TLFG: 29 June - 5 July 2026

Greetings and welcome to TLFG's guide to the opening week of pre-season 2026/27 - it's great to have you here.

After a month off, we're back and I have to admit to being very keen to get going despite my warnings of bringing things to an end last season.

If I can keep going until October, this blog will reach its 15th birthday which I think is worth doing.

So how has your off-season been? Enjoying the World Cup? Have you crossed the Atlantic for a game or are you all set to go?

The main news affecting my football life, which broke since my last piece, was the significant investment into Actonians by the American McCaffrey Investment Group.

I had speculated among friends that this could well be happening when several Leyton Orient players (who they then also owned but have since divested from - it's complicated) dual registered for the A's out of the blue in March.

As one of the highest ranked independent women's clubs in the country and being London based, they were in my opinion an attractive opportunity and the McCaffrey's took the chance.

Arguably the game of the week takes place at Princes Park 

Although Actonians had one of their most successful seasons last year, their amateur structure in a division becoming increasingly dominated by sides owned and financed by Premier League and EFL clubs was causing worry, with several players starting to be tempted away.

This investment means players will be paid for the first time and with former Hashtag United boss Jason Stephens, who won the Tier 4 title, now in charge - things are looking very different.

With several of those Hashtag/Leyton Orient players expected to sign, your traditionally plucky Actonians side could now be among the frontrunners and promotion to Tier 3 is the aim within three years.

One of the signings could conceivably be face of the family Steph McCaffrey.

Although it's her parents, particularly her mother, who are putting most of the money in, Steph has done most of the media over the last couple of years. 

The former NWSL player and USA international even played for the O's last season, scoring 20 goals in 18 appearances as the east London club won the GLWFL title with ease. 

Pre-season is set to see Actonians take on a very strong selection of opponents with four sides from Tier 3 and another from Tier 5.

To be honest, it's a bit bewildering and it's going to be fascinating to see how it pans out and what role, if any, I get to play in the new structure of the club after producing the programme and podcast in recent times - Steph has asked to come on so watch this space.

Anyway, enough about my interests - it's the first week of pre-season and there are already EFL clubs entering the fray.

As always, check all the details before you travel as clubs sometimes pull out or venues change at short notice.

Some clubs have already cancelled or moved games on Wednesday night because they clash with England's next game although it starts at 5pm - bit of a strange one.

Have a great week!

 THE WEEK AHEAD

Despite 11-a-side games being banned in June, several clubs have arranged fixtures on Tuesday and must have got special permission from the FA to do so.

Charlton Athletic and Bromley are the highest-ranked clubs to putting teams out (how strong they are remains to be seen) and Barnet are supposed to be playing non-league Southall but the details are a bit sketchy at the moment with the 'All yet to reply to my message trying to confirm the venue and other important facts.

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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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

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 30 June

Friendlies

Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Staines & Lammas @745pm - the action gets underway on Tuesday with several games taking place. The highest ranked team in action are CCL Premier North champions Ashford who are now back in the eighth tier Isthmian League South Central following their promotion. Local rivals S&L play two divisions below and will do well to hold their own MATCH OFF

Barking v Wormley Rovers @730pm - the pick of the games, for me, is this all ninth-tier clash at Mayesbrook Park. The Blues made the play-offs in the Essex Senior League last season whilst Wormley finished in midtable in the SSML Premier

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Wednesday 1 July

Friendlies

Broadfields United v Shepherds Bush @745pm - the hosts, who groundshare with Rayners Lane, had a fine season in the CCL Premier North last time out. Their fourth-placed finish took them into the play-offs but they didn't make it through. Shepherds Bush were a famous club until they disbanded in 1915 but in 2021 they reformed and this summer have taken over RB Kensington and slotted into their place in the 10th tier CCL Division 1. As someone who comes from W12, this should have been an exciting development but sadly they're going to be groundsharing with Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, well away from their geographic home MATCH OFF - now being played on Friday

Sutton Common Rovers v Folkestone Invicta @745pm - ninth tier SCR have pulled off a bit of a coup in bringing National League South new boys Folkestone to the War Memorial Sports Ground. The Kent club won the Isthmian League last season and should provide a very stern test

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Thursday 2 July

Friendly

Bedfont Sports v Knaphill @745pm - there's only one game to choose from on Thursday and it's down near Heathrow Airport. Bedfont finished an uninspiring 15th in the Isthmian South Central last time out and should want to improve on that showing. Knaphill suffered a three-point deduction for a player registration error in December. It proved to be incredibly costly as they missed a play-off place by three points and they had a better goal difference than the team they were chasing

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Friday 3 July

Friendly

Dartford v Charlton Athletic @745pm - almost certainly the game of the week takes place on Friday when the Championship Addicks make the short journey east to take on the Darts at their fine Princes Park stadium. To their credit, Charlton make a habit of playing local non-league sides in pre-season, generating a fair bit of income for the smaller clubs. Dartford play in the seventh tier Isthmian Premier and lost 3-2 in last summer's game - hopefully we'll have a similarly entertaining evening here. Tickets

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Saturday 4 July

Friendlies

Carshalton Athletic v Bromley @3pm - there's a decent selection of games on Saturday, with matches spread all around the capital. About to begin their first ever season in League One, Bromley take a squad to the seventh-tier Robins in a match which tops the bill for me. Tickets

Cray Wanderers v AFC Whyteleafe @3pm - with three promotions from their last four seasons, the Leafe begin this season in the Isthmian Premier. Sadly, they've taken the decision to leave Church Road and begin a groundshare at Flamingo Park - the home of Cray. This match will be a kind of housewarming for the new tenants

Hanworth Villa v Hampton & Richmond Borough @3pm - after four consecutive top-seven finishes, the Villa finally won the play-offs to get up to the seventh tier Southern League Premier South. They begin their preparations by entertaining local National League South opposition

Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Farnham Town @3pm - after playing 10th tier Staines & Lammas on Tuesday, the Tangerines will have to massively up their game here as they welcome big spending National League South club Farnham. The Surrey side won the Southern League Premier South play-offs last season as their swift ascent through the divisions continued

Cobham v Farnborough @3pm - the Hammers are another Surrey club to keep an eye on. After romping to the CCL Premier South title, they're into the Isthmian League for the first time in their history. As a sign of their ambition, they've decided to take on National League South opposition from Hampshire in their opening friendly

