TLFG: 7-13 October 2013

Hello there and welcome to TLFG.

We're already into October and so far it's proving to be a good season for London clubs with the country's top three divisions being topped/joint topped by clubs from the capital.

Not only that but they are clubs who many wouldn't have been that surprised to see struggle this time round.

Arsenal have been trophyless since 2005, QPR were relegated from the Premier League in total disarray and Leyton Orient are just Leyton Orient - a solid League One side.

Who knows how long this will continue but it will be at least two more weeks for the Gunners and R's who both have a week off because of the international break.

Said break means Premier League, Championship and all other football fans including your goodself have an excellent chance to watch some non-league football which features heavily in this week's Top 10 below.

The highlight for many will be the next round of ties in the FA Cup of which there are six in the London area.

As a side note, the 9 October marks the second anniversary of the launch of this blog. Thanks once again to all who have read, contributed and commented - I really appreciate your time and effort. Cheers.

GET INVOLVED

Anyway, remember to let me know what you've been up to and if you're interested in reviewing a ground within the London area for this blog then get in touch. You might also want to have a go at writing a 'Top Ten' one week. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

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

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).

ENGLAND

Friday 11 October, 8pm - Montenegro, World Cup qualifier, Wembley
Tuesday 15 October, 8pm - Poland, World Cup qualifier, Wembley

ARSENAL

Monday 7 October, 7pm - Wolverhampton Wanderers, U21 Premier League

CHELSEA
Wednesday 6 November, 745pm - Schalke 04, Champions League (on sale 10 Oct)

CRYSTAL PALACE
Monday 7 October, 7pm - Brighton & Hove Albion, U21 Development League

FULHAM
Saturday 23 November, 3pm - Swansea City, Premier League

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Sunday 10 November, 12pm - Newcastle United, Premier League

WEST HAM UNITED
Saturday 19 October, 530pm - Manchester City, Premier League
Saturday 2 November, 3pm - Aston Villa, Premier League (on sale 24 Sep)
Saturday 23 November, 530pm - Chelsea, Premier League
Thursday 26 December, 3pm - Arsenal, Premier League
Saturday 22 March, 3pm - Manchester United, Premier League
Saturday 5 April, 3pm - Liverpool, Premier League
Saturday 3 May, 3pm - Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League

TICKET DEALS

The best value this week is to be found in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy which, for the uninitiated, is a knockout competition for League One and Two teams which has its final at Wembley in the spring.

With eight wins and two draws, the hottest team in League One at the moment are Leyton Orient and they host former Premier League side Coventry City in the opening round on Tuesday. Most tickets for this are only £10 adults and £5 concessions.

In League Two there are also deals in place for AFC Wimbledon's game against Accrington Stanley on Saturday - tickets for one of the terraces can be had for £10 (adults) while all U18's get in for FREE. Make sure you book in advance to make sure you get one.

A division below in the Conference Premier, Barnet's televised game against Wrexham on Sunday sees all tickets being sold for HALF PRICE which means the cheapest adult tickets are £8.

With the seniors having the week off, Arsenal's U21's take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on Monday 7 October at 7pm with tickets only £4 for adults and £2 for everyone else. Given that the cheapest of cheapest tickets for a first-team game at the Gunners' home is £26, this is quite a saving.

At the same time over in south-east London, Crystal Palace have an U21's game against Brighton at Selhurst Park. These can be had for £5 and £1 respectively but you'll have to buy today to get these prices - they rise to £8 tomorrow.

Next week, Fulham's Craven Cottage ground will play host to an international friendly between Australia and Canada with tickets ranging from £15-25.

At the end of October, League One side Brentford are running another one of their 'Pay What You Can' promotions for the visit of Shrewsbury Town. Tickets are on sale now, with a minimum price of £1.

If you know of any other deals I may have missed or your club is running a promotion let me know.

There are 75 matches in the London area this week including a few ties in the FA Cup and a few in county cups too.

As always, check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found in the following 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 might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the left side of the map page to make sure you get all the information.

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.

MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures

Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures

Red pin - Sunday fixtures

View London match map 7-13 October 2013 in a larger map

Next up is this week's TLFG match recommendations where I list a few games which I think could be worth a watch. Add your own in the comments section below.

