Sunday, 26 February 2012

TLFG: 27 February - 4 March 2012

The weather over the last week has been much improved and as such there's been plenty of football action around the capital.

My only match experience of the week was another one laced with disappointment. As a QPR fan these are worrying times indeed. The west London derby against Fulham on Saturday was seen as another 'must win' game but ultimately there was another silly red card and a 1-0 defeat.

I must pay full credit to Fulham's fans who sang throughout and probably cheered louder than any other travelling support when they scored - the match clearly meant a lot to them given the presence of Mark Hughes and Bobby Zamora among the Rangers ranks.

A packed Loftus Road for QPR v Fulham
The hosts actually seemed to play better following the dismissal of debutant Samba Diakite but that was probably because the Cottagers realised they had the job done and eased off - they didn't seem to get out of second gear and comfortably dealt with most of what came their way after the break.

Anyway I don't want to dwell on that, here's what tickets are on general sale for some of the bigger matches that are coming up in London over the coming weeks:

2 June - Belgium 515pm, Wembley, international friendly

12 March - Newcastle United 8pm, Premier League

Nothing currently available

4 March - Wolverhampton Wanderers 205pm, Premier League
17 March - Swansea City 3pm, Premier League
31 March - Norwich City 3pm, Premier League

3 March - Everton 3pm, Premier League

Nothing currently available

With all that in mind, here are this week's match maps:

MIDWEEK MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures



WEEKEND MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures

Please let me know if there are any errors or omissions and always make sure you check with a club on the day whether a match is still taking place.

There are 74 games to choose from in the Greater London area over the next seven days with a number of derbies and cup ties which has made it hard once again to shortlist a top 10 but I'll give it a go anyway. Make sure you add your recommendations in the comments section below if I don't mention your club's match.

TLFG TOP 10

ENGLAND v NETHERLANDS (Wednesday 29 February, 8pm)
The post-Capello era begins on Wednesday night at Wembley when World Cup runners-up Holland pay a visit. Caretaker manager Stuart Pearce has declared himself keen on the job full-time so will be keen to impress as will some of the less experienced players he has called up. The Dutch will bring a star-studded squad so there'll be plenty of talent on show. If you've never been to the national stadium, this is a fine opportunity. Ticket info.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v MANCHESTER UNITED (Sunday 4 March, 410pm)
Spurs face arguably their two biggest matches of the season on consecutive weekends as the Red Devils roll into N17 a week after the derby against Arsenal at the Emirates. At the time of writing Man Utd are second in the Premier League five points ahead of the third-placed hosts. The form guide suggests there's very little between the teams with Harry Redknapp's team only losing one of their last 10 while the visitors have lost two but won seven, two more than their opponents. It's also important to note that Tottenham have now gone 25 games against United, in all competitions, without winning and lost 3-0 when they last played in August. Tickets: SOLD OUT

MILLWALL v READING (Saturday 3 March, 3pm)
The Lions picked up a fine 3-1 win at Burnley on Saturday to move them six points clear of the relegation zone. On Saturday they welcome the high-flying Royals to the Den who have won their last five to move up to third, only four points behind West Ham. Reading have won eight times away from home this season while Kenny Jackett's side have only won eight times in total all season. An away win looks likely as Brian McDermott looks to take his side into the Premier League. Ticket info.

BARNET v BRADFORD CITY (Tuesday 28 February, 745pm)
After a bit of a resurgence in recent weeks, the Bees have now lost three in a row and are by no means out of the League Two relegation battle. One team they'll really want to beat are former Premier League club Bradford who are just one point and one place below them. When the sides met in August, the Bantams triumphed 4-2 so if this fixture can produce another six goals then most neutrals will be more than happy. Ticket info.

