Greetings one and all and welcome to TLFG's guide to the second week of pre-season.
How was week one for you?
I was all set to see a match over the weekend but work intervened so I spent most of it on trains.
However, with a day off today (Monday), that left me in a position to watch England's epic win over Mexico in the small hours.
And what a game it was! One for the ages and one we'll be talking about decades from now given all the adversity the team overcame.
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| Watford's trip to Meadow Park tops the bill this week |
I don't want to get ahead of myself but things are looking promising!
After today, I'll be working seven days straight so there won't be any football for me but hopefully I'll get to watch a bit on the telly.
One of the reasons I worked this weekend was to free up a Saturday later in the month when QPR play Italian club Fiorentina in an eye-catching friendly at Loftus Road, something I'm really looking forward to.
Anyway, I think that's it for me - have a great week.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Charlton Athletic drew a crowd of over 3,000 for their friendly at Dartford on Friday and hopefully fellow Championship club Watford will inspire a decent turnout at Boreham Wood on Saturday.
The best attendance on Friday should be at Enfield Town where League One club Leyton Orient pay a visit.
At non-league level, there are several notable derbies and women's pre-season gets going 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 6 July
Friendly
Hashtag United v East Thurrock CFC @745pm - after a swift rise up to the seventh tier, the Tags ran into the buffers last season and took voluntary relegation back to level eight. After several years sharing at Aveley, this season will see them play their games at Redbridge which for non-drivers is way easier to get to. Talking of new eras, Essex club East Thurrock are back. Previously East Thurrock United, they were members of the National League South until as recently as 2019. Sadly things went really south in the intervening years and the club folded in 2023. Now reborn, they're in the 10th tier ECL Division 1 South this season. Tickets
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Tuesday 7 July
Friendlies
Hornchurch v Dagenham & Redbridge @745pm - it's derby day in east London and possibly for the first time ever, it's the Urchins who will be starting the game as the club in the higher division. Despite being one of the smaller clubs in the National League South (NLS), they managed to win the play-offs and move up to the fifth tier for the first time in their history. The Daggers went as high as League One in 2010-11 and were a mainstay of the fourth and fifth tiers in the years since. However, last season was their first alongside Hornchurch in the NLS. It will be fascinating to see how the hosts cope at this level and how D&R will fare with their new owners (including KSI). Tickets
Aveley v Folkestone Invicta @745pm - the Millers finished as runners-up to Folkestone in the Isthmian League last season. In the end there was a 12-point gap as the Kent club won the title and moved up to the NLS. Sadly for Aveley, they didn't make it through the play-offs and will have to have another go at winning the Isthmian crown this year. Tickets are available on the gate
Dartford v Ebbsfleet United @745pm - just across the river from Aveley in Kent, there's another derby taking place which should be well worth a watch. Both sides narrowly missed out on play-off places in their respective divisions last season and will hope to put that right this time round. NLS side Ebbsfleet play a level above the Darts so should start as favourites. Tickets
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Farnborough @745pm - if you want a game in west London then CCL Premier North champions Ashford are hosting NLS side Farnborough. Now up to the Isthmian South Central, the hosts are still two divisions below their opponents so it could be a tough evening. The Hampshire club began their pre-season with a 3-1 win at CCL Premier South champions Cobham on Saturday, so they'll be looking to a double of sorts here. Tickets for Ashford's game against Farnham on Saturday were £5 on the gate so I expect something similar here
Corinthian Casuals v AFC Wimbledon U17 @745pm - one other game stands out for me on Tuesday and it features one of the capital's most historic clubs. CCs play in the ninth tier and will hope to get much closer to the play-offs than they managed last year. Tickets are £5 on the gate
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Wednesday 8 July
Friendly
Walthamstow v SOUL Tower Hamlets @8pm - there are a handful of games on Wednesday with this match the pick of them in my opinion. The Stow won the Essex Senior League in 2022 and followed it up with two consecutive top-six finishes in the eighth tier. However, they've started to go backwards, finishing 10th the last two years. STH came desperately close to joining them in the Isthmian League this year but fell short in the Essex Senior League play-offs. I haven't seen any ticket info but paying on the gate won't be a problem
