TLFG: 31 October - 6 November 2016

Welcome one and all to this week's TLFG.

It occurred to me the other day that this blog has now been going for five years.

I set it up back in 2011, shortly after returning from a trip to Bosnia, as a way to fill the time after taking redundancy from my job at the BBC.

It kept me occupied through a few worryingly jobless months and has somehow continued through until today despite me becoming a father and taking on a new line of employment that sees me work some crazy shifts. 

The rewards of slowly developing and growing the blog have been immense. I've been interviewed by the New York Times, helped authors research their books, offered advice to travellers planning visits to London and have developed some great friendships and contacts with readers and club officials.

The thought that I can be of help to people is the main reason why I do this so it's always great to get an email or tweet asking for tips and help - so keep them coming.

It's FA Cup First Round weekend and this is one of the best ties in London

What else have I been up to over the last week? Well I actually managed another live game and what a waste of time it was too!

I finally made it down to Loftus Road for the first time this season to watch QPR take on local rivals Brentford in Friday night's live televised game.

It wasn't a classic performance by either side but the Bees deserved their 2-0 win which was their first at our place for 52 years!!! I'm so glad I was there.

People are calling for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's head but we're 14th in the table, we've got an average squad, play in an average size stadium and personally I believe we are where we kind of deserve to be. Did I mention I don't lose sleep over QPR any more? 

Enough about them - this week is all about Harrow Borough. 

The Ryman League minnows have battled through four qualifying rounds to make it to the FA Cup First Round 'Proper' on Saturday and have landed an incredibly tough tie against League One play-off contenders Northampton Town at Sixfields.

Avoiding defeat is almost unthinkable but the Boro have got absolutely nothing to lose and I'm sure they will give a good account of themselves.

I'm just gutted I won't be there - I am actually off work but it's my birthday and I'm already committed to a trip to Bristol. I was praying Harrow would draw Bristol Rovers but it wasn't to be. Oh well, I'm free for the second round so I'll have to make do with that instead. 

If you're in London this weekend you can gorge on FA Cup football with games spread right across the weekend from Friday to Sunday. Tickets are available for all games although you will need to buy in advance for the very interesting looking tie between Boreham Wood and Notts County.

I think that's about it from me. Enjoy your week and let me know what you've been up to. Some readers who always do are the guys at 'Two Men In Search Of The Beautiful Game' whose latest trip took them to Ilford FC over in east London - give it a read.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well almost 90 matches in the London area over the next week with the Premier League and FA Cup taking centre stage. The Champions League is also back and there are games in several county and minor league cups too.

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 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 (white 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.

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).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, 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.

Monday 31 October

Premier League 2
West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion @7pm - once again there's a good selection of U23 football on Monday with this PL2 game at Dagenham & Redbridge's ground the best on offer

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Walton Casuals @745pm - both these two have made a decent start and a win for the hosts will fire them into the top four

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Tuesday 1 November

FA Trophy First Qualifying Round Replays
Wingate & Finchley v Grays Athletic @745pm - after fighting out a 1-1 draw on Sunday, these two do it all again in N12 for the £2,700 prize money
Harrow Borough v Herne Bay @745pm - Boro grabbed an injury-time equaliser on Saturday to earn this replay but with their massive FA Cup First Round game at Northampton looming, will they be distracted???
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Tonbridge Angels @745pm - the Tangerines did superbly to hold Tonbridge to a 3-3 draw on Saturday and now have home advantage to try and pull off a cupset
Northwood v Royston Town @745pm - the Woods welcome the Southern League Division 1 Central leaders for a challenging game

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Wednesday 2 November

Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur v Bayer Leverkusen @745pm - with a loss, a win and a draw Spurs have made a stuttering start in Group E so they really need to take three points against the Germans who haven't lost yet

Kent Senior Cup First Round

Phoenix Sports v Charlton Athletic @745pm - the joint leaders of the Ryman 1 North host a squad from the League One Addicks in this county cup fixture

Essex Senior League
Ilford v Clapton @745pm - if neither of the above appeal, try an East End derby between these two old rivals

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Friday 4 November

Championship
Brentford v Fulham @745pm - after winning the derby against QPR last Friday, the Bees welcome their other west London rivals this Friday for another televised game. The Cottagers trounced high-flying Huddersfield 5-0 on Saturday so will also come into this match on a high

FA Cup First Round - at this stage League One and League Two clubs join the draw alongside the 32 non-league clubs who have survived the six qualifying rounds

Millwall v Southend United @745pm - the Lions have enjoyed an upsurge in form of late and leapfrogged Southend on Saturday with a win at Oxford. However, the Shrimpers beat Millwall 3-1 earlier in the season so will fancy their chances

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Saturday 5 November

Premier League
Chelsea v Everton @530pm - the Blues are starting to hit some serious form but the Toffees, a top six side themselves, should provide stiff opposition in the game of the day
West Ham United v Stoke City @3pm - at the other end of the table we've got an early season six-pointer between clubs perched just above the relegation zone

FA Cup First Round
Charlton Athletic v Scunthorpe United @3pm - the Addicks are unbeaten in four but have drawn the League One leaders in this tough tie
Dagenham & Redbridge v FC Halifax Town @3pm - the Daggers held leaders Forest Green to a 1-1 draw in the big National League game on Saturday will start as favourites against the Shaymen who play in the division below. However, they are a canny cup side and won last season's FA Trophy
Dartford v Sutton United @3pm - the Darts welcome the U's for a TLFG derby. Sutton play in the higher division but the hosts are in great form so there shouldn't be much between them

