Women's FA Cup Fifth Round
London City Lionesses v Tottenham Hotspur @730pm - the final tie of the round should draw the biggest crowd of the night. Being shown live on TNT Sports, this London derby at Bromley's ground should be close. LCL are the only independent club in the WSL and are very well resourced by Michelle Kang. Although only one place below Spurs in the table, they're 10 points behind. New boss Martin Ho joined over the summer and has made them more competitive than ever. Last time out, they scored seven at Aston Villa. For me, the visitors start as favourites. Tickets
Premier League 2
West Ham United v Crystal Palace @7pm - if you're on the east side of town, this U21 game is taking place at the Hammers' Rush Green training facility. Both sides are in midtable. Tickets are £5 on the gate
Essex Senior League Cup Second Round
Buckhurst Hill v Ilford @745pm - the pick of the non-league action sees two of the top eight sides in this league meet for a place in the quarter-finals of the cup. Although lower in the table, the hosts are in better form. However, this match has been moved to the neutral venue of Aveley so home advantage won't be on their side. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Tuesday 24 February
Championship
Watford v Ipswich Town @3pm - the Hornets ended their winless run with a decent victory over Derby. Now three points shy of the play-off places, they're very much back in contention. Next up they face one of the strongest contenders to go up. The Tractor Boys came down from the Premier League at the end of last season and are currently fourth with two games in hand on those above them. When the sides met in November it ended 1-1. The Suffolk club are also unbeaten against Watford since 2014 so they start as strong favourites. Tickets
National League
Wealdstone v Brackley Town @745pm - the highest level non-league game of the night is this fifth-tier match at Grosvenor Vale. The Stones have had one of their best seasons since returning to the National League but have hit a sticky patch, with three straight defeats taking then down to 17th. The visitors are on the same points so it should be close. Tickets
Isthmian League Premier
Dulwich Hamlet v Chatham Town @745pm - two of the best supported teams in this seventh-tier division meet at Champion Hill for what could be a lively encounter. The Hamlet won at Cray Valley PM on Saturday but they're still in midtable, a way off the all important top five. The Chats beat Welling to move up to fourth and should be favourites. Tickets
CCL Premier North
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Burnham @745pm - it's a big night in this division with several title contenders all playing each other. First up we have a match between third and first. The Tangerines are five points behind Burnham but have three games in hand so there's a lot riding on this.Tickets are £10 on the gate
North Greenford United v Windsor & Eton @745pm - if the pitch holds up, two other potential promotion hopefuls meet at Berkeley Fields. Both sides have struggled to play league games and have a lot of fixtures to make up. If won, Windsor will go top by some distance despite being down in fifth at the present time. Tickets are £9 on the gate
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Wednesday 25 February
Championship
Millwall v Birmingham City @745pm - the Lions suffered an unexpected 3-1 loss at home to Portsmouth on Saturday but held onto their place in the top three as Ipswich and Hull both lost. After an underwhelming start to the campaign, the Blues are now to starting to fire and are top of the form table. Now only two points adrift of the play-off places, this a big game for both. Tickets
Hertfordshire Senior Cup Semi-Final
London Lions v Hitchin Town @745pm - for me, the non-league pick of the day is this significant county cup tie. Both sides play in the eighth tier Southern League Division 1 Central with the visitors second in the table. If you're new to football in this country, the hosts are notable for being the highest-ranked club for Jewish players. Admission at this level is usually around £10
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Thursday 26 February
UEFA Conference League knockout round play-off second leg
Crystal Palace v Zrinjski Mostar @8pm - after drawing 1-1 in the first leg in Bosnia last week, it's all to play for at Selhurst Park on Thursday night. On paper, a Premier League side like the Eagles should win this handsomely but they've made heavy weather of this so far so who knows? Tickets
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Friday 27 February
Premier League 2
There are couple of games in this U21 league on Friday with Arsenal entertaining Ipswich Town at Boreham Wood and Fulham taking on Burnley at their training ground in Motspur Park. Admission varies but won't be more than £5. Both games start at 7pm
Essex Senior League
Sporting Bengal United v Frenford @745pm - there are a trio of non-league games on Friday. The highest level game is this one in the ninth tier. As I understand it, SBU have moved this game from their home in Mile End to Barking's stadium which has an artificial pitch. Both sides are in the bottom four but Frenford are six points adrift at the bottom. Tickets should be in the £8-10 bracket
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Saturday 28 February
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Wrexham @3pm - any visit by the Red Dragons to London tends to generate a big crowd and this game should be no exception. With the Addicks looking for their first win in four to push further away from the relegation zone and the visitors needing wins to keep pace with the rest of the top six, there's plenty riding on it. Tickets
