TLFG: 6-12 August 2012

Well what an opening week it's been for London 2012!

There have been some fantastic highs and disappointing lows already and we're only half way through.

I'm lucky enough to have tickets for the men's bronze medal handball match on the final day but it hasn't stopped me fruitlessly setting up camp on the ticket website trying to get last-minute returns for the really big stuff.

On Saturday I managed to get down to Hyde Park for the closing stages of the women's triathlon which was a great spectacle for the crowds alone, about 10 deep where I was standing on the north side of the Serpentine.

One unintended benefit of the Olympics I've enjoyed is the significant increase in traffic to this blog which has been picked up by numerous searches for 'London 2012 football' and the like - hopefully it's been useful for some.

Non-League Day (NLD) preparations are still going well, particularly when it comes to building partnerships. We're particularly delighted this week to welcome on board legendary Sky Sports commentator and Kingstonian coach Martin Tyler in an ambassadorial capacity. Last year he was good enough to plug NLD during his live coverage of England's win over Bulgaria the night before so we had to get him more fully involved this time.

If you would like to help promote this year's Non-League Day on 13 October then you can download one of our banners to put on your website or blog. Thanks if you do.

So what have you been up to this week? Let us know if you've been to an Olympic event, taken in a friendly or two or went to a season opening game in the Combined Counties League or other Step 5 or 6 competition.

LATEST TICKET NEWS

Each week at TLFG we attempt to compile a list of what's on general sale to non-members at London's Premier League clubs and for other notable matches (click on the team name for details).

ARSENAL

Nothing currently available

CHELSEA

Wednesday 22 August, 745pm - Reading, Premier League

Saturday 25 August, 530pm - Newcastle United, Premier League

FULHAM

Saturday 18 August, 3pm - Norwich City, Premier League

Saturday 15 September, 3pm - West Bromwich Albion, Premier League

Saturday 29 September, 3pm - Manchester City, Premier League

Saturday 20 October, 3pm - Aston Villa, Premier League

Saturday 3 November, 3pm - Everton, Premier League

Sunday 18 November, 4pm - Sunderland, Premier League

QUEENS PARK RANGERS
(on sale Tuesday 7 August if any remaining)
Saturday 18 August, 3pm - Swansea City, Premier League 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Saturday 25 August, 3pm - West Bromwich Albion, Premier League
Saturday 1 September, 3pm - Norwich City, Premier League

WEST HAM UNITED

Saturday 18 August, 3pm - Aston Villa, Premier League

Saturday 1 September, 1245pm - Fulham, Premier League

Aside from these there are still tickets for some Olympic football matches at Wembley Stadium and also England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at the same venue in September.

Over the next seven days there are over 70 matches taking place in the London area. Aside from the last set of pre-season friendlies, we also welcome the beginning of the Blue Square Bet Premier and Kent Invicta League seasons. However, for a lot of non-league football fans, the highlight of the week must be the start of this season's FA Cup.

Many of our local sides enter the competition at the Extra Preliminary Round stage on Saturday so if you're thinking of doing your own 'Road to Wembley' or emulating A.E. Greb's 'The Long Way' groundhop then now's the time to make some decisions.

So here's this week's match map. If you've never used it 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 miss out. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the left side of the page to make sure you get all the information.

MATCH MAP

Yellow pin - Monday fixtures

Green pin - Tuesday fixtures

Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures

Purple pin - Thursday fixtures

Blue pin - Saturday fixtures

Red pin - Sunday fixtures

View London match map 6-12 August 2012 in a larger map

As always, please check with the host club whether a match is still taking place and also confirm the venue as this can change at short notice where pre-season games are involved. Please also let me know if any of the details are wrong or missing. 

Here's a list of few games that I think could be worth watching in the week ahead:

TLFG TOP 10

OLYMPIC FOOTBALL MATCHES (6, 7, 9 and 11 August)

Wembley Stadium plays host to two semi-finals and two finals over the next few days as the men's and women's events reach their climax. Sadly both of Great Britain's sides bowed out at the quarter-final stage so there won't be much home interest. As it stands there are still tickets left for the men's semi between Mexico and Japan on 7 August, while there is also availability for the women's final on 9 August. Tickets for the other two matches may well emerge over the next few days too. TICKET INFO

AFC WIMBLEDON v PORTSMOUTH (Wednesday 8 August, 745pm)

The Dons complete their pre-season with this home match against Pompey. Under normal circumstances this would be a fairly unremarkable occurrence but this year things are very different. If you haven't been following the news, Portsmouth are in grave financial difficulty and at the time of writing only have two senior pros on their books. The remaining two, Liam Lawrence and Tal Ben Haim, need to leave by 10 August or the League One club will fold. Essentially this is the last game the club are set to play in before that date so it could prove to be historic but lets hope not. TICKET INFO