Friendly
Brentford B v Manchester United U23 @3pm - one of the more unusual games of the day sees the Bees' youngsters and reserves entertain their counterparts from Old Trafford at Griffin Park. To top it all, it's free to get in

Ryman League Division 1 North
Phoenix Sports v Cheshunt @3pm - at the time of writing, four teams share the lead of this division and these are two of them. Sadly, after a strong start, Phoenix have gone four without a win and are on the slide so will want to arrest that run here

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Wembley v London Colney @3pm - the top two in the league go head-to-head at Vale Farm. The visitors are 12 points clear at the top but Wembley have three games in hand so a win would make things really interesting

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Forest Hill Park v Rusthall @3pm - FHP are in only their second season at this level but are up in the top four and ready to take on the leaders at the Ladywell Arena

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Sunday 6 November

Premier League
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur @12pm - the match of the week takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as we get to enjoy our first North London derby of the season. They both finished in the top three last season and they're both vying for honours again this time. The Gunners are currently joint top but Spurs are only three points behind and the only unbeaten side in the top flight - it should be close

FA Cup First Round
Boreham Wood v Notts County @2pm - the Wood are enjoying a good season in the National League and have landed a great draw against these League Two play-off contenders. It will be tough but it's caught the interest of the TV companies and it should be tough for the Magpies

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. 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.

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

TLFG: 24-30 October 2016

Generally, for me, it's been a pretty good week on the footballing front.

As I mentioned last week I was hoping to head down to Margate to see Harrow Borough contest an FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round replay.

Given I had Tuesday and Wednesday off and with the last train leaving too soon if extra-time were required, I decided to splash out and book a hotel and take my family with me.

Arriving around 230pm on Tuesday afternoon, we checked in and then headed straight out on to the seafront. Despite a pretty stiff breeze, it was sunny so exploring the sandy beach wasn't too much of an ordeal.

Margate viewed from the entrance of the Turner Contemporary

After a quick spin around the Turner Contemporary gallery, we grabbed an early dinner before I headed off to the game.

With 'Dulwich Hamlet-like' queues to get in, as one regular described it, there was obviously quite a bit of interest in the game and with a trip to League One club Northampton Town on offer to the winners it was no surprise.

Margate play a division above Harrow so it was a bit unexpected to see the visitors have much the better of the first half and even take the lead with a fine goal from Francis Babalola shortly before the interval - with the highly rated Ibrahim Meite heavily involved in the build up.

When the hosts equalised around the hour mark, you felt they would take control and get the win but the opposite happened.

Boro raised their game, retook the lead through Lewis Driver and then wrapped it up with a third from Meite with 10 minutes to go. If they'd scored five or six it wouldn't have been undeserved as the gilt-edged chances were there.

The club now face a tough trip to Sixfields on 5 November as they make only their fourth appearance in the First Round. If you want to join the merry band of Harrow hopefuls heading up to the game, here are the details. Alternatively, just turn up on the day and pay at the turnstile although you might have to go in with the home fans.

Harrow's players celebrate with their travelling supporters after the final whistle

Elsewhere that night, QPR also picked up an impressive win over play-off contenders Bristol City although their week ended on a low note after a narrow defeat at Sheffield Wednesday. On the brightside, however, Harrow won again crushing Folkestone 4-1 to move a little further away from the relegation zone.

Apparently the Community Day at Fisher went well on Saturday and with another international break less than three weeks away, I'd like to remind clubs once again that they've got another great opportunity to try and get more people through the turnstiles. If you do come up with something at your club, let me know and I'll put it in here.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well almost 100 matches in the London area over the next week with the Premier League and EFL taking centre stage. The FA Trophy is back and there are games in several county and minor league cups too.

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 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 (white 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.

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).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, 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.

Monday 24 October

Premier League 2
Fulham v Newcastle United @7pm - there's a good selection of U23 football on Monday with this PL2 game at Motspur Park the best on offer.

Ryman League Premier Division
Kingstonian v Worthing @745pm - the K's regular Monday night slot returns with this match against recently promoted Worthing. The Sussex club had a good start but both are now firmly in midtable.

Essex Senior League
Tower Hamlets v Clapton @745pm - despite being only a ninth-tier game, this could be the place for the best atmosphere on Monday night. Last season's match, albeit on a Friday night, attracted around 350-400 people most of them members of the lively Clapton Ultras who sang from beginning to end.

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Tuesday 25 October

EFL Cup Fourth Round
Arsenal v Reading @745pm - we're down to the last 16 now and seven of the Premier League's top eight are still in, giving it one of its strongest line-ups in years. The Gunners have only won the cup twice but are currently joint favourites and should progress with ease against Championship side Reading if they take it seriously and don't field youngsters as they have done in the past.

National League
Dagenham & Redbridge v Aldershot Town @745pm - there are some big games in this division on Tuesday but this is the pick of what you can see in the London area as second plays seventh. Both are former EFL clubs (although Aldershot are a new incarnation after financial collapse) and are desperate to get back among the pro ranks. 