Haringey Borough v Enfield Town @3pm - it's derby day in north London where sides who experienced very different fortunes last season meet at Coles Park. After two consecutive relegations, Haringey bounced back by winning the SSML title to return to the eighth tier. The Towners, however, battled hard but ultimately lost their place in the National League South to slip back into the Isthmian Premier

Broadfields United v Colney Heath @1130am - the Fighting Cocks make a habit of scheduling early kick-offs during pre-season, primarily because they groundshare. This is very handy for groundhoppers as it allows you to see at least two games in a day. On this occasion, you can either hang around and watch Rayners Lane v Hayes & Yeading United at the same venue at 3pm (you'll almost certainly have to pay twice) or you could head to another local game - Edgware & Kingsbury, Uxbridge and Wembley are all within reach, especially if you drive

Everett Rovers v Northwood @3pm - another side to be aware of are Everett Rovers. They stepped up to senior football from county level at the start of last season and promptly won the SSML Division 1 title with a whopping 95 points, scoring 136 goals in the process. Now in the ninth tier, they welcome a Northwood side who are now down to this level for the first time in over 30 years following their relegation from the Southern League

Fisher v Faversham Town @3pm - the Fish have come unstuck in the SCEFL Premier play-offs for the last two seasons so will be desperate to try and go up this year. Here they face a side who won the SCEFL title in 2024/25 and managed a decent seventh-place finish on their return to the Isthmian League last year

Edgware & Kingsbury v Hendon @2pm - these two groundshare and it has become an annual custom to open pre-season against each with other by contesting the Jeffrey Over Memorial Trophy. It's pay what you want and there's an eye-catching raffle with some decent prizes! For reference, E&K are in the 10th tier and the Greens the eighth

Lymore Gardens v Buckhurst Hill @3pm - my final recommendation on Saturday sees a first game for LG at their new home in Aveley. After spending their debut season in the 10th tier at Redbridge's ground, this year they're calling Parkside home. They made the ECL Division 1 South play-offs at the first attempt which was very good going. Here they play a side who won the Essex Senior League play-offs to climb up to the Isthmian League for the first time in their history. Also, if you've got time on your hands, Harold Hill take on AFC Greenwich Borough at the same ground at 1pm

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Sunday 5 July

Women's Friendly

Aveley v Grays Athletic @2pm - the only game I'm aware of on Sunday is this women's match between two local rivals in Essex. The Millers have just launched this team whilst Grays finished fourth in their eighth-tier division last season

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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?

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here 

TLFG: 26-31 May 2026

Well I think this is pretty much it from TLFG for this season.

There isn't a lot on this week but it's all well worth watching and there are tickets available for pretty much everything so it should be a good few days.

With the Premier League and EFL and pretty much everything else now over, I thought I'd quickly round up what the campaign has been like for London clubs.

The big story of course was Arsenal finally winning the Premier League. It was touch and go but they finally got over the line to the relief of millions of fans around the world. It could get even better if they beat PSG in Saturday's Champions League Final. I've always had a soft spot for the Gunners and actually had the kit and nominally supported them until I was eight and got taken to watch QPR - what might have been!

Shorn of their manager and several star players, Brentford were among the favourites for relegation but ended up finishing second in the London rankings! Just missing out on a place in Europe, ninth was still a huge achievement for one of the top flight's smallest clubs.

The World Sevens takes place at Brentford from Thursday 

A mark of how poor a season London's big clubs had was shown by the 10th-place finish achieved by Chelsea. Bowing out in the last 16 of the Champions League, they almost salvaged their year by making it to the FA Cup Final but lost to Manchester City.

Fellow west Londoners Fulham had a satisfactory season finishing 11th but they suffered a Fifth Round upset at home to Southampton ruining their chances of a good run in the FA Cup.

After winning last season's FA Cup and the Community Shield at the beginning of this campaign, a 15th-place finish for Crystal Palace is a bit disappointing. However, they've made it to this week's UEFA Conference League Final against Rayo Vallecano so there could be another great ending.

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season has been the relegation battle between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. It went to the final day and it was Spurs who came out on top and now the Hammers will return to the Championship for the first time since 2012.

That's two 17th places in a row for Tottenham and new boss Roberto De Zerbi has urged the board to spend big or it could all go wrong again next season. As for the Hammers, things look bleak. There's likely to be a management change and numerous players will have to go to balance the books. Several fans on phone-ins have predicted another struggle and wouldn't rule out the possibility of their club 'doing a Leicester' and going down to League One.

Millwall were London's top ranked EFL club after finishing third in the Championship. Sadly the play-offs were too much for them and Hull City knocked them out before seeing off Middlesbrough at Wembley in the final.

Since coming down from the Premier League in 2015, QPR have only finished in the top half twice. This year's 15th was the same as last season and although they got up among the top six at times during the season, they couldn't maintain the consistency required to challenge and fell away.

Watford burned through another four managers as they finished a point behind the R's in 16th - there's really not much more to say!

There was a return to the second tier for Charlton Athletic and they survived. It was looking a bit dicey at one point but a win in their penultimate game made sure.

In League One it was a season of huge struggle for AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient but they both just kept their heads above water as they finished 19th and 20th.

One of the stories of the season was Bromley winning the League Two title during only their second year in the EFL. Pipping MK Dons by a point, they lost only seven of their 46 games on their way to promotion.

In north London, Barnet made a solid return to the EFL with an eighth-place finish which saw them miss a play-off place by just two points - a fine effort.

Staying in that part of the world, Boreham Wood ended 2025/26 as TLFG's highest ranked non-league club. Finishing fifth in the National League, they made the play-off final but heartbreakingly lost on penalties after blowing a 2-0 lead in normal time. They did, however, beat West Ham United U21s on penalties to win the National League Cup.

Wealdstone also suffered Wembley penalty woe in the FA Trophy Final losing to Southend United after a 0-0 draw.

In the sixth tier, Hornchurch also made headlines by finishing second in the National League South and beating Torquay United 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic play-off final. It means the Urchins will now get to play fifth tier football for the first time in their history.