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Thursday 9 July
Friendly
Northwood v Southall @8pm - the only match I know of on Thursday is taking place at the neutral venue of Rectory Park in Northolt. Northwood had their worst season for many years last year and slipped out of the eighth tier for the first time since 2007. Now in the Combined Counties League, they'll look to consolidate and bounce back as soon as possible. The 'All have finished in the top six twice in the last three years in their eighth-tier division but they shipped eight against Barnet in a behind closed doors game on Saturday. This could well be free admission but you can easily watch through fence if you your exceptionally tight and don't want to pay
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Friday 10 July
Friendly
Enfield Town v Leyton Orient @7pm - topping the bill on Friday is this match in the far north of London. The Towners suffered relegation from the NLS last season and are now back in the seventh tier Isthmian League. They drew 3-3 at near neighbours Haringey Borough on Saturday and should face an even tougher challenge here. The O's struggled in League One last season but managed to stay up. This match is listed as a first-team match on their website so a strong line-up should be expected. Tickets
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Saturday 11 July
Friendlies
Boreham Wood v Watford @3pm - possibly the biggest game of pre-season so far is being played at Meadow Park. The Wood were 2-0 up in the National League play-off final at Wembley in May but they let it slip and eventually lost on penalties to Rochdale. Here they welcome local Championship club Watford who finished 16th in the second tier last season, their lowest league finish since 2010. Tickets
Hanwell Town v Luton Town U21 @1pm - the race to avoid relegation from the Southern League Premier South was a tight one but the Geordies kept their heads above water to secure their place in the seventh tier for a fifth consecutive season. On Saturday they welcome a youthful Hatters side. It's hard to gauge how good they are as they don't compete in a league but they should provide a good test nonetheless
Carshalton Athletic v Hampton & Richmond Borough @3pm - after thrashing a young Bromley side 4-0, the Robins next welcome the sixth tier Beavers for what should be a tougher afternoon at the War Memorial Ground
Hanworth Villa v St Albans City @3pm - the hosts won promotion last season to move up to the seventh tier for the first time in their history. Here they welcome a side from the parallel Isthmian Premier who should act as a good yardstick of what they can face this year
Hashtag United v SE Dons @4pm - two of the capital's more controversial teams meet at Redbridge's ground. Both sides have large online fanbases primarily on YouTube - nearly one million subscribers between them. As mentioned above, the Tags are in the eighth tier whilst the Dons are now up to the ninth after winning promotion last season. Tickets
Game Cam Cup from 6pm - if you want to see multiple games on Saturday then finish your day at Rayners Lane's Tithe Farm which plays host to this four-team mini tournament. Ninth tier Hilltop are the highest ranked side on show, whilst the rest of the field is made up of 10th-tier clubs London Fennecs, NW London and Shepherds Bush. As I understand it, there will be two semi-finals, a third-place play-off and a final with each game lasting 50 minutes. It could be a late night!
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Sunday 12 July
Friendlies
London Bees v Real Bedford @2pm - women's friendlies take centre stage on Sunday with clubs in the third tier and below in action. The hosts finished fourth in their fourth-tier division last season, made a lot of money from their FA Cup run and should start as one of the favourites for the title this time. Real Bedford won this division in 2024/25 and managed a top-six finish in the third tier last season. They won 3-1 at Wycombe Wanderers on Sunday and should provide Dan McKimm's side with a decent workout. This match will be played at Barnet's Hive complex in north London
Hashtag United v Dartford @tbc - the Tags avoided relegation from the third tier on the final day of last season. It was a dramatic loss of form after their title challenge the previous year but that's what happens when your coaching staff and senior players all get better offers. Dartford excelled in the fifth tier last season to move up to the FAWNL for the first time. At the moment, I'm still chasing confirmation of a venue and kick-off time but it will probably be at Redbridge's ground at 2pm
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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?
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