Ryman League Cup Second Round
Greenwich Borough v Dulwich Hamlet @745pm - this is a really intriguing tie as it pits the leaders of the Ryman 1 South against one of the biggest clubs in the division above. Greenwich won the SCEFL last season after significant investment from a new owner. However, it was noticeable that this success was achieved in front of tiny crowds. Although attendance is now up to an average of nearly 200, it's still only a fraction of what Dulwich attract every week (c. 1,000). This match could give us some indication of how good Greenwich really are and whether we'll be seeing them in the Ryman Premier next year.

Essex Senior League
Redbridge v Barking @745pm - the visitors have now opened a seven-point lead at the top and next travel to Redbridge who, despite being in midtable, have hit a decent run of form with seven points from their last three games.

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Wednesday 19 October

EFL Cup Fourth Round
West Ham United v Chelsea @745pm - this derby is one of the ties of the round. The Hammers' renaissance continued on Saturday with a vital 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Sunderland. Although still far from the form they showed last season, a solid three game unbeaten run will give them some confidence against a Blues side who are still a shadow of some of the teams which have come out of Stamford Bridge over recent years.

Ryman League Premier Division

Grays Athletic v Leiston @745pm - with Grays having a very sorry time of things down at the bottom, this match is more about taking a look at the current leaders. Leiston hail from a small town of the same name in Suffolk. With just over 5,500 inhabitants, they're having a fantastic season and are unbeaten in the league after 13 games. With 38 goals, they are also the most free-scoring so it could be a very tough night for the hosts.

FA Trophy Preliminary Round
Cray Wanderers v Carshalton Athletic @745pm - this tie is being re-played after Carshalton fielded in ineligible player in the original game. These two well matched Ryman 1 South play-off contenders produced a six-goal thriller last time so hopefully we'll have some more of the same.

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Friday 28 October

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Brentford @745pm - one of the games of the week at any level is this west London derby at Loftus Road. Games between these near neighbours have been surprisingly rare with only eight competitive matches between them over the last 50 years. Back in the same division from last season, these games are among the highlights of the campaign for both sets of fans. This match is beautifully poised with the clubs locked together on 19 points and neither in any kind of form. The good news is that you can be there too as tickets are on general sale and still available.

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Saturday 29 October

Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City @3pm - these two went head-to-head for the Premier League title last season and, as we all know, the Foxes came out on top. Unsurprisingly, Leicester have found their title defence hard and it is Spurs who are among the frontrunners again. The smart money would seem to be on Tottenham extending their unbeaten record.
Crystal Palace v Liverpool @530pm - the Eagles will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season where they started very strongly and then died spectacularly. They made a solid start again this time but now a three-game winless run has suddenly developed. Liverpool are looking good under Jurgen Klopp and, at the time of writing, are joint top with one league defeat all season. They've also won on their last two visits to Selhurst Park and should fancy their chances this time too.
Watford v Hull City @3pm - nothing much was expected of the Hornets when they came up last season but they held their own and are in the top half again thanks to a run of one loss in six. Hull returned to the top flight this season but were in some disarray after their manager resigned and no new players were brought in. They stunned many by winning their first two but now six defeats from the following seven has left them in the bottom three. Home win.

Championship
Fulham v Huddersfield Town @3pm - if you're struggling to get a ticket for a Premier League game on Saturday, this is your next best option. Fulham, like their two west London rivals Brentford and QPR, have been the model of inconsistency this season. One week they can give a top team like Newcastle or Norwich a run for their money, the next they can lose at a crisis hit one like Aston Villa. This weekend they welcome former leaders Huddersfield who, after a mini wobble, got back into the top three with a win over Derby. Given what I've just written about the Cottagers' capabilities, they should be worried!

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Bradford City @3pm - after spending several years concentrating on simply surviving in League Two, the Dons got themselves promoted last season. Rather than struggle in the third tier, they've acquitted themselves rather well, are in the top six and going along nicely. This weekend they welcome second placed Bradford who with crowds of nearly 18,000 are way too big a club to really be in this division. Tickets are selling fast with only a few standing places on one of the terraces still available.

National League
Boreham Wood v Woking @3pm - the fact Boreham Wood are still in the National League, let alone pushing for a play-off place is quite amazing. With average crowds of 555 they are one of the minnows of the division but this doesn't seem to bother them. With three wins in a row, another triumph here will probably push them into the top eight. Woking, on the other hand, are teetering just above the relegation zone and should be there for the taking.

FA Trophy First Qualifying Round - this competition features sides playing in the fifth to eighth tiers. It is a national competition with the final at Wembley. Although this is the 'First' qualifying round, there has been a preliminary round prior to this one. The winning club in each tie receives  prize money of £2,700. At this stage, teams from the seventh tier join the draw alongside all the eighth tier teams who got through the opening round.