An amazing fourth promotion in six years was delivered by Walton & Hersham as they won the seventh tier Southern League Premier South - a full eight points clear of Farnham Town who also went up.

There was also silverware for Wingate & Finchley who beat Ramsgate 1-0 in the Isthmian League Cup Final.

In the eighth tier, there were promotions for AFC Whyteleafe and Hanworth Villa who both came through play-offs in their respective divisions of the Isthmian League.

Below that, Ashford Town (Middlesex), Buckhurst Hill, Cobham and Haringey Borough all enjoyed promotion from the ninth tier and Cockfosters also made it to the FA Vase Final at Wembley but lost on penalties to AFC Stoneham after a 0-0 draw. Haringey also won the SSML Premier Division Cup to complete a memorable double.

There was also promotion joy in the 10th tier for AFC Greenwich Borough, Bedfont, Clapton CFC and Everett Rovers.

Tooting Bec picked up the SCEFL Division 1 Cup after beating Lordswood on penalties.

There were also county cup wins for AFC Greenwich Borough, Bedfont, QPR U21, Southall and Uxbridge.

In the women's game, Chelsea came third as they finally saw their dominance of the WSL come to an end - Manchester City won the title and Arsenal finished as runners-up. The Blues did win the Women's League Cup though, beating Manchester United 2-0 in the final.

With the WSL expanding next season, Tier 2 sides Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace claimed two of the three promotion spots on offer. This means seven of the 14 clubs in the top flight next season will be based in London.

Watford finished just a point ahead of Plymouth Argyle to win the title in Tier 3 so will return to WSL2 after just one season away.

In Tier 4, Fulham won their second consecutive promotion after going unbeaten in their 22-game season.

After finishing runners-up to Fulham last season, Dartford edged ahead of Saltdean United and Brentford to win their Tier 5 division this time and move up to the FAWNL.

Down in Tier 6 both Bromley and Hammersmith won promotion whilst Leyton Orient with their incredibly strong side predictably destroyed everyone in Tier 7 to move up a level.

So that's pretty much it - before the season wraps, I'm looking forward to a day at the World Sevens on Thursday and that will probably be me for the season.

I hope you've had a fun time watching football in London in 2025/26 and hopefully I'll be back at the start of July for pre-season.

Before I go, remember it's also the London Football Book Market on Saturday - hosted by Stanchion Books at Brixton Library it looks well worth a visit.

Have a great summer everyone!

THE WEEK AHEAD 

This week's highlights include the Unity Cup, World Sevens and the Women's FA Cup Final.

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. 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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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.

MATCH MAP

Tuesday fixtures - green pin

Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin

Thursday fixtures - purple pin

Friday fixtures - black pin

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.

Tuesday 26 May

Unity Cup Semi-Final

Nigeria v Zimbabwe @730pm - this mini international tournament returns to the capital this week. Being played at The Valley, the atmosphere should hopefully be really great. This is the fourth time this competition has taken place and Nigeria have won all of the previous ones. The highest ranked of the four teams taking part, they also finished third at the AFCON in January. Zimbabwe bowed out of the AFCON in the group stage without a win and they'll do incredibly well to win this and make Saturday's final. Tickets

CCL Women's Trophy Final

Three Bridges v AFC Portchester Reserves @745pm - Cobham's ground plays host to this women's cup final. Both sides had great seasons in their respective Tier 7 divisions with Three Bridges winning the Sussex League and Portchester coming second in Hampshire. Tickets are £5 on the gate

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Wednesday 27 May

Unity Cup Semi-Final

India v Jamaica @730pm - rank outsiders India make their debut in this tournament. Also being played at The Valley, it will be interesting to see how many supporters turn up to follow them - it could potentially be loads but let's see. Jamaica have finished as runners-up on two of the previous three occasions and the draw looks likely to ensure they make the final again. Tickets

CCL Women's Cup Final

AFC Portchester v Chatham Town @745pm - for the second night running, Portchester will have a team in a final at Cobham. This time it's the Royals' first team on show. They had a good season in the fifth tier SRWFL, finishing third. However, Chatham finished third in their fourth tier of the FAWNL, got to the fifth round of the FA Cup and are reigning champions in this competition. I haven't seen either club advertising prices but I assume it will be £5 again but take a tenner with you to be on the safe side! Update - Match Off

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Thursday 28 May

World Sevens - Day One

This women's seven-a-side tournament started in Portugal last year and enjoyed a second staging in the USA in December. It's an invitational event which sees eight teams take part in two groups before a finals day. Bayern Munich won the first one and San Diego Wave the second. Each match lasts 30 minutes on a half-size pitch, there are rolling subs and no offside. This year's event is here in London at Brentford's GTech. Chelsea are, on paper, favourites to win but Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Manchester United are all taking part too. Adult tickets are available from £17 and you'll get to see six games on this opening day, beginning with Chelsea v Everton at 3pm. The day is set to be finished by 9pm. Tickets

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Friday 29 May

World Sevens - Day Two

There's more of the same on Friday with another six games to keep you entertained. Manchester United open proceedings against Aston Villa at 3pm before finishing the day with another game against Spurs at 8pm. All competing teams will be on show at some point during the day. The top two from each group will qualify for Saturday's semi-finals. Tickets

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Saturday 30 May

Unity Cup Finals Day

The action gets underway at 230pm with a third place play-off before a final in the evening. India will play Zimbabwe in the former and Jamaica take on Nigeria in the latter. Tickets are quite expensive but there are fan zones, live music and a Champions League final screening if you want to watch that instead

World Sevens Final Day

The final day of this competition begins much earlier than the other two and there are only three games. The first semi-final between Chelsea and Aston Villa is at 11am before Everton face Manchester United at 12pm. The final is at 230pm. Tickets are available from £22 for adults

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Sunday 31 May

Women's FA Cup Final

Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City @3pm - effectively bringing the season to a close we have this showpiece women's event at Wembley. The Seagulls have never made it to the final before and enjoyed excellent wins over Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Arsenal and Liverpool (coming from 2-0 down) to get here. City won the WSL title and have won this three times in the last 10 years. Although starting as favourites, they lost to Brighton in the league last month so will have to be very wary. Tickets

Soccer Aid

England XI v Rest of the World XI @630pm - the annual mega fundraiser for UNICEF returns. Being played at the London Stadium, the home of West Ham. two teams of celebrities and former pros meet in what is usually a lighthearted affair. The World XI won last year's game at Old Trafford 5-4 with Carlos Tevez scoring four goals. Tickets are still available

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here 

TLFG: 18-25 May 2026

Greetings everyone and welcome to the latest TLFG.