WELLING UNITED v BROMLEY (Saturday 3 March, 3pm)
This weekend two south-east London clubs go head-to-head in the Blue Square Bet South. The two sides have had very contrasting fortunes this season. The Wings are third and look certain to be in the play-offs being some 12 points clear of sixth spot. Bromley, on the other hand, have lost almost half their matches to be just a couple of places above the bottom three. However, Welling shouldn't be complacent as the Lilywhites picked up a fine 1-0 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Chelmsford City on Saturday taking their unbeaten run to five. If this match was at Hayes Lane then an upset could have been in the offing but it's not so the hosts should prevail. Ticket info.

WEALDSTONE v BILLERICAY TOWN (Saturday 3 March, 3pm)
One team enjoying a real buzz are the Stones who are enjoying a fine time at the moment. Over the last week they've notched three wins - putting five past Aveley in a league game before beating both Dartford, with nine men, and Cambridge United in the FA Trophy to reach the semi-finals and are now just 180 minutes away from a Wembley final. In fact they've been doing pretty well in all competitions having lost only once in their last 21 games. However, because of their slow start to the season they're still only 11th in the Ryman League Premier Division but now have games in hand which if won will leave them just a point off the play-off places. If they are to be seen as serious promotion contenders then a win over table toppers Billericay will go a long way to proving it. Don't forget, if you're a Premier/Football League season-ticket holder you'll get in for just £5. Ticket info.

CARSHALTON ATHLETIC v KINGSTONIAN (Saturday 3 March, 3pm)
Neither side are doing remarkably well in the Ryman League Premier Division this season but I've gone for this as it's a south-west London derby. The sides enjoyed contrasting fortunes in this weekend's fixtures with the Robins registering a tidy 2-1 win at struggling Harrow Borough while the Ks came unstuck 0-2 at home to AFC Hornchurch who are trying hard to keep the pressure on their Essex rivals Billericay at the top of the table. When the two met in November a crowd of almost 500 were treated to a five-goal thriller in which Carshalton took the honours 3-2. Ticket info.

DULWICH HAMLET v WORTHING (Saturday 3 March, 3pm)
Two of the Ryman League Division One South's top five meet at Champion Hill on Saturday as the race for promotion hots up. Bognor seem to be pulling away at the top meaning the others will have to fight hard to catch them. A win here could lift Dulwich to second while Worthing could climb to fourth. The previous meeting between the sides saw a 1-0 win for the West Sussex side. This match is also a chance to see two of the division's top scorers, Frankie Sawyer and Ryan McBride, in action. Ticket info.

RAYNES PARK VALE v COLLIERS WOOD UNITED (Tuesday 28 February, 745pm)
Having waited the best part of two months to see these two play on Wednesday (following a series of postponements), supporters of these clubs will see them come up against each other again just six days later in the Combined Counties League Cup. As has been mentioned in previous weeks, these clubs are located only 1.5 miles apart so this is very much a derby. Colliers Wood lost the recent league game 2-1 so will be looking to restore a bit of pride at this early opportunity. Club info.

STAINES LAMMAS v GUERNSEY (Wednesday 29 February, 745pm)
A day later in the same competition, Londoners will get another chance to run the rule over the Green Lions on their latest visit to the capital. If you haven't heard much about the Channel Islands club, this is their first season in English football and they're taking the Combined Counties League Division One by storm. They play good football and score tonnes of goals (an average of four a game) meaning they're 13 points clear with only seven games to go. The Blues shouldn't be totally discounted though as they also harbour hopes of promotion sitting as they do in sixth. The visitors won the league meeting in October by a comfortable 3-1 margin and a repeat looks likely. Club info.

If you have any questions or need advice about watching football in London you can contact TLFG via the comments section below, Facebook, Twitter or email.

2 comments:

  1. Just happened upon your blog. Really good stuff. I'm a Hendon, Fulham, Chelsea supporter (yeah I know, I picked up FFC in the old 4th division.)


    Intimately involved in HFC so you are especially appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks a lot CI, really appreciated. Comments like yours make it all worthwhile. Encouragingly, traffic to the blog is growing steadily so hopefully it will catch on and clubs will benefit.

    ReplyDelete