Well what an afternoon that was!
Nearly eight hours after the game finished, I think I'm starting to get over the trauma of watching QPR play their socks off and lose in dramatic fashion to Liverpool at Loftus Road.
As I predicted last week, the game would be a good one and it didn't disappoint - well for the neutral anyway.
If you haven't seen what happened, read the report here but in a nutshell it went from 1-0 to Liverpool in the 87th minute to 3-2 to the Anfield side at full-time!
Rangers had dominated for long periods so to come from behind twice and draw would've have still seemed like two points dropped but then to lose it right at the death was really galling. Some people were in tears and others were left kicking their seats. The Reds' players were all very magnanimous after the game with some saying they were lucky not to lose let alone win.
It's back to the drawing board for Harry Redknapp and his team but they've got a decent chance of getting only their second win of the campaign when Aston Villa visit on Monday week. They were top but are now in worse form than Rangers so there is some hope.
I hope your football-watching week has been more satisfying. If you're prone to a bit of groundhopping then this Saturday there are a few decent 'doubles' available.
On the east side of town you could experience football at completely opposite ends of the scale with a trip to West Ham United v Manchester City in the Premier League at 1245pm and then do your bit for the non-league game by visiting the Old Spotted Dog, the oldest ground in London, for the Essex Senior League game between London Bari and Takeley at 3pm.
How about a fiery lunchtime clash in the Championship between Millwall and Cardiff City at 1215pm followed up with an Isthmian League top-four clash as Dulwich Hamlet host Hendon at 3pm?
If that's not to your liking, how about a trip down south? Here you can see Carshalton Athletic v Guernsey in the Isthmian League at 1245pm before heading over to Gander Green Lane for Sutton United v Bishop's Stortford in the Conference South at 3pm.
All of those have quite a bit to offer so I hope you get to try out one - let me know if you do.
Anyway, that's it from me. Don't forget, you can get all the latest ticket information for our local clubs and other big games taking place in the capital on the 'Match Ticket Info' page .
GET INVOLVEDNearly eight hours after the game finished, I think I'm starting to get over the trauma of watching QPR play their socks off and lose in dramatic fashion to Liverpool at Loftus Road.
As I predicted last week, the game would be a good one and it didn't disappoint - well for the neutral anyway.
If you haven't seen what happened, read the report here but in a nutshell it went from 1-0 to Liverpool in the 87th minute to 3-2 to the Anfield side at full-time!
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| QPR prepare for a free-kick during a thrilling match against Liverpool |
It's back to the drawing board for Harry Redknapp and his team but they've got a decent chance of getting only their second win of the campaign when Aston Villa visit on Monday week. They were top but are now in worse form than Rangers so there is some hope.
A GOOD WEEKEND FOR A GROUNDHOP
On the east side of town you could experience football at completely opposite ends of the scale with a trip to West Ham United v Manchester City in the Premier League at 1245pm and then do your bit for the non-league game by visiting the Old Spotted Dog, the oldest ground in London, for the Essex Senior League game between London Bari and Takeley at 3pm.
How about a fiery lunchtime clash in the Championship between Millwall and Cardiff City at 1215pm followed up with an Isthmian League top-four clash as Dulwich Hamlet host Hendon at 3pm?
If that's not to your liking, how about a trip down south? Here you can see Carshalton Athletic v Guernsey in the Isthmian League at 1245pm before heading over to Gander Green Lane for Sutton United v Bishop's Stortford in the Conference South at 3pm.
All of those have quite a bit to offer so I hope you get to try out one - let me know if you do.
Anyway, that's it from me. Don't forget, you can get all the latest ticket information for our local clubs and other big games taking place in the capital on the 'Match Ticket Info' page .
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 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.
Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.
Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.
You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.
LATEST TICKET NEWS
Please follow this link or click on the tab at the top of the page for all the information you need about how to get a ticket, what's currently available to non-members at London's biggest clubs and any other special offers or promotions which might be running.
THE WEEK AHEAD
There are over 80 matches in the London area over the next seven days so there's plenty to choose from whatever your budget.
However, please make sure you 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.
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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).
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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).
MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures
View London match map 20-26 October 2014 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. If I miss one that you think should get a mention then add your own in the comments section below.