Things are really winding down now and we're reliant on youth football for quite a bit of the action this week.

It's the EFL play-offs this weekend and, at the time of writing, a legal dispute over spying by Southampton means their match against Hull City at Wembley is in doubt and may well get postponed.

A few midweek Premier League games mean I'm going to hold off on previewing the final matches on Sunday.

As I mentioned last week, I was all set to go to the Actonians end-of-season awards do on Saturday.

I duly did and ended up presenting the Supporters' Player of the Year award to midfielder Kayra Karakus and I also got named 'Club Hero' for my various activities around the club - a first award in women's football.

I was not expecting this so had to ad lib an acceptance speech which went down well.

Earlier in the week, I found out I'd also been shortlisted for a volunteering award by the Middlesex FA too - thanks to another nomination from Actonians. The final will be at Brentford's GTech in July.

Talking of the GTech, it will play host to the women's World Sevens at the end of next week. There are six 30-minute matches a day and an adult ticket is only £20.

The full line-up has now been revealed - Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, London City Lionesses, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

I'm going on day one with a few folks and it should be a lot of fun - a great way to while away a day or two of half term if you haven't yet planned anything with the kids.

Also worth noting, the London Football Book Market makes its return on 30 May in Brixton.

Organised by Stanchion Books who are big friends of the blog, it's free to get in and you'll be able to meet a mix of publishers, authors, illustrators and other football brands.

There's also a quiz night the day before at The Volley in Old Street so there's loads going on.

Right, I think that's it from me, have a great week!

THE WEEK AHEAD

This week is dominated by the final round of games in the Premier League and the EFL play-offs, although whether the Championship one happens is yet to be decided.

It's going to be a busy weekend at Wembley as the national stadium also hosts Non-League Finals Day on Sunday.

In the women's game, we have the first ever play-off in the WSL to see if one stays up or one goes up.

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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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

Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP

Saturday fixtures - blue pin

Sunday fixtures - orange pin

Monday fixtures - yellow 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 18 May

Premier League

Arsenal v Burnley @8pm - if the Gunners win this game and Manchester City fail to beat Bournemouth on Tuesday, then the north London club will be crowned champions. In any other scenario, the title race will go to the final day on Sunday. With Burnley already relegated, you'd think they'll be reasonably easy to beat but with absolutely no pressure on them, who knows? Tickets are only available to members but hospitality is available from £695

The Robert Rowan Invitational

Brentford v Paris Saint-Germain @7pm - each year, the Bees put on an U21 game to raise funds for The Heart of West London cardiac charity in memory of their former technical director Robert Rowan who died at the age of 28 in 2018. The game is being played at the GTech and tickets are only £5 for adults

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Tuesday 19 May

Premier League

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur @815pm - following their loss in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, the Blues' season is now effectively over. Currently 10th, they really have very little to play for. This match is, however, massive for Spurs. With relegation rivals West Ham losing at Newcastle on Sunday, a win here will confirm their place in the top flight for another year. A draw will probably be good enough too as their goal difference is way better than the Hammers'. Tickets have sold out but hospitality is available from £345

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Friday 22 May

U18 Premier League Final

Chelsea v Manchester City @7pm - Wednesday and Thursday are looking quiet and Friday would do too if it wasn't for this youth match at Stamford Bridge. The Blues finished top of Group South of this competition whilst City topped Group North so we should get to see the cream of country's youth talent here. Tickets are only £4

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Saturday 23 May

Championship Play-Off Final

Hull City v Middlesbrough @330pm - as you may well be aware, a huge amount of drama has surrounded this fixture over the last few days. Southampton were originally set to take part instead of Boro but allegations of spying by the Saints against them and two other teams saw them expelled from the play-offs on Tuesday. An appeal the day after was also lost. Preparations for this game for both sides have been chaotic with Hull threatening further legal action if they lose - they and even some Boro fans have said that the Tigers should perhaps have just been promoted. Dubbed the richest game in football because of the incredible wealth just one season in the Premier League delivers, this is always a high-stakes match. Middlesbrough had the better 2025/26 but with very little time to prepare, who knows how this will go? Tickets were only available to members and appear to have sold out

Women's Super League Play-Off

Charlton Athletic v Leicester City @1230pm - in the women's game, we have a match of similar importance. With the WSL expanding, two teams went up automatically from WSL2 and a third one has the chance to go up via this play-off. Unlike the EFL system which sees the teams in third to sixth battle it out for one spot, in this division the team in third plays the team who finishes bottom in the WSL with the winner of this game either going up or staying up. Charlton are the second-tier team and to boost their chances, they've also been given home advantage with this match being played at The Valley. The Foxes' form coming into this has been pretty dreadful so they'll do well to win. Tickets

EAL Senior Division Cup Final

Chadwell Heath Spartans v FC Petrocub London @6pm - if you want a non-league option, then this 11th tier cup final would appear to be the best on offer. Petrocub, who primarily represent members of London's Moldovan community, were runners-up in the league and start as favourites for me. The match is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge. I've no idea how much admission will be but it shouldn't be more than £5. The same venue will also be hosting another final for clubs in the 13th tier at 2pm if you fancy a doubleheader

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Premier League

Fulham v Newcastle United @4pm - level on points in midtable, this game has the least riding on it of any in London on the Premier League's final day. Both clubs have the slimmest of chances of grabbing a place in the UEFA Conference League but their goal difference makes it near impossible. However, where you finish dictates how much Premier League prize money you end up with and the difference can be significant. Either of these sides could technically finish the day in eighth or 14th - last season an eighth-place finish would have seen you £15m better off than the team in 14th. The difference between 12th and 13th was £5m so to say these sides have nothing to play for is untrue. Tickets

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton @4pm - with Arsenal having already won the title, the main focus will be on who goes down. A point against Chelsea in midweek would have almost certainly been enough for Spurs to stay up but they lost and now they have to try and get something out of this game or West Ham could overtake them. The Toffees were looking good for a European spot and held Manchester City to a thrilling 3-3 draw a couple of weeks ago. However, their recent form hasn't been great and their season is realistically over. Tickets are available to members and their guests