Enfield Town v Canvey Island @3pm - the Towners have pushed hard for promotion from the Ryman League over the last couple of years but have fallen just short. After a poor start, they're starting to get amongst things again and should be favourites against divisional rivals Canvey who are struggling.
Metropolitan Police v Brightlingsea Regent @3pm - the Met have got off to a worrying start this season and are down in the Ryman Premier relegation zone. Although playing at home, a game against one of the top sides from the Ryman 1 North will be tricky and we could well see a cupset.
Staines Town v Basingstoke Town @3pm - these sides were both in what was the Conference South until not that long ago but both have suffered relegation and are now midtable sides in the Ryman Premier and Southern Premier respectively hopefully leading to an even contest.
Hanwell Town v Bury Town @3pm - it was a bit of surprise when Bury ended up getting relegated to the Ryman 1 North but after a season of consolidation it seems they're back with nine wins from 16 propelling them to the top of their division. Hanwell, over in the parallel Southern Division 1 Central, will find this tough.
Tooting & Mitcham United v Dunstable Town @3pm - the Terrors got back to winning ways on Saturday at Sittingbourne as they moved back into the Ryman 1 South's top four. On Saturday they welcome a very useful Dunstable side who find themselves in the top five of the Southern League - which equates to 23 places above Tooting in the pyramid.

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Sunday 23 October

FA Trophy First Qualifying Round
Grays Athletic v Wingate & Finchley @3pm - in terms of attendance, these two are the most poorly supported in the Ryman Premier. This is because Grays don't have their own ground and are doing badly whilst Wingate... I'm not so sure. They have a decent stadium and a great pitch, they also play good football and are in no immediate danger of relegation. They do have to contend with Arsenal, Spurs and Barnet being in their locale and they do face competition from Hendon and Enfield Town but that still shouldn't mean average crowds of only 142. Anyway, I digress. This is an all Ryman Premier tie and should provide the best quality of football on Sunday if not the atmosphere.
Kingstonian v Lewes @3pm - until last season this game would've received top billing as they were both Ryman Premier sides. However, Lewes had a shocker and got relegated to the Ryman 1 South. Despite this, I'd expect to see at least 300 at Kingsmeadow for this.

FA Women's Super League 1
Chelsea v Reading @6pm - with Manchester City having already won the title, the battle is now on to secure second place. With two games to go, if Chelsea win here then it will be theirs. In fact, with nearest rivals Arsenal having to beat Doncaster in a 2pm kick off just to keep things alive, it could all be decided before the Blues' game even begins.

FA Women's Super League 2
London Bees v Yeovil Town @2pm - although in the division below, this game is of greater significance as it will play a huge part in who wins the title. Yeovil are currently top on goal difference, just ahead of Bristol City. Third place Everton are also only two points behind and there are two games to go. A win would seem to be a must for the Glovers.

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. 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.

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

TLFG: 17-23 October 2016

After two glorious weeks of getting out and about and watching some live games, I've been back on late shifts missing out on all the fun.

However, I will be off to watch Harrow Borough again on Tuesday after they managed to come from behind in the FA Cup to secure a replay against Margate in Kent. The stakes are high as the winners will earn a place in the First Round where they could draw a lucrative tie against a League One or Two club.

SCEFL side Fisher are holding a Community Day at their new ground on Saturday

I've also never been to Hartsdown Park so I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time by the seaside and will be making a bit of trip of it as I have a couple of days off. I'm already eyeing a visit to the mysterious Shell Grotto...

In other news, Fisher are holding a community day on Saturday when they play Deal Town. They've recently moved to a new ground back in the area where they originally come from and are doing all they can to get local people interested. The Salter Road facilities look good and have Canary Wharf and the rest of the Docklands skyscrapers as a stunning backdrop. If you're in the area, check them out.

I've also heard from West Ham fan Robin who is part of a group of supporters who are trying to petition the Mayor of Newham to help them relocate the West Ham Supporters Club venue from Upton Park to Stratford. Apparently, the supporters club raise money for various charitable causes and this is becoming more difficult following the move to the London Stadium. Click the link above if you want to find out more.

Lastly we've got another guest ground review from Australian reader Nick Guoth who paid a visit to big spending Greenwich Borough as they took on VCD Athletic in the FA Trophy. Here's what he had to say:

GUEST GROUND REVIEW

GREENWICH BOROUGH

by

Nick Guoth

Greenwich Borough have moved back to the Royal Borough of Greenwich after an eight-year hiatus. Through some good work from the chairman and a lengthy deal struck with Cray Valley PM, the ground-sharing will continue for some period into the future. The ground is easy to get to via a number of different methods of transport and there is ample parking on site. I used a bus from Lewisham.

The entry was £10 as Greenwich are a Ryman League team and once inside, the ground is fenced off with six-foot picket-style fencing, coloured in red and black - Greenwich colours. On the building that is the clubhouse there are two large painted banners, one in green and black for Cray and one in red and black for Greenwich. 

There are two stands, one on the northern side which is standing only, called the "Family Stand", and a somewhat larger one on the southern side with has four rows of seats primarily coloured red and back alternatively with a green set in the middle of the stand. There is also a small shop near the entry where one can purchase replica shirts and old programmes. Finally, about 30 minutes prior to kickoff, the team sheet is handed out to any spectators who are interested, a worthy touch not commonly found at other grounds.

This game was a replay from the 1-1 draw at Old Road, Crayford on Saturday in the FA Trophy. I think VCD Athletic win the toss as they kicked down the hill. The ground is sloped more than any other I have seen so far with probably a drop of about three to four feet between the eastern end and the western end. Primarily, the game was played in the two defensive/attacking areas of the park as long ball was the plan of both teams. Early on the home side broke the deadlock. An intelligent cross-field clearance from the right back was brought down and from the parried shot the ball fell to Denness who could have tapped in, but chose to slam the ball into the empty net from one yard out.