DARTFORD v TAMWORTH (Saturday 11 August, 3pm)

On Saturday the Darts make their long awaited return to the top flight of non-league football. The last time they competed at this level was the 1985/86 season. The intervening time has seen the club struggle financially, reside at several different grounds and play in a number of leagues as they've climbed the pyramid. Now firmly located back in Dartford in their fine Princes Park stadium, they will want to defy the bookies and make sure they stay in the Blue Square Bet Premier. How they fare will depend largely on how they get on against the likes of Tamworth who have also been earmarked to struggle. TICKET INFO

WEMBLEY v LANGFORD (Saturday 11 August, 1245pm)

This is another game that under normal circumstances wouldn't really be that noteworthy. However, this year Wembley kick-off their FA Cup campaign with the backing of a certain large beer company who have brought in a number of big names to assist them. Former England manager Terry Venables has been installed as a technical adviser while David Seaman, Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, Graeme Le Saux, Claudio Caniggia and Brian McBride have all been drafted in as players. Whether this will prove to be a blessing or a curse against Spartan South Midlands League club Langford remains to be seen. The early kick-off should also allow those with a car or bike to take in two games on Saturday with neighbouring clubs Hanwell Town, London Tigers and North Greenford United all kicking off at 3pm. CLUB INFO

HANWORTH VILLA v BETHNAL GREEN UNITED (Saturday 11 August, 3pm)

It's a case of West v East at Rectory Meadow as two clubs from opposite sides of London meet in this FA Cup match. Hanworth had a fine run in this competition last season reaching the fourth qualifying round, no mean feat for a club playing at Level 9 of the national system. They were also one of the best sides in the Combined Counties League and started their season on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Chessington & Hook. Their opponents this Saturday have been there or thereabouts in the Essex Senior League (also Level 9) over the last year or two, with many fancying them to do well again this season. Although their FA Cup record isn't great, they did make it to the last 16 of the FA Vase last season so I'm hoping for a good cup tie here. CLUB INFO

HAREFIELD UNITED v HILLINGDON BOROUGH (Saturday 11 August, 3pm)

This FA Cup match makes the top 10 this week because it's a derby. The clubs play less than two miles apart and regularly meet in the Spartan South Midlands League. Boro took the honours last season, finishing higher up the table and beating Harefield 5-0 at home while drawing 0-0 away. This game is also the season opener for both sides, further adding to their desire to win. For some reason, Harefield's website has been taken down over the last few days so I can't link anywhere for more official info.

CRAY VALLEY PM v VCD ATHLETIC (Tuesday 7 August, 745pm)

The Kent League season got underway on Saturday and these two were among the early victors. As was mentioned last week, VCD are among those expected to do well this season and their 5-1 thrashing of Beckenham Town underlined that. Cray Valley are playing only their second season at this level and opened their campaign with a creditable 3-2 win at Greenwich Borough. Head down to the 'Badgers' on Tuesday and see which one keeps their 100% record intact. CLUB INFO

EGHAM TOWN v COLLIERS WOOD UNITED (Tuesday 7 August, 745pm)

Egham finished fourth in the Combined Counties League last season and will hope to be among the title challengers again this time. On Saturday they kicked things off with a solid 3-0 win at Sandhurst Town and they will hope for more of the same against Colliers Wood who lost 2-1 at home to Cove. Whether the Sarnies have any realistic shot at winning the league depends on how well Guernsey get on. The club from the Channel Islands took the Division One crown last season and look like sweeping through the Premier Division too following their 8-0 humbling of Croydon on opening day. CLUB INFO

SPELTHORNE SPORTS v FRIMLEY GREEN (Saturday 11 August, 3pm)

As Guernsey dominated Division One, neither of these sides did anything particularly notable as they cruised to midtable finishes. How different it might be this year as the two hammered home 11 goals between them without in reply in their opening fixtures. Those results see them sit third and first respectively at this most early of earlies with Feltham sandwiched in between. If you're not at an FA Cup match on the west side of town come Saturday afternoon, this could be a good alternative. CLUB INFO

KENT FOOTBALL UNITED v WOODSTOCK PARK (Saturday 11 August, 3pm)

The Kent Invicta League season starts on Saturday and of the London based games this is probably the most notable. I've gone for it because it's the first match for KFU. The south-east London club amalgamated with Erith & Dartford Town over the close season and have effectively taken their place in the league, remaining at the same ground (VCD Athletic's). Get down to Crayford on Saturday if you want to be part of a little piece of football history. CLUB INFO

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