West Ham United v Leeds United @4pm - the Hammers won the play-offs in 2012 to get back into the Premier League after one season away and have remained there ever since. The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster for the east London club and at one point they looked far more likely to stay up than Tottenham. However, at the crucial moment, the two clubs' fortunes have flipped and now survival is out of West Ham's hands. Given Spurs' much better goal difference, only a win will do if they are to have any hope. Sadly for them, Leeds are one of the most in-form teams in the division and they recently won here in the FA Cup. Tickets

League One Play-Off Final

Bolton Wanderers v Stockport County @1pm - former Premier League club Bolton will hope to take a large stride back towards the top flight with a win at Wembley on Sunday. With only one win from their last six, they limped into the play-offs but managed to see off Bradford City over two legs to set up this match. Stockport were a second-tier club at the start of this century but had fallen all the way down to National League North by 2013. Since then, they've got their act together and three promotions since 2019 now see them just 90 minutes away from completing the comeback. They had the better season and took four points off Bolton during the campaign. Tickets are available in both ends so choose whether you want to sit with the Bolton fans or Stockport ones

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Monday 25 May

League Two Play-Off Final

Notts County v Salford City @3pm - all eyes will be on Wembley again on Bank Holiday Monday. Notts County have been a top-flight club during my lifetime, last gracing the level in 1991/92 just before the Premier League began. Since then, they've been all the way down to the National League but in 2023 they managed to get out of it after four seasons. They made the League Two play-offs last year but lost to AFC Wimbledon. Finishing one point ahead of them in the regular season, Salford are a former non-league club who are looking for a place in the third tier for the first time. Famously taken over in 2014 by a consortium including Manchester United legends Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes, the club has risen from the eighth to the fourth tier. After their initial rapid climb through the divisions, they've been stuck at this level for seven seasons and will hope to finally push on. Tickets are available in both ends so choose whether you want to sit with the Notts County fans or Salford ones

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here 

TLFG: 11-17 May 2026

Greetings everyone and welcome to one of the last editions of TLFG for this season.

First up, apologies for not publishing at all last week - it is a sign of the times I'm afraid with life and simply my energy levels catching up with me.

I started this blog 15 years ago to keep my hand in after being made redundant by BBC Sport.

It gave me a bit of purpose while I was unemployed and I also had no kids back then - I have two now.

The scope of this blog has also increased significantly in the intervening years, going deeper into non-league and covering women's football which it never did at the beginning.

The weekly "Top 10" transformed into a "Daily Digest" which is preferable but very time consuming.

Over the last year or two, I've noticed that my fitness has really dropped off and I'm now at a point where I have to decide whether to work on this or go for some exercise - the former has often won out and my waistline has burgeoned so I'm going to try and redress that so output here could suffer.

Wembley hosts Non-League Finals Day on Sunday

On Friday, my regular running partner and TLFG reader Liam and I took a deep breath and ran all the way from Shepherd's Bush to Oxhey Jets (near Watford) as we re-started our A-Z of TLFG club runs.

It had been seven months since we got our N by running to North Greenford United and the thought of running a half marathon out to the Boundary Stadium was just too overwhelming, but we dropped the pace and gave it a go.

Last week I was struggling to do a 5km but somehow I made it.

Later today, we're going to try and get our P by running down to Peckham Town - it's about 10 miles and there are several routes but many of them follow main roads with lots of traffic which won't be much fun but we'll see what happens.

The last couple of days have been really dramatic for London clubs.

Not only did Arsenal complete a controversial 1-0 win at West Ham to move closer to winning the title but way down in the sixth tier, Hornchurch came from behind to win the National League South play-off final against Torquay United.

The Urchins now move up to the National League which is some achievement for a club who were formed 20 years ago and began life in the ninth tier Essex Senior League.

A day later, Boreham Wood found themselves literally seconds away from a place in League Two but a very late equaliser from Rochdale saw the match at Wembley go to extra-time and penalties and it didn't end well for the Hertfordshire club.

The play-off drama continues tonight (Monday) with Millwall welcoming Hull to The Den with the game balanced at 0-0 after the first leg.

I'm working most of the week but am all set to attend the Actonians end-of-season awards do on Saturday - it's usually quite fun and I'm interested to see who wins the supporters' POTY award after a more successful season than many envisaged.

The next football I have booked is the World Sevens at Brentford at the end of the month - six of the eight teams taking part have been announced but possibly the two biggest will hopefully be unveiled this week.

Also worth noting, the London Football Book Market makes its return on 30 May in Brixton.

Organised by Stanchion Books who are big friends of the blog, it's free to get in and you'll be able to meet a mix of publishers, authors, illustrators and other football brands.

There's also a quiz night the day before at The Volley in Old Street so there's loads going on.

Right, I think that's it from me, have a great week!

THE WEEK AHEAD

The FA Cup Final tops the bill this week but there also some important games in the Premier League too. There is also a massive play-off game in the Championship as well.

It's going to be a busy weekend at Wembley as the national stadium also hosts Non-League Finals Day on Sunday.

In the women's game, Arsenal are back at the Emirates Stadium for a WSL game against Everton whilst Chelsea and West Ham are at home on Saturday for their final games of the season. 