It appeared that with the slope and, what appeared to be momentum, Greenwich would continue and see the game out. However, a cross from the left was met well by Newby who headed past the Greenwich goalkeeper to tie up the scores with 20 minutes left. Then, 10 minutes later, an error from one of the defenders, too high up in the opposing half and with no real understanding of what to do with the ball, led to the winner. Having stripped the ball, the VCD players took it down the right. Stevenson made an unchecked, darting run into the box, received the ball and beat the Greenwich keeper at the near post. As he had done in the Saturday match Stevenson was the hero for VCD.

The game itself, as I mentioned before, tended to rely on long-ball throughout. The midfield rarely obtained a touch, if they existed at all. However, late in the game it was a surprising that VCD started to play the ball on the ground and I feel that their work through that method generated the first goal and assisted somewhat in the second. The last 10 minutes were tense and typical of a cup tie but probably the better team won.

ED - thanks a lot Nick. We'd love to hear from any other TLFG readers who want to send in a brief ground review. Get in touch by one of the methods outlined at the bottom of the page if you do.

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THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well over 100 matches in the London area over the next week with the Premier League and EFL taking centre stage. The FA Vase is back and there are games in several county and minor league cups too.

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 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 (white 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.

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).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, 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.

Monday 17 October

Professional Development League
Millwall v Crystal Palace @2pm - the Lions' U23 side kick things off again this week with this interesting derby against the Eagles. According to the blurb I've seen it's being played at Bromley's ground but confirm with the club before you travel

Ryman League Premier Division
Kingstonian v Enfield Town @745pm - the early kick-off in the match above could see you catch two games on Monday with this Ryman League game being the pick of the non-league action. The K's groundshare with AFC Wimbledon so you'll get the chance to visit an EFL ground too

Ryman League Division 1 North
Aveley v Phoenix Sports @745pm - the visitors have just lost top spot to Cheshunt but only on goal difference and they have two games in hand. A win here will put them back in control but Aveley are play-off contenders themselves so it will be tough

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Tuesday 18 October

Championship
Fulham v Norwich City @745pm - the biggest match of the night sees leaders Norwich pay a visit to Craven Cottage but they haven't won there since 1986
Queens Park Rangers v Bristol City @745pm - just up the road in Shepherd's Bush, QPR also face a tough evening as they host fifth-placed City

League One
Millwall v Bolton Wanderers @745pm - both sides were fancied to do well this season but while the Lions have faltered, Bolton have kept themselves in the top three

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Harlow Town @745pm - despite being the biggest club in the division, Dulwich are woefully inconsistent at the moment with only one win in five. However, when it clicks it clicks as Lowestoft, Folkestone and Grays discovered

Essex Senior League
Barking v Waltham Forest @745pm - the hosts have recently claimed top spot and with several games in hand on most of their rivals it's looking really good for them. However, fourth-placed Forest are one of the few teams who have played fewer games and might realistically be their main challengers

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Wednesday 19 October

Champions League
Arsenal v Ludogorets Razgrad @745pm - next up for the Gunners are the Bulgarian league champions who have come to dominate their domestic competitions following a takeover by Kiril Domuschiev in 2010. Despite this, Arsenal should take all three points with relative ease.

Uefa Youth League

Arsenal v Ludogorets Razgrad @1pm - if you're in town for the game above, you can see the sides' respective U19 sides battle it out at Boreham Wood's ground at lunchtime

Middlesex Senior Cup First Round
Hendon v Wembley @745pm - for me, the best non-league game features these two local rivals whose grounds both afford views of the national stdium
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Friday 21 October

FA Vase First Round
FC Elmstead v Sporting Club Thamesmead @745pm - get your weekend of football watching underway with some cup football in Bromley as two clubs from south-east London look to take another step towards Wembley

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Saturday 22 October

Premier League
Arsenal v Middlesbrough @3pm - on paper this should be a comfortable win for the hosts but they only scraped past a weak Swansea outfit on Saturday so must avoid complacency at all costs
West Ham United v Sunderland @3pm - now two games unbeaten, the Hammers are slowly pulling away from the bottom three. The Mackems are winless and rooted to the bottom so anything less than victory will be close to disastrous

Championship
Brentford v Barnsley @3pm - both made decent starts to the campaign and consequently find themselves in the top 11 and well placed for a tilt at the play-offs. However, things have gone badly wrong for the Tykes in recent weeks and they're now winless in five

League One
Millwall v Fleetwood Town @3pm - there's not too much of interest about this midtable match other than the fact that the Lancashire club have never won at The Den but that's been made a lot harder by the fact that they've only played there once

National League
Dagenham & Redbridge v Macclesfield Town @3pm - the Daggers have had some big games in recent weeks and face another one here. At the moment the hosts are two points off top spot in second but the visiting Silkmen will draw level with them if they win

National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough v Maidenhead United @3pm - the game of the day in the NLS pits third versus first. I saw the Beavers play about six weeks ago and they gave a great account of themselves as they beat St Albans. The Magpies will be a different proposition though and are already five points clear at the top with one league defeat from 14 so far this season

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v AFC Sudbury @3pm - the top five have already formed a group which seem to be pulling away while, at the time of writing, Dulwich and Sudbury represent the best of the rest. Locked together on 18 points, at least one of them will try and keep pace with the leaders

