Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG - published more or less on time and with midweek previews!
How has your week been?
I had the pleasure of welcoming long-time reader Christoph B from Germany to London on Friday.
He was over to tick off a couple more members of 'the 92' albeit outside the capital and I met up with him before his departure for Colchester United.
We visited an unusual attraction with no connection to football whatsoever - the Hunterian Museum.
Located within the Royal College of Surgeons near Holborn station, it's a bit gruesome, macabre, sad and educational all at once.
With human and animal specimens in jars, it's really eye-opening but I was definitely ready to leave by the end of it.
Free to get in, it's located across Lincoln's Inn Fields from Sir John Soane's Museum which is also free and even more popular with a fairly lengthy queue. If you're a museum-hopper, then there's a great chance of a double here.
After watching Colchester, Christoph headed to Leicester City on Saturday and said he met two more TLFG readers from Sweden on his way there so hello to you too if you're reading this.
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| 2026 will see the 15th staging of NLD |
Both sides held leads before it ended 4-4 but not before nearly an hour's break awaiting an ambulance for an injured Stones player. The unfortunate in question seemed to break something in her leg or ankle after apparently getting her studs caught in the artificial surface and the screams were unsettling for all.
Buried under a mountain of coats and blankets in the howling wind and driving rain, her wait for assistance wasn't the most pleasant.
The action eventually resumed with 10 minutes to go and although the A's dominated this, hitting the bar, they couldn't find a winner and eventually lost on penalties. Quite an afternoon!
Aside from that and work, it's been all about Non-League Day (NLD) preparations for me this week.
I think since I last wrote, I've received written support for NLD from the government, opposition and Liberal Democrats - the latter said they planned to table an Early Day Motion in Parliament sometime in the next few days so let's see what happens with that.
The destination for the Premier League trophy seems to have been decided but it's not been officially announced so I won't reveal it yet - it's not far from London though and would make a good day trip if you fancy getting out of town.
Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK), our charity partner, will have collections and a presence at scores of clubs on the day and the FSA's Fans For Diversity group will be at several games too.
Talking of PCUK, all the profits from our merchandise sales will go to them. We have a fine selection of t-shirts, hoodies, badges and various other things available in pretty much every size and colour so please have a look.
Partnerships with some more big foreign clubs will hopefully be announced this week too so watch out for more on those.
Hopefully I'll get to a game or two by the end of the week but I was barely allowed out on Sunday so we'll see.
Have a great week everyone!
THE WEEK AHEAD
The EFL Cup Final tops the bill but there are also games in the Champions League, Premier 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, the WSL is the main attraction with Arsenal back at the Emirates and London City Lionesses controversially playing a game at The Den.
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 March
CCL Premier South
Sutton Common Rovers v Corinthian Casuals @745pm - with the game at Brentford only available to members, this is the highest-level game open to groundhoppers. This ninth-tier match is about as midtable as it gets. Neither side have any real chance of getting promoted and it would take a pretty drastic collapse for either of them to go down - a draw here would make it mathematically impossible for the visitors. This is being played at Carshalton Athletic and admission is £10 on the gate
CCL Division 1
Chessington & Hook United v Bridon Ropes @745pm - a small group of teams around the capital have found themselves shifted to leagues they geographically probably shouldn't be in. C&HU are one of those sides. Despite being in south-west London, they're playing in a division which is largely the preserve of clubs from Kent. Travel must be a burden for them and it probably puts off a lot of potential players too. This is probably a good part of the reason why they find themselves well adrift at the bottom of the table. They have played fewer games than anyone else but still face a huge struggle to avoid the drop into county football. Bridon Ropes, who play home games near Charlton, are keeping their heads above water but still need a few more wins to be certain of staying up. I'm not sure of admission but it shouldn't exceed £8
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Tuesday 17 March
Championship
Watford v Wrexham @745pm - the Hornets' loss to Stoke on Saturday was a real blow to their play-off hopes. Now eight points adrift of sixth with nine games to go, they have a lot of work to do. Significantly for them, the visitors are in sixth and are the team they have to catch. The Welsh side have won four of their last five though and will be tough to beat. Tickets
League One
AFC Wimbledon v Leyton Orient @745pm - it's derby day in the third tier where the only two London clubs in this division meet at Plough Lane. Newly promoted at the start of the season, many predicted the Dons would struggle. However, only goal difference is keeping them out of the top half at this point so I think you could argue they've overachieved. Despite making last season's play-off final, the O's have been the ones to underperform. Relegation was looking like a real threat but three wins from five have given them a fighting chance.Since becoming 'AFC', Wimbledon have never lost at home to Orient and they won the reverse fixture in January too. Tickets
National League Cup Final
Boreham Wood v West Ham United U21 @7pm - arguably the country's most unpopular competition reaches its conclusion on Tuesday. Essentially created as a highly controversial replacement for FA Cup replays, fifth-tier clubs are put into groups against top clubs' academy sides before a knockout phase and this final. Leeds United beat Sutton United in last year's final but they failed to get out of the group stage this time. The Wood are among the frontrunners in the National League whilst the Hammers' youngsters are ninth in Premier League 2. Tickets have been reduced to £10 for adults
Professional Development League
QPR v Sheffield United @130pm - there's a double helping of action in this U21 league on Tuesday. Being played at QPR's training ground near Heathrow, 'North' division leaders Sheffield United are the visitors. How strong a side the hosts put out is open to question as they're playing AFC Wimbledon in the London Senior Cup at Hanwell Town later in the evening. Admission to these games is free but you need to register in advance - see this page for details