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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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

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 11 May

The week begins with two massive games in the Premier League and Championship and they're unsurprisingly sold out as a result. In the top flight, Tottenham Hotspur will continue their fight to survive in the country's elite division with a crucial match against Leeds United. The visitors are on an impressive unbeaten run and have already confirmed their place in the division for another year. In south London, Millwall entertain Hull City in the second leg of their play-off semi-final. The first leg ended goalless on Friday so it's all to play for at The Den. The winners will play Middlesbrough or Southampton in the final at the end of the month

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Tuesday 12 May

CCL Challenge Cup Final

Windsor & Eton v Wokingham Town @745pm - the CCL season concludes with its league cup final at Cobham. It features Premier North runners-up and play-off winners Windsor and Wokingham who finished midtable in the same division. On paper this looks like a nailed on win for the Royalists. Tickets are £10 on the gate

CCL Women's Cup Quarter-Final

Sutton United v Chatham Town @745pm - the U's completed their league campaign on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Dorking Wanderers to finish a creditable fourth in their fifth-tier division. Next up they welcome a Chatham side who finished third in the division above them, made it to the fifth round of the FA Cup and won this competition last season. This is being played at Gander Green Lane and tickets should be no more than £5 on the gate

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Wednesday 13 May

Women's Super League

Arsenal v Everton @7pm - with Manchester City crowned champions already, it's now all about whether the Gunners can pip Chelsea to the runners-up spot which will give them a smoother passage in next season's Champions League. Win this penultimate game of the season and they will move up to second. The Toffees can mathematically finish in the top six but they will have to heavily win their last two games and hope Brighton and London City Lionesses lose their last matches. This is being played at the Emirates Stadium and tickets are available

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Thursday 14 May

SPCFL Premier

Worcester Park v Battersea Ironsides @730pm - this 11th-tier division will conclude with this final game at Sutton United's ground. Worcester Park come into the game top on goal difference from Wimbledon Casuals. However, their goal difference is so good that they can afford to lose this game by a 14-goal margin and still be crowned champions. The visitors are third and will finish there whatever happens here. Admission is often free at this level but shouldn't be more than £5

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Friday 15 May

U18 Professional Development League Final

Charlton Athletic v Wigan Athletic @7pm - in a late addition to this week's guide, I discovered we have a bonus U18 game being played at The Valley on Friday night. Not only that but it's a final. Tickets are £3 for adults

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Saturday 16 May

FA Cup Final

Chelsea v Manchester City @3pm - the traditional showpiece of the English football season takes place on Saturday. The occasion is still nowhere near as big as it was when I was a child but it seems to be making a bit of a comeback. These sides have made it to a total of 30 finals between them, claiming 15 wins (Chelsea 8, City 7). Coming into this game, the side from the north-west will start as strong favourites as they've already won the EFL Cup and are still in the title race whilst Chelsea are winless in seven in the Premier League. Tickets are only on sale to members

Women's Super League

Chelsea v Manchester United @1pm - in an unfortunate bit of scheduling, the Blues' women finish their season at Stamford Bridge on the same afternoon as the men's FA Cup Final. You'd like to think that as many men's fans who can't get a Wembley ticket will come to this instead and then watch the final somewhere in the area (I haven't seen any info about a screening within the ground). As mentioned above, Chelsea will be in a final-day battle with Arsenal to see who finishes second. United will finish fourth whatever happens here. Tickets

London City Lionesses v Aston Villa @1pm - Michele Kang's first season in the WSL is coming to an end. She's spent a considerable amount on players and is rumoured to be bringing in some more really big stars in the summer. Despite all this largesse, a win here will only see them finish sixth at best. However, given that most newly promoted teams go straight back down, this is still quite a decent achievement. Villa have been disappointing this season and defeat here could see them finish second bottom. This is being played at Bromley and tickets are available

West Ham United v Manchester City @1pm - over in east London, the Hammers wrap-up their season with a home game against the league champions. With only one defeat from five, they're finishing strongly and a win here could see them break into the top eight if other results go their way. City have nothing to play for so it will be interesting to see how they line-up and how much effort they put in. This match is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge and tickets are available

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Sunday 17 May

Premier League

Brentford v Crystal Palace @3pm - with only one win from their last six games, the Bees look likely to fall just short of Europa League qualification but win this final home game and they might still have a chance. The Eagles drew with Everton on Sunday to make absolutely sure of avoiding relegation and now the focus will primarily be on winning the UEFA Conference League Final later in the month. Tickets are only available to members

Non-League Finals Day

Arguably the highlight of the non-league season takes place at Wembley less than 24 hours after the FA Cup Final. The action begins at 1230pm when AFC Stoneham (from Hampshire) take on north London club Cockfosters in the FA Vase Final. This national knockout competition is for sides in the ninth and tenth tiers and Kent club Whitstable Town are the current holders. This is followed at 430pm by the FA Trophy Final which is for clubs in the fifth to eighth tiers - Aldershot Town are the holders in this. You can't often say that a non-league match will get a bigger crowd than a Premier League one but we know that's definitely going to happen here. With Essex club Southend United having sold well over 20,000 tickets and west Londoners Wealdstone more than 12,000. A ticket costs £30 and gets you in to both matches. Be advised that you can arrive whenever you like but once you leave, you can't come back in. Smoking or vaping is not allowed at Wembley so if the second game goes to penalties, you could well be in the ground for six hours or more. Tickets

L&SE Women's League D1 North

Camden Town v Bromley @2pm - the Ravens travel to north London for their final match of the season knowing a win at third placed Camden will see them emulate the men in winning their divisional title. If they slip up, it will let second place Hammersmith back into the title race. They're currently four points behind and play AFC Greenwich Borough over at Gunnersbury Park but also have a game in hand against Clapton CFC which is yet to be arranged. This sixth-tier match is being played at Wingate & Finchley. I don't know if there's an admission fee but it won't be more than £5

GLWFL Finals Day

Bedfont Sports' ground by Heathrow Airport plays host once again to the finals of the Sue Sharples and John Greenacre Memorial Trophies. The GLWFL is comprised of divisions in the seventh, eighth and ninth tiers of the women's football pyramid. Fusion and Balham, two ninth-tier teams, meet in the Sue Sharples final at 1115am before seventh-tier sides Leyton Orient and Tooting Bec meet in the JGMT final at 230pm. Although Orient have already won the league and Tooting finished as runners-up, this game is unlikely to be close as the O's have a side full of Tier 3 & 4 quality players. When the sides met last weekend in the league, Tooting lost 10-1 at home. Again I'm not sure of admission but it'll probably be around £5 again

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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?

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!

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below, via X/Twitter or even by good old email.

Has this blog been helpful? Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here 

TLFG: 27 April - 4 May 2026

Greetings everyone and welcome to TLFG for what looks like being a thrilling week of action.

As we approach the end of the season, it's all about promotion, relegation, play-offs, cup finals and we've got the lot over the next few days!

So what have you been up to over the last week? Did you get to any games?

I made it to Actonians v Dulwich Hamlet on Sunday which was their final match of the season.