Ryman League Division 1 North
Phoenix Sports v Bury Town @3pm - it's a big week for Phoenix who will come into this game as leaders if they can get something out of their match against Aveley on Monday. Bury are currently third and have a game in hand so might even be top themselves by teatime on Saturday - huge game

Southern League Division 1 Central
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Barton Rovers @3pm - from a TLFG point of view, Ashford are leading the charge for honours in this division. Having been promoted last season, they're up in the top six and doing well. Barton are fourth so victory here would be impressive and great for morale

FA Vase First Round - this competition features sides playing in the ninth, tenth and, in a few cases, eleventh tiers. It is open to clubs all over the country with the final at Wembley. Although this is the 'First' round, there have been two qualifying rounds previous to this one. The winning club in each tie receives  prize money of £675 and the losers £225. At this stage there are still over 200 teams in the draw so there's a long way to go yet.

Abbey Rangers v Tunbridge Wells @3pm - I think I'm right in saying that this is the first year Abbey Rangers have entered the Vase and they've done really well to get this far already. On Saturday they welcome the beaten finalists from 2012-13. The Kent club are steeped in history having been around since 1886 so it will almost be like having royalty come to visit
Walton & Hersham v Thame United @3pm - two of the form teams from the Combined Counties League and Hellenic League meet at Stompond Lane in this tie. W&H were once one of the greats of non-league with an FA Amateur Cup win in 1973 and several notable runs in the FA Cup. Now playing way down in the ninth tier following relegation last season, they're looking to get back on track
Wembley v Desborough Town @3pm - what better way to watch an early round game than in the shadow of the national stadium itself? It's always worth going to see a match at Wembley if they're playing in an FA competition just to be able to see the gleaming arch over the east stand. This match is also a fine one on paper too as second in the Spartan South Midlands League host third in the United Counties League

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Sunday 23 October

Premier League
Chelsea v Manchester United @4pm - for most of the 21st century these two teams have been the dominant powers of the English game. However, times have changed as money and success has gone to other clubs. Not only did they both fail to win the Premier League last season, neither qualified for the Champions League and Chelsea failed to get into Europe at all. Although it's still early days, neither are in the top four again. However, a win for the Blues and a set of freak results elsewhere could see them end the week back on top

FA Vase First Round
Wadham Lodge v Hertford Town @2pm - the alternative to the glitz of Stamford Bridge can be found at Wadham Lodge Sports Ground up in the wilds of Walthamstow. The hosts have so far failed to show the form that propelled them to a top-six finish in last season's Essex Senior League but should be more than capable of giving Hertford a game

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. 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.

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

TLFG: 10-16 October 2016

For the second week running I managed to spend my Saturday afternoon at a real live football match.

After enjoying Harrow Borough's FA Cup win over Winchester last week, this time I found myself at Champion Hill for the Ryman League fixture between Dulwich Hamlet and Bognor Regis Town.

The south-east London club had decided to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street and the Spanish Civil War by holding a 'Trade Union Day' with the members of any union gaining entry for just £4 (a discount of 60%). 

I've never really been into the whole union thing but at my place of work it's the done thing to join and I signed up just over a year ago. So with membership card in hand, I went to claim my discount.

Having been to Dulwich several times over the last few years, I've become used to having to join a sizeable queue at the turnstiles (unlike at many other non-league grounds) as their various promotions have really captured the local community's attention.

A large crowd packed into Champion Hill on Saturday as Dulwich's Trade Union Day promotion paid off

Bognor, one of the better teams in the division, brought a sizeable following of their own and were in good voice throughout and they had reason to be as they gave an accomplished performance which saw them run out 3-1 winners. 

Despite defeat, the crowd of 2,217 and the funds they injected into the club's coffers probably softened the disappointment.

The Hamlet have had their detractors over the last two or three years for becoming too hipster, too middle class, too politically left wing or whatever but some might say so what? During that period they've gone from being just another club to the biggest one in the league with their average attendance of just under 1,000 almost double that of anyone else in the Ryman Premier. To be fair, you can't even accuse the new fans of being glory hunters as they haven't won anything during that time. 

When you also consider clubs like Crystal Palace and Millwall are on their doorstep and Chelsea aren't a million miles away, to get these crowds is even more of an achievement.

Maybe things were a little too political yesterday for many clubs and some fans but it worked because Dulwich seem to understand their audience and know how to use the tools that will help them reach them.

I believe that in the current footballing and economic climate, more clubs should be able to grow in a similar way but it does take vision, a strong connection with the local community, manpower, a willingness to do things differently and the commitment to see things through. As friends at Dulwich have told me, this success hasn't happened overnight.

Harrow Borough, my own favourites, have started to try and boost attendances too with some promotions of their own. On Saturday they decided to offer half-price entry to anyone going to England v Malta at nearby Wembley Stadium. To make sure this would work for all parties, they brought forward kick-off in their match against Billericay to 1pm. Although the crowd was nothing like that at Dulwich it was probably about 30-35% up on what they've been getting for most games this season which is significant.

If any other clubs want to do something, a great way to start is by trying to exploit an international break when there are football fans - stadium going and armchair - who will be without their normal clubs and a percentage of them will definitely want to watch something else instead. The next one is on Saturday 12 November so if your club are interested, you've got just over a month to pull something together. Please ask if you'd like any advice or suggestions.