TLFG TOP 10
1. West Ham United v Manchester City - there are Champions League and Europa League games in town this week but this still ranks higher than any of them in my book. With boos ringing out and sections of the crowd wanting manager Sam Allardyce out, who would've thought that a few weeks later the Hammers would be in the Premier League's top four? To be fair, the division is very tight at the moment but they have enjoyed some decent wins so good luck to them. City, as you would expect, are also among the frontrunners but really must win here to keep the pressure on leaders Chelsea. (Premier League, Saturday 25 October, 1245pm. Ticket info)
2. Watford v Nottingham Forest - despite being onto their FOURTH boss of the season already, the Hornets have still managed to fight their way to the top of a very competitive second tier. Slavisa Jokanovic's side chalked up a solid 3-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday to stay one point ahead of Derby. Forest have also topped the table this term but a five game winless run has seen them slip to fifth. A look at previous results between the two suggests no real pattern at all with both sides winning their fair share of games at Vicarage Road. (Championship, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
2. Watford v Nottingham Forest - despite being onto their FOURTH boss of the season already, the Hornets have still managed to fight their way to the top of a very competitive second tier. Slavisa Jokanovic's side chalked up a solid 3-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday to stay one point ahead of Derby. Forest have also topped the table this term but a five game winless run has seen them slip to fifth. A look at previous results between the two suggests no real pattern at all with both sides winning their fair share of games at Vicarage Road. (Championship, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
3. Fulham v Charlton Athletic - the Championship really has quite a bit to offer this week with this London derby on Friday night getting the weekend's football watching off to a decent start. The Cottagers pulled off one of the performances of the weekend as they beat leaders Norwich 1-0. Kit Symons has won three out of five since being put in temporary charge to put them within a point of getting out of the bottom three. The Addicks have made a much better start and were unbeaten until Saturday when they finally lost 1-0 to Bournemouth. Strangely, just like Norwich, Charlton haven't won at Craven Cottage since 1986 so they could well be happy with another draw. (Championship, Friday 24 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
4. Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday - both these sides lie just outside the play-off places but the reason I've gone for this is that it marks the 125th anniversary of Brentford and this match is being dedicated to celebrate this historic occasion. The Bees are in better form than the Owls and will hope to win it in front of what should be a bumper crowd. (Championship, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
5. AFC Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle - it doesn't sound too impressive when you say the Dons are currently 13th in League Two but this is probably well ahead of expectation and they are only three points adrift of the play-off places in a very tight division. They've also enjoyed some notable victories over some top sides this season so shouldn't be overawed by the visit of fifth-placed Plymouth. Argyle are, however, on a fairly hot streak so they should be wary. (League Two, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
6. Barnet v Braintree Town - with Chelsea and Watford topping the Premier League and Championship and Barnet at the summit of the Conference, things are going pretty well for some of our local clubs at the moment. The Bees extended their lead at the top to five points on Saturday after a crucial win at title rivals Gateshead. On Tuesday they host Essex club Braintree who are on the verge of going into freefall after a bad run of results has seen them slide down the table. In theory this should be a routine win for the hosts. (Conference Premier, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
7. Dartford v Burgess Hill Town - this weekend sees the staging of the massively important FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, the final hurdle non-league clubs have to leap before being thrown into the hat with the League One and Two clubs. I would've hoped to dedicate a large section of the Top 10 to this but there's only one tie in the London area and it's a proper David versus Goliath contest. The Darts are the big Conference side with the plush ground whereas Burgess Hill play in the Isthmian League Division 1 South some three divisions below. It looks pretty clear cut until you consider Dartford are struggling and Burgess Hill are one of the most in-form teams in the country - unbeaten in 15 league games (winning 12) and they eliminated Conference South club Sutton United 3-1 on their own pitch in the last round! Now which one was David again? (FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, Saturday 25 October, 3pm. Ticket info)
6. Barnet v Braintree Town - with Chelsea and Watford topping the Premier League and Championship and Barnet at the summit of the Conference, things are going pretty well for some of our local clubs at the moment. The Bees extended their lead at the top to five points on Saturday after a crucial win at title rivals Gateshead. On Tuesday they host Essex club Braintree who are on the verge of going into freefall after a bad run of results has seen them slide down the table. In theory this should be a routine win for the hosts. (Conference Premier, Tuesday 21 October, 745pm. Ticket info)
7. Dartford v Burgess Hill Town - this weekend sees the staging of the massively important FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, the final hurdle non-league clubs have to leap before being thrown into the hat with the League One and Two clubs. I would've hoped to dedicate a large section of the Top 10 to this but there's only one tie in the London area and it's a proper David versus Goliath contest. The Darts are the big Conference side with the plush ground whereas Burgess Hill play in the Isthmian League Division 1 South some three divisions below. It looks pretty clear cut until you consider Dartford are struggling and Burgess Hill are one of the most in-form teams in the country - unbeaten in 15 league games (winning 12) and they eliminated Conference South club Sutton United 3-1 on their own pitch in the last round! Now which one was David again? (FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, Saturday 25 October, 3pm. Ticket info)
8. Sutton United v Bishop's Stortford - talking of Sutton they've got a home game on Saturday that, if won, could get them back into touching distance of the top five. The Burgess Hill result will have been a huge blow for the U's but it may have acted as a wake-up call too as they bounced back with a decent 1-0 win at Farnborough on Saturday. Stortford have been very unpredictable this season and sit in lower midtable as a consequence. Predicting a winner here is tough but my heart says Sutton. (Conference South, Saturday 25 October, 3pm. Ticket info)
9. Dulwich Hamlet v Hendon - last week I recommended you go and watch the Greens take on Margate in a top-three clash. It produced a five-goal thriller which Hendon edged thanks to Leon Smith's hat-trick. This week Gary McCann's side feature in the Isthmian League's top match again as they travel to fourth-placed Dulwich Hamlet for another big game. As regular readers know, I have a lot of time and respect for both clubs so I'd heartily encourage you to give this game a go. (Isthmian League Premier Division, Saturday 25 October, 3pm. Ticket info)
10. Beckenham Town v Ashford United - elsewhere in south-east London we've got this Southern Counties East League top-five clash. Beckenham are a team I've never been to see but I'm very tempted as they seem to have a good ground and their website is one of the best around - often a good sign of a well run/forward thinking club. They've begun this season pretty well and although Erith & Belvedere are already well clear at the top, second placed Ashford could quite easily be caught. Up the Becks! (Southern Counties East League, Saturday 25 October, 3pm. Ticket info)
Whenever QPR are referred to as Rangers I stumble for a second, wondering how Glasgow got into the pl
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