Needing a win to finish fifth, their highest since 2023, the A's gave a pretty commanding performance as they also ended the campaign above local rivals QPR.

With little to play for, the visitors were a bit disappointing and they barely worked Elisa Dogor in the Actonians goal all afternoon.

Actonians beat Dulwich 3-0 to end their season on a high

Two goals from Kayra Karakus and another from Jasmine Williamson saw the hosts to a 3-0 win and jubilant scenes ensued at the end.

To finish fifth as an amateur independent team with a small fanbase in a league with more and more money coming into it was some achievement.

That independent status, in my opinion, makes the club a great opportunity for someone so who knows what will happen in the future? If investment doesn't come, the future could be very challenging indeed.

Back to this week and this blog is a work in progress. Some fixtures will only be confirmed for the weekend once the midweek play-off matches are completed so keep checking back for the latest.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Matches in the Premier League top the bill this week but it's also the final day in the EFL so we should get quite a lot of drama to enjoy!

At non-league level, play-off season gets fully underway so there should be even more nerve-shredding action.

In the women's game, Arsenal are back at the Emirates Stadium for a WSL game against Leicester City whilst Spurs are at home too. In WSL2 it's the final day on Sunday and there are three teams in the title race - two of them meet at The Valley where Charlton host Birmingham in a blockbuster fixture.

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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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

Monday fixtures - yellow 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 28 April

London Senior Cup Final

Dulwich Hamlet v QPR U21 @745pm - a week of big matches gets underway on Tuesday. The biggest crowd of the night will probably come at Champion Hill where the Hamlet play host to QPR's youngsters in the final of this county cup which has been going since 1882. Dulwich have won it five times but it's been 22 years since their last triumph. The R's have only fielded a side in recent years and this is their first final appearance. Last season they won the Premier League Cup and it seems they're taking this very seriously too as they've scored a total of 21 goals in the four previous rounds. Tickets

Isthmian League South East Play-Off Semi-Final

AFC Croydon Athletic v Sittingbourne @745pm - with some of the lower divisions' play-offs having already begun, the top non-league divisions all begin theirs this week. First up in the eighth tier, Stormzy and Wilfried Zaha's Rams will hope to make full use of home advantage against Kent club Sittingbourne in this one-legged semi-final. Although Athletic finished second, they only won one of their last six so they're not in great form while Sittingbourne finished fifth and scored a total of seven in the two games before this. The winners will play AFC Whyteleafe or Jersey Bulls in the final on Friday. Tickets

Essex Senior League Play-Off Semi-Final

SOUL Tower Hamlets v Barking @745pm - the hosts were in the title race until the final day but their 4-2 win at Halstead Town was not enough as Little Oakley also won to claim first place by two points. Nevertheless, STH have had a great season and won their final three coming into this. Fellow east London club Barking finished fifth and lost to STH 1-0 on this ground two weeks ago and it's likely to be close again. Tickets

SCEFL Premier Play-Off Semi-Final

Fisher v Punjab United @745pm - the Fish made it to the play-offs last year after finishing fourth but didn't make it up. This time they finished as runners-up so will hope this is their year. Although Punjab finished fifth, they ended the season topping the six-game form table and made it to the FA Vase Semi-Final - they will be formidable opponents. Tickets are £8 on the gate

CCL Division Cup Semi-Final

Hillingdon Borough v SL Benfica @730pm - the main reason to go to this one as a neutral is a very sad one as this could potentially be Hillingdon's final game before they pull out of competitive football. The former FA Vase finalists announced recently that they can no longer make it work and that they'd be ceasing operations at the end of the campaign. They finished 12th in their 23-team division but now want to end things on a fantastic high by winning a cup. Benfica finished just one point and one place below them so this should be a really competitive game. Hopefully the hosts will win and they'll get one more glorious final game but if not, this is where the story ends. Tickets are £7 on the gate

Capital Senior Cup Final

AFC Wimbledon v Fulham @745pm - Sutton United's ground plays host to the final of the female equivalent of the London Senior Cup. It looks like being a very interesting game too. With the Dons retaining their Tier 3 status by a whisker on the final day, they take on unbeaten Tier 4 champions Fulham in what is also a local derby. Tickets

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Wednesday 29 April

Women's Super League

Arsenal v Leicester City @7pm - the biggest crowd of the night should be found at the Emirates for this. The Gunners won the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Lyon on Sunday and will look to win this game in hand too to move back into the WSL's top three. The Foxes are seven points adrift at the bottom and should be beaten. Tickets

National League Play-Off Eliminator

Boreham Wood v Forest Green Rovers @745pm - the National League's play-offs follow a different format to most other leagues in this country with the teams in second to seventh qualifying. In this opening round, the team in fourth plays seventh and fifth takes on sixth. The teams in second and third receive a bye and play the winners of the first round. The Wood ended the campaign in fourth, making themselves TLFG's highest ranked non-league club in the process. When you consider they are one of the smallest clubs in the division, in terms of attendance, this is some achievement. FGR, managed by Robbie Savage, were an EFL club until two years ago and will want to get back there as soon as possible. Tickets

Isthmian League Premier Play-Off Semi-Final

Aveley v Brentwood Town @745pm - it's an all-Essex affair at Parkside where the Millers continue their attempt to get back into the NLS at the first attempt following their relegation last season. The two league games between the two this season ended 1-1 and 3-3 so this could well go the distance. The winners will play Billericay Town or Chatham Town in the final on Monday. Tickets

Isthmian League South Central Play-Off Semi-Final

Hanworth Villa v Moneyfields @745pm - if anyone deserves to go up it's Hanworth who have now made the play-offs in three out of the last four seasons. With three consecutive wins, they come into this game in better form than Moneyfields and they did the double over them during the regular season too. Tickets

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Thursday 30 April

Suburban League Shield Final

Horley Town v Colney Heath @745pm - as a teenager I used to watch Harrow Borough's reserves play in the Suburban League but that was around 35 years ago and I've kind of lost touch with the ins and outs of the competition since then. I do know it's still for U23 and reserve sides and the development sides of these two meet in this final at Abbey Rangers' ground in what is probably the biggest game of the day. I've no idea how much admission is but it shouldn't be more than £5

