Welcome to this week's TLFG and apologies again for another late publication.
There was more Non-League Day round-up work to do and also an Actonians podcast to record with long serving defender and club hero Jennie Brereton.
Recorded on a sunny evening last week outside the clubhouse, I was joined by her defensive team-mate and former Fulham player Lois Colley who co-hosted with me.
Some great questions were sent, including some from TLFG readers - thanks so much for that!
We discovered she had Olympic dreams in another sport, how she initially broke through at AFC Wimbledon, who are her toughest opponents are and gave her thoughts on whole range of other topics, including juggling life as a footballer and a mother.
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| Yes, that is me in the middle! |
After a great run of results over the last month, the A's will finish fifth, above local rivals QPR, if they beat Dulwich Hamlet in their final game on Sunday.
The game is being played at North Greenford United's ground in west London and starts at 2pm. It's £6 to get in and a printed programme will be available - my next task is to produce it!
It's also a dog-friendly fixture so please feel to join us with your hound if you're around.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley top the bill but there are also games in the Premier League and EFL.
Crucially it's also the final round of games in all divisions of the National League, Isthmian League, Southern League and several leagues below that so there could be a lot of excitement as clubs battle for titles, play-off places and scrap to avoid relegation.
In the women's game, Arsenal are back at the Emirates Stadium for their huge Champions League Semi-Final first leg against Lyon whilst London City Lionesses and Tottenham Hotspur have WSL games, the latter at the THS. Below that, the FAWNL reaches its final weekend as well with some particularly important games in Tier 3.
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.
Tuesday 21 April
Championship
QPR v Swansea City @745pm - a point apart in midtable and with absolutely nothing to play for other than position, this is THE definition of a late season dead rubber. Such games can be utter borefests or produce absolute thrillers as the players have absolutely no pressure on them and we end up with goals galore. With a Tube strike kicking in at midday, the crowd could be much lower than normal so tickets should be easy to come by.
Tickets
CCL Premier North
North Greenford United v Ardley United @745pm - two of the top seven meet at Berkeley Fields for what is the last game of the regular season for both. Sadly a win here will not be enough for the hosts who will agonisingly finish one point adrift of the play-off places if they do triumph. Ardley have already booked their spot in the post-season but a win will see them secure home advantage in the single leg play-off semi-finals. Tickets are £9 on the gate
SCEFL Division 1
Banstead Athletic v Rochester United @745pm - in the 10th tier, we have another game with little riding on it. The home team will finish in midtable whatever happens here whilst Rochester will end the season in third so if nothing else, this will give you the chance to check out one of the division's play-off sides ahead of the semi-finals. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Wednesday 22 April
Championship
Charlton Athletic v Ipswich Town @745pm - unlike the match at Loftus Road on Tuesday, there's quite a bit to play for here. The Addicks still probably need at least one win to make sure of staying up whilst the Tractor Boys need every point they can get to make the second automatic promotion spot theirs.
Tickets
Southern League Division 1 Central
London Lions v Hitchin Town @745pm - the highest level non-league game is this one at Rowley Lane. The hosts are currently one place above the relegation zone but safe and are now just playing for position. It's a very different story for the Canaries though, who look almost certain to finish second (a draw will confirm it) and will be looking to build a bit of momentum ahead of the play-offs. Tickets are £10 on the gate
Essex Senior League
Buckhurst Hill v Harwich & Parkeston @745pm - the pick of the action in the ninth tier sees the hosts look to make absolutely certain of their place in the play-offs with a point being enough. However, a win here and in their final game could well see them finish in the top three which will give them home advantage in the play-offs. H&P are safe in midtable with little to play for. Tickets are £8 on the gate
SCEFL Division 1
Chessington & Hook United v AFC Greenwich Borough @745pm - in the 10th tier it's been a disastrous season for C&HU. Guaranteed to finish in the bottom two, it's now all about avoiding the wooden spoon. They picked up an impressive 3-0 win over Bridon Ropes on Monday, only their fifth of the season, to move above Welling Town. If they win this, the Boots will finish last. The chances of them triumphing are pretty remote though. Greenwich are in a very tight title battle with SE Dons and if they win this game in hand, they'll go into the final game two points clear at the top. Tickets should be around £8
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Thursday 23 April
SCPFL Premier
CB Hounslow & Abbots v Addlestone @745pm - the highest level men's game I'm aware of on St George's Day is this 11th-tier one very near Heathrow Airport - the planes come right over the pitch if they're using the southern runway, it's bonkers! When I went at the beginning of March, I found a very decent little ground with flags of many different nations flying all around the stadium. As for the game itself, the hosts will finish sixth whilst the visitors still need to do a bit more to avoid relegation. I'm not sure of admission prices, it could be free, but you shouldn't pay more than £5
L&SE Women's Division 1 North
Bromley v Soccer Elite Football Academy @8pm - there's an important game in the women's sixth tier where the Ravens are looking to emulate the men's team and get promoted too. Currently top, they'll open a five-point lead over second place Hammersmith if they win. However, their challengers have crucial games in hand. Soccer Elite have been anything but this season and have only managed one point from their 18 games (Actonians Reserves started with only 10 players against them a few weeks ago and still won) so we could witness a cricket score! This is being played at Bromley's main stadium but check all the details before you travel as there's little info on their official channels at the moment
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Friday 24 April
Premier League 2 play-off
Fulham v West Ham United @7pm - the first round of the play-offs in this U21 competition take place across this weekend. I think the fixtures were only confirmed this morning (Tuesday) with some clubs still not publishing the details. In this competition, the top 16 teams, out of 29, make the post-season with the team finishing first hosting the team in 16th, the team in second hosting 15th etc. The Cottagers finished fourth whilst the Hammers only achieved 13th. This is being played at the club's training ground in Motspur Park - it's usually about £5 on the gate
CCL Premier North
Hilltop v Windsor & Eton @745pm - the hosts were looking like possible play-off contenders at one stage but only one win from their last 10 meant they ended up well short of the top five. They can have an influence on the play-offs though as Windsor can still finish second. In fact, they'll secure runners-up spot if they win at North Leigh on Tuesday so this final game would just rubber stamp that. Tickets should be around £8-10
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Previews for the 25-26 April 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.
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