That's it from me. Sadly I'm working this weekend otherwise I'd be at Earlsmead for Harrow's hugely important FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie against as yet to be decided opposition. Come on the Boro!

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well over 90 matches in the London area over the next week as the Premier League and Championship make their return. The FA Cup is back, there are some FA Trophy replays as well as games in several county and minor league cups.

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 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 (white 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.

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).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, 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.

Monday 10 October

Professional Development League
Millwall v Leeds United @2pm - the U23 sides of these two former top-flight clubs meet at The Den in a lunchtime game with adult tickets priced at £5

Combined Counties League Premier Division
Sutton Common Rovers v Westfield @745pm - SCR have made a disappointing start to the season and face a tough challenge from Woking-based Westfield who will go top if they win their two games in hand

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Tuesday 11 October

Professional Development League
Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town @1pm - there's more U23 action at Selhurst Park which means you can catch a game at a Premier League ground for £5

FA Trophy Preliminary Round Replay
Greenwich Borough v VCD Athletic @745pm - after fighting out a 1-1 draw on Saturday, these two clubs from south-east London have another go on Tuesday

Ryman League Division 1 North
Phoenix Sports v Haringey Borough @745pm - elsewhere on the south-east side of town Phoenix have made a superb start to the season and are already five points clear at the top, see if they can extend that lead here

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Wednesday 12 October

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Hadley v Edgware Town @745pm - the hosts did superbly well to get to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup before bowing out to Eastbourne Borough after a replay. Consequently they've fallen behind with their league fixtures and are at the wrong end of the division but they are still above local rivals Edgware going into this derby

Essex Senior League

Sporting Bengal United v Clapton @745pm - there's another derby at Mile End Stadium but this time of the East End variety. The Tons usually take a strong and lively following with them which should generate a bit of atmosphere

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Thursday 13 October

FA Trophy Preliminary Round Replay
Carshalton Athletic v Cray Wanderers @745pm - after thrashing out an entertaining 3-3 draw in the original tie on Sunday, these two Ryman League rivals will hopefully provide another entertaining game on what is an otherwise quiet night UPDATE (12/10/16): MATCH POSTPONED

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Friday 14 October

Premier League 2
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City @7pm - the weekend gets underway with this very attractive looking game between the respective U23 sides of the top two teams in the Premier League. Tickets for the game, being played at White Hart Lane, are just £5 but it would seem they are only available until 5pm on Friday afternoon so buy in advance
Arsenal v Southampton @7pm - if Spurs aren't your bag, then you can catch their arch rivals' youngsters in action the same night up at Boreham Wood where the Saints' highly talented side pay a visit

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Saturday 15 October

Premier League
Chelsea v Leicester City @1230pm - the Blues have, by their high standards, made a disappointing start to the season and are already five points off title pace. On Saturday they welcome the reigning league champions who have so far struggled to replicate that form but will no doubt be well up for this one
Crystal Palace v West Ham United @530pm - these two London rivals have almost swapped the roles they played at the end of last season with Palace now pushing towards the Europa League places and the Hammers fighting the drop. It is of course early days but the visitors badly need a win
Arsenal v Swansea City @3pm - the Gunners could go top with a win against the struggling Swans who welcome new manager Bob Bradley into the dugout

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Reading @3pm - QPR return from the international break with a tough derby game against the Royals who are fancied to be among the play-off contenders this year

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Swindon Town @3pm - after an iffy start to life in the third tier, the Dons have upped their game and are now only two points off the play-off places, the form guide suggests they should win here

League Two
Leyton Orient v Luton Town @3pm - the O's are a club in trouble and are going through managers like they're going out of fashion. They were a penalty shoot-out away from a place in the Championship a couple of years ago but now they look all set for a dramatic fall into non-league football if things don't pick up soon. The visiting Hatters know full well what that feels like after a very traumatic decade but they're on their way back up and start as firm favourites

FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round - this is the final round before the pro clubs from League One and League Two enter. It is therefore absolutely massive for the 64 non-league clubs who've made it this far - in some cases it could be the biggest game in their history. With £12,500 awarded to the winners of each tie, the gate receipts from a larger than normal attendance and the promise of a potentially even bigger pay day in the next round, the incentives to progress are huge

Sutton United v Forest Green Rovers @3pm - the U's have landed the toughest opposition they could've drawn with National League leaders FGR coming to Gander Green Lane. It will be tricky but Sutton should take confidence from the fact that they drew their away league game against the Gloucestershire outfit
Dagenham & Redbridge v Wealdstone @3pm - in many ways this tie appeals to me more than the one above as it pits two TLFG clubs from the far east and west of London against each other. The Daggers were a Football League club this time last year and look like strong contenders to bounce straight back up. The Stones play in the division below but cheered on by a sizeable and vocal following, should make life hard for their hosts
Boreham Wood v Hendon @3pm - these two are local rivals and used to meet regularly in the Ryman League but after a few truly great years, the Wood are now two divisions above the Greens in the National League. Given this and the fact they have home advantage it should be a foregone conclusion but with Hendon having already seen off the likes of Dulwich Hamlet and AFC Rushden & Diamonds it might not be
Welling United v Whitehawk @3pm - the FA Cup has provided the Wings with some relief from their otherwise disappointing season. Relegated into the National League South at the end of last season, they are in danger of going down again but have bagged nine goals in their two ties so far to raise spirits. Whitehawk are a much tougher proposition than Swindon Supermarine and Whyteleafe were but are also among the NLS strugglers so can be beaten
Harrow Borough v Margate @3pm - the draw has been kind to Boro so far, landing them lower division opposition in the three previous rounds. Given who they could've got, they've been pretty lucky again. Margate won the Ryman Premier play-offs a couple of years ago and, with some significant investment behind them, looked like a club who could be going places. That financing ended last season and they're no longer quite the side they were. However, as they play in the division above Harrow, they should still start as favourites here
Egham Town v St Albans City @3pm - hailing from the eighth tier, the Sarnies are one of the lowest ranked teams left in the competition and it's been 25 years since they last reached this stage so this is really big for them. The Saints play two divisions above and are among the promotion contenders so it will be quite an upset if Egham win