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Friday 1 May

Premier League 2 Quarter-Final

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur @7pm - after both successfully negotiating the opening round of the play-offs, these two will now meet at Kingsmeadow in the last eight of this U21 competition. Chelsea topped the table at the end of the 20-game qualifying campaign so they should start as favourites against Spurs who finished eighth. Tickets

Isthmian League South East Play-Off Final

AFC Croydon Athletic v AFC Whyteleafe @745pm - the final they all wanted to see - well I did anyway. Two clubs in the deep south of TLFG's catchment area meeting for a place in the Isthmian Premier. There could easily be 1,000 at this eighth-tier game and the atmosphere should be great. Tickets

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Saturday 2 May

Women's Super League 2

For the first time since I don't know when, every game in the Premier League and EFL taking place in London on Saturday has sold out or is off limits to non-members. If you really must go to a men's pro game, perhaps check whether the away clubs have anything left. If not, then it's the final day in the women's second tier and the battle for the title and promotion couldn't be much closer with only one point separating the top three. The top two, Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City, meet at The Valley at 3pm (tickets). With the Addicks a point ahead, they will win the title if they win this. The Blues are level on points with Crystal Palace and should have the goal difference to stay ahead if they win. If the top two draw and the Eagles beat bottom club Portsmouth at Sutton United's ground (tickets) then they will nip in and steal the title! The jeopardy of previous seasons when only the top team went up has gone - now the top two go up and third place go into a play-off with the WSL's bottom club Leicester City so potentially all three could go up

National League South Play-Off Semi-Final

Hornchurch v Weston-super-Mare @3pm - after seemingly being in the top two for most of the season, the Urchins have made it to the play-offs after finishing three points behind title winners Worthing. The east London club have done this despite being only the 16th best supported club in the division. West Country club WSM are in very similar form so it should be close. The winners will play Dorking Wanderers or Torquay United in the final next Saturday. Tickets are available online and could well sell out so don't turn up without one

Essex Senior League Play-Off Final

Buckhurst Hill v Barking @3pm - in north-east London, a place in the eighth tier Isthmian League North is up for grabs. The hosts are only playing their fifth season in senior football and are only 90 minutes away from their second promotion. Momentum is a huge thing going into the play-offs and they really have it, topping the form table at the end of the season. Finishing fourth, they travelled to Great Wakering Rovers in midweek and caused a bit of an upset with their win on penalties. Barking finished fifth and won at SOUL Tower Hamlets who were a whisker away from winning the title. These two only played a week ago on the final day of the regular season in an exact repeat of this fixture. Buckhurst won 2-0 and they should start as favourites here. Tickets are again likely to be in short supply so buy in advance

CCL Division 1 Play-Off Final

Bedfont v Brook House @3pm - two west London clubs meet next to Heathrow Airport for a place in the ninth tier. The hosts accrued an impressive 95 points from their 44 games but just couldn't keep pace with Penn & Tylers Green who pulled away in the final weeks of the campaign. The Brook, however, come into this match in marginally better form and have the division's top striker as mentioned above. Admission is £7 on the gate

ECL Division 1 South Play-Off Final

Clapton CFC v Rayleigh Town @3pm - London's oldest ground, the Old Spotted Dog, plays host to what could be an epic afternoon of football. CCFC are one of the best supported 10th-tier teams in the country with a record crowd of approaching 2,000 easily possible for this match. They finished second, 17 points clear of Rayleigh who came fourth, and dispatched Lymore Gardens 4-1 in the semis as their form showed no sign of letting up. With support like this, they easily match many clubs several tiers above them so it would seem they are well equipped to deal with promotion. Admission is £5 on the gate but turn up early to ensure you get in and get a good view - gates open at 2pm. More details

U16 Premier League Final

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur @12pm - there's a bonus bit of youth football at lunchtime. Not only that but it's being played at Craven Cottage. Tickets are free but you're being encouraged to book online before you arrive

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Sunday 3 May

Women's Super League

Tottenham Hotspur v London City Lionesses @12pm - winless in four, Spurs go into their final home game of the season knowing victory will probably see them finish fifth (Brighton will have to win all of their final three games to pip them on goal difference). Lose and LCL could even end up passing them on goal difference too so in the battle for final positions, this has quite a bit riding on it. When the sides last met in February, Spurs edged to a win on penalties in the FA Cup after a thrilling 2-2 draw. The match is being played at Leyton Orient and tickets are available for £10 on arrival

L&SE Women's League Premier

Millwall Lionesses v Brentford @130pm - of the lower division games, this fifth-tier match in Rotherhithe is probably the best of what's on offer. This is Millwall's final game and if they win they'll improve their chances of keeping hold of seventh - Aylesford have a game in hand and could still overtake them. As for the Bees, it's been another season of failure. Despite being attached to a Premier League club and having access to their training facilities, media and marketing team and the privilege of the odd game at the GTech, they're still not winning a division where their potential resources almost certainly outstrip all of the other clubs combined! They are the Premier League men's team with the lowest ranked women's team. They will lose the title to either Dartford or Saltdean United and could even finish third behind both of them. Apparently this embarrassment will lead to a massive squad overhaul this summer and a serious injection of cash. Admission will probably be around £5

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Monday 4 May

Premier League 2 Quarter-Final

Crystal Palace v Manchester United @6pm - in the original version of this blog which I released three days ago, there was nothing of interest in TLFG's area except the sold out Chelsea v Forest Premier League game. Thanks to TLFG readers, we now have two options. Firstly this U21 game at Sutton United's ground - many thanks to Tim G for the tip off. The winners will play Manchester City in the semi-finals. Tickets are £5

Southern Combination Cup Final

Cobham v Reading City @1pm - only decided on Saturday after Reading's semi-final win over Bedfont Sports, thanks for the tip off here goes to TLFG reader Balham. Cobham won the CCL Premier South by a 20-point margin so they'll start as strong favourites against another ninth-tier side who narrowly failed to make the play-offs in the CCL Premier North. The match is also being played at Cobham's ground. I haven't seen any admission details but the going rate at Cobham is £8 on the gate

Elsewhere, there are several big non-league play-off games just outside London. Most have sold out but it could be worth monitoring the websites of Billericay Town, Farnham Town, Hitchin Town and Rusthall to see if any last-minute tickets have been put on sale over the weekend

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