QPR v Sheffield United @3pm - the R's have had a rollercoaster week, picking up a superb 3-1 win at Hull City last Saturday before being thrashed 5-0 by Southampton on Tuesday. Next up they face a fellow midtable club who are two points behind them. The Blades have won on three of their last four visits to Loftus Road. Tickets
League One
Leyton Orient v Barnsley @1230pm - the O's brought their winless run to an end with a vital win at Northampton Town. Here they face the 15th placed Tykes so they've got a reasonable chance of another three points. Tickets
League Two
Barnet v Chesterfield @3pm - the last two winners of the National League meet at The Hive for three points to bolster their play-off ambitions. The clubs in fourth to seventh make the post-season in this division. The Spireites are currently in seventh while the Bees are three points behind. Tickets
Bromley v Accrington Stanley @3pm - despite a disappointing run of three consecutive draws, the Ravens are still top but only by two points. Accrington are down in 13th and have lost three of their last four so a home win looks likely. Tickets
National League South
Hornchurch v Worthing @3pm - there's nothing in the fifth tier today but this game between two of the top four in the sixth tier should be well worth some of your time if you're on the east side of town. The Urchins were top for a large part of this season but they've dropped to fourth and it would seem securing a play-off spot is now their main priority. Worthing are second and currently the main challengers to Dorking Wanderers who have opened an eight-point lead. Tickets
Isthmian League Premier
Welling United v Dartford @3pm - there should be a big crowd at Park View Road where these two local rivals meet. In the bottom three and four points adrift of safety, the hosts badly need to get something from this match. Sitting just outside the play-off places, it's a big game for the Darts too. Tickets are £15 on the gate
Isthmian League South Central
Hanworth Villa v Moneyfields @3pm - there are some really big games in the eighth tier on Saturday and I think this marginally tops the bill. Moneyfields are top of this division whilst Hanworth are fourth but with two games in hand. Win this and the games in hand and they'll move ahead of the Hampshire club. Tickets are £12 on the gate
CCL Premier North
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Windsor & Eton @3pm - again there are some big games in the ninth tier but this shades it for me. Currently in third and fifth, these sides have games in hand on all of the other clubs in the top six, so they're kind of the top two. The hosts lost their big game against current leaders Burnham in midweek whilst Windsor suffered a narrow reverse at North Greenford United. Tickets are £10 on the gate
CCL Division 1
Bedfont v Penn & Tylers Green @3pm - in this 10th-tier division, leaders Bedfont welcome the side in third for another big, big game. The hosts are currently four points clear but Brook House and P&TG both have games in hand so the margins are really small. For the plane spotters among you, this ground is right next to Heathrow so you'll have plenty to keep entertained on land and in the air. I'm not certain of ticket prices but it shouldn't be more than £8
Professional Development League
Brentford v Colchester United @2pm - rather randomly, the Bees are playing this U21 match at the GTech so if you've never been before, now's your chance. Tickets
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Sunday 1 March
Premier League
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur @2pm - the biggest game in London today is definitely the Arsenal v Chelsea derby but tickets are not available to non-members. Your next best option is this other derby at Craven Cottage. The hosts have been pretty inconsistent of late but are sitting in the relative comfort of 10th on 37 points, with a win taking them to the total which normally guarantees survival. Spurs, on the other hand, are in a bit of a crisis. Without a league win in 2026, they're in the bottom five and in real danger of being caught by West Ham if they can get their act together. Tickets are available
FAWNL Southern Premier
AFC Wimbledon v Billericay Town @2pm - with the top two tiers in the women's game on an international break, this game tops the bill. It's being played at Plough Lane and is a huge opportunity for the Dons to pick up some crucial points in their battle to beat the drop. Bottom club Billericay have lost every game and have already been relegated. Tickets
Capital Senior Cup First Round
Dulwich Hamlet v Tottenham Hotspur U19 @2pm - this much delayed fixture which is holding up the whole draw (three other teams have already made the semi-finals!) should finally get played today. The Hamlet had a rocky start to the season but have now only lost once since mid-December following the appointment of Richie Byrne as manager. It's hard to know how good Spurs' youngsters are or how strong a team they'll field but they finished third in their FAWNL Cup group behind Oxford United and Luton Town earlier in the season. My feeling is that Dulwich should have too much for them. Tickets
Friendly
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v QPR @3pm - a lot of fourth-tier teams are without games this weekend so friendlies have been much sought after. My own side Actonians had a game at Maidenhead lined up but the opposition pulled out. QPR have been more lucky and travel to the fifth-tier Tangerines. Even better news for groundhoppers, it's free to get in
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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