TLFG TOP 10

ENGLAND v MONTENEGRO

It's World Cup qualifier time again this week and it appears there are still tickets available for this crucial game for the Three Lions. England have yet to beat Montenegro in any of their previous three meetings, all have been draws. Group H is desperately tight, meaning defeat could plunge Roy Hodgson's side down to third with only one game to go. With Montenegro and Ukraine both having much 'easier' fixtures than England's against Poland, hopes of automatic qualification will be as good as over. (World Cup qualifier, Friday 11 October, 8pm. Ticket info)

LEYTON ORIENT v MK DONS

With the Premier League and Championship teams getting a week off, League One sides become the big boys for a few days. As mentioned above, the O's are the team to beat having won eight and drawn two so far. Their only defeat came against Premier League Hull City in the League Cup and that was only by 1-0. MK Dons aren't doing too badly either and are well placed in seventh to mount their annual push for a play-off place. Notably, the Buckinghamshire club have a very good record at Brisbane Road with only one defeat there in their short history. Will they be the first to beat the O's this season?  (League One, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Ticket info)

AFC WIMBLEDON v ACCRINGTON STANLEY

There's nothing particularly eye-catching in League Two this week but I thought I'd give this match another mention as there a cheap tickets available. The Dons were expected to struggle again this season but got off to a decent start and found themselves among the leaders. However, three defeats in four have seen them slip back to 11th. Accrington were also predicted to find things tough and have duly lived up to their billing being winless in 10 and bottom of the table. Amazingly, these two have only faced each other on four previous occasions with the Lancashire outfit winning all of them. Good omen for James Beattie's men? (League Two, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Ticket info)

BARNET v WREXHAM

At first glance this looks like one of the games of the weekend in the Conference and in theory it should be. Two former Football League clubs, they are among the biggest names in the division. Surprisingly, neither are doing as well as they should be. The Bees made a decent enough start but have now won only one of their last seven. Despite this they're still just three points off a play-off place in this tightly contested division. The Dragons, on the other hand, are having a bit of a stinker and are being kept out of the relegation zone solely by their goal difference. It's over five years since their last meeting and it ended in a 3-2 win for Barnet - more of the same please. Tickets are also half price - bargain!  (Conference Premier, Sunday 13 October, 2pm. Ticket info)

AFC HORNCHURCH v WEALDSTONE

This weekend is FA Cup time again and it's starting to get serious. It's the third qualifying round which means teams are only two wins away from a lucrative First Round proper meeting with the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the London area, this must be the pick of the ties as it pits two of the best sides in the Isthmian Premier against each other. The Urchins suffered relegation from the Conference South last year but have responded superbly and are currently top while regular promotion contenders Wealdstone are fifth. The sides last met about a month a go and drew 1-1 so it looks like being close again. (FA Cup, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Ticket info)

HAMPTON & RICHMOND BOROUGH v ARLESEY TOWN

Over at the Beveree we have an all Level 7/Step 3 contest as Isthmian League host Southern League. Although Arlesey have had a better season so far, Hampton have gone on a decent little three game unbeaten run which should give them confidence. However, three straight wins and eight goals combined with their recent FA Cup pedigree (they got to the first round last year) should still see the Blues start as favourites. (FA Cup, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Ticket info)

CHIPSTEAD v BISHOP'S STORTFORD

Isthmian League Division 1 South side Chipstead will start as rank outsiders against Bishop's Stortford who play two levels above them. Stortford are also one of the best sides in the Conference South who drubbed Gosport Borough 4-0 on Saturday and hammered Hendon 5-0 on their own pitch in the last round of the FA Cup last weekend.  The Chips have been far less impressive of late having lost four of their last five with their last win coming in the previous round against Chertsey who are having a really bad season. It will be one of the shocks of the round if they do get through but that's what the FA Cup is all about. (FA Cup, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Ticket info)

EGHAM TOWN v DUNSTABLE TOWN

The Sarnies saw off highly fancied Guernsey to win the Combined Counties League title last season and duly moved up to the Southern League. After a disappointing start to life at this higher level, Egham have started to string a few results together and now find themselves in the top five of the Division 1 Central. On Saturday they meet last season's Spartan South Midlands League champions who have also settled well in this new competition. They have two points more and sit second in the table. Will they both be there at the end of the season? See what you think. (Southern League Division 1 Central, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Club info)

ENFIELD 1893 v FC ROMANIA

It's second versus third in the Essex Senior League this weekend. The hosts have won seven of their opening eight league games are only being kept off the top by Great Wakering Rovers who have played a game more. FC Romania was set up as recently as 2006 by immigrants from the country and rose to this level after doing well in the Middlesex County League. I saw them play in a very entertaining game the season before last, fielding several very technically gifted players. It won't surprise me to see them rise further still in the near future. Enfield are the form team though and should shade this one. (Essex Senior League, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Club info)

PHOENIX SPORTS v ERITH TOWN

Phoenix rose, pardon the pun, out of the Kent Invicta League last season and became early leaders of the Southern Counties East League. Defeats against fellow title contenders Tunbridge Wells and Whyteleafe have seen them slip but they are still firmly in third just two points behind leaders Erith Town who visit on Saturday. The Dockers also lost to Tunbridge Wells recently, their only defeat. Too close to call. (Southern Counties East League, Saturday 12 October, 3pm. Club info)

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