Brentford v Coventry City @7pm - haven't been to the GTech yet? With Premier League games almost always restricted to members, getting tickets for games here is hard or expensive. Thankfully, this U21 game is being played there so it'll be easy to get in. The Bees are currently well clear at the top of the 'South' division so should start as favourites. Tickets
National League South
Enfield Town v Dorking Wanderers @745pm - the highest level non-league game takes place at Donkey Lane and it will have a big effect at both ends of the table. The Towners still desperately need points to avoid the drop whilst Dorking need a win to cement their place at the top. Tickets
Middlesex Charity Cup Semi-Finals
With the Middlesex Senior Cup won by Southall last week, we're now down to the final four in the county's other big competition. Running since 1901, interest in this has definitely waned in recent years. When I used to watch Harrow Borough home and away in my youth, clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur would enter teams and big crowds would turn out. In 1988, the final was even played at Wembley. This year only five teams entered, meaning the semi-final is the first game for three of the teams taking part. The pick of the ties sees current holders Uxbridge host Hanwell Town in an all Southern League clash whilst Northwood take on Broadfields United in the other game. Both start at 745pm
SSML Premier
Haringey Borough v Biggleswade United @745pm - this game will go some way to deciding who wins the title in this ninth-tier division. The hosts are currently two points clear at the top but have played more games than all of their rivals. Biggleswade are five points behind in third with two games in hand - this is a huge match for both. Tickets
CCL Division 1
London Samurai Rovers v Penn & Tylers Green @745pm - game of the day in the 10th tier pits fifth placed LSR against the team in second. Currently occupying the last play-off spot, the hosts have three teams snapping at their heels and need every point they can get to stay in the leading group. P&TG are two points behind leaders Bedfont but have three games in hand and will go top if they win this and Bedfont drop points at Molesey. This is being played at Hanworth Villa and admission shouldn't exceed £8
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Wednesday 18 March
Women's Super League
Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion @7pm - with Tottenham tickets not on general sale for their Champions League game, the biggest matches you can get into will be in the WSL. Fresh from winning the League Cup on Sunday, the Blues will try and keep their slim league title hopes alive by beating the Seagulls. Having seen leaders Manchester City drop points at Aston Villa on Sunday, they can close the gap to seven points with a win here. This is being played at Kingsmeadow. Tickets
West Ham United v Manchester United @7pm - without a game on Sunday, the Hammers slipped to 11th, two points above bottom club Leicester. Getting anything against this United side will be tough though. Currently second, they beat West Ham 2-1 when they last played in December and will be confident of getting something here too. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge. Tickets
Premier League International Cup Quarter-Final
Crystal Palace v Real Sociedad @7pm - having come top of Group B with wins over Juventus, Borussia Monchengladbach and Nordsjaelland, the Eagles have landed a tie against Spanish opposition. This U21 competition has been running since 2014 with Palace reaching two finals and winning one two years ago. Sociedad bowed out early last year but topped Group C with a 3-2 win at Chelsea in their last match. This is being played at Sutton United. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Southall v Westfield @745pm - the best non-league option would appear to be this eighth-tier game at Hayes & Yeading United's ground. The 'All followed up their midweek win in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final with an even more impressive 6-1 trouncing of Hartley Wintney on Saturday. That result lifted them to ninth but with the play-off places still 14 points away, it would seem that finishing above landlords H&YU will probably be the limit of their ambition. Not so Westfield who are second and in possession of enough games to catch leaders Leatherhead. Six points behind with 10 games to go, neither side can afford many slip ups. Tickets are £12 on the gate
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Thursday 19 March
CCL Division 1
Chalfont St Peter v Penn & Tylers Green @745pm - I wouldn't normally list games at CSP but with nothing else on, it would seem churlish not to flag up this match just outside TLFG's catchment area. When I started this blog in 2011, the hosts were an eighth-tier club but two relegations in three seasons between 2022-2024 have landed them in the 10th tier. At the time of writing, they're second bottom and on course for another demotion. As mentioned above, the visitors could be top by the time this kicks-off so another tough night looks likely. Tickets are £9 on the gate
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Friday 20 March
Professional Development League
QPR v Peterborough United @130pm - the R's U21s have a busy week lined up with this their third game since Tuesday. Posh are second in the 'North' division so this looks like being another challenging fixture. Once again, this is being played at the training ground so you'll need to register in advance if you want to attend - details here
CCL Premier North
Hilltop v Windsor & Eton @745pm - four defeats on the bounce have killed any faint hopes Hilltop had of making the play-offs. It's not going to get any easier here either as they play the side with the games in hand to go well clear at the top of the division. Although a great side, fixture congestion and fatigue could catch up with Windsor and they've only won three of their last six. Last time these two played way back in July, Windsor won 2-0. Tickets should be around £8-10
ECL Division 1 South
Lymore Gardens v Clapton CFC @745pm - there's a big game in the race for promotion in this 10th-tier division. At the time of writing, LG sit just outside the play-off places in sixth but have games in hand on four of the sides above them. CCFC are second, two points behind leaders Hutton and have played a game more. In terms of attendance, the visitors are the biggest club in the division (nearly 1,000 on Saturday) and really should be playing at a higher level. Tickets are usually £7-8 on the gate
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Weekend previews 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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