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. 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.

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

TLFG: 3-9 October 2016

"Saturday, what a day" - as the theme tune to Happy Days used to tell us.

For me, it was one of the best Saturdays for a long time despite having to get up at 3.45am for work!

However, the good thing about that was that it got me out in time to actually watch a live game but more on that later.

As a QPR fan, one of the main events of the season is the derby with west London rivals Fulham. Yesterday we came up against them in a lunchtime game (meaning I couldn't go), with many Rangers fans expecting the worst.

Not only have the Cottagers completely dominated us in recent years with several wins by four goals or more, we were heading into the game on the back of yet another unwelcome scandal, still to be proven, this time surrounding our manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. 

The Dutchman's name has been dragged through the mud this week after corruption allegations were made about him in the Daily Telegraph (all vigorously denied by JFH). With recent results having also been iffy, many QPR fans had their knives sharpened and were ready and happy to give him the boot, especially if Fulham got one over on us again.

Harrow Borough (red) go close during their FA Cup match against Winchester

What transpired was quite remarkable. The hosts were awarded but then missed an early penalty. QPR took the lead through a striker who hasn't been able to score for toffee since signing in January. Fulham equalised through an even more ineffectual frontman before Rangers weathered some heavy pressure and then nicked a late goal to lead 2-1. But the drama didn't end there as the Cottagers won and then missed another penalty with the final kick of the game. Cue scenes of wild celebration in the away end!

While all this was going on, I was making my way out to the suburbs of north-west London where I grew up to go and watch Harrow Borough, my other football love, host Winchester City in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Things start to get serious at this stage of the competition with clubs well aware that only 180 minutes of football separate them from the First Round Proper and ties against the likes of former Premier League clubs like Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United. 

With £7,500 up for grabs just for winning Saturday's tie, the money on offer in the FA Cup is huge to sides who play further down the pyramid.

On paper Harrow were the stronger team, playing a level above their opponents who had made a not inconsiderable journey up from Hampshire.

However, it was the visitors who took an early lead from the penalty spot and then went on to have much the better of the first half to lead 1-0 at the interval.

Whether the conditions or the slope on Harrow's pitch played a part I don't know but the second half was almost one-way traffic with Boro pushing for an equaliser.

Member of a trade union? You'll get in for £4 at Dulwich on Saturday

Despite seeming to have most of the play, they didn't really create any great chances until the closing stages when Shaun Preddie equalised from a corner and then Ibrahim Meite won it deep into injury time with a composed finish from a cross.

When I used to watch Harrow regularly, they were always woeful in the FA Cup but they've done pretty well over recent years reaching the First Round in 2010 (losing to Chesterfield) and the Fourth Qualifying Round again two years ago.

With all the National League sides entering at the next stage, there are going to be some big names waiting to be picked in Monday's draw. With the competition still regionalised at this point, Harrow won't be able to draw Tranmere Rovers but former Football League clubs like Dagenham & Redbridge, Aldershot, Maidstone and Torquay are all a possibility as is a derby against local arch rivals Wealdstone which would be quite something!

Well that was my Saturday - I hope yours was good too.

Next weekend I'm intending to go to Dulwich Hamlet v Bognor Regis Town. There's another international break and the hosts are offering a special deal to get new people in. Harrow Borough have also got something planned too - see the Daily Digest towards the foot of the page for the details.

Talking of Dulwich, our friends at 'Two Men In Search Of The Beautiful Game' recently went to check out their game against Hendon - you can read about it here.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Despite there being an international break there are still 90 matches in the London area over the next week with a World Cup qualifier and games in the EFL, FA Cup, FA Trophy and several county and minor league cups.

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 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 (white 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.

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).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures

Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, 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.

Monday 3 October

Essex Senior League
Tower Hamlets v Sporting Bengal United @745pm - there's only one game on but it's a bit of treat as the two inhabitants of Mile End Stadium meet for this local East End derby

----------------------------------------------------

Tuesday 4 October

Checkatrade Trophy - this competition features League One, League Two and, controversially, U23 sides from 16 Premier League and Championship clubs. We're still at the group stage at the moment and tickets are very cheap with adult tickets at between £5-10 for most games.

AFC Wimbledon v Plymouth Argyle @745pm - the Dons have voiced very strong concerns about the introduction of U23 sides to this competition and even urged their fans to stay away from their last match. This one should be a bit better attended as it's against, in their view, a more bone fide opponent. They're also enjoying a decent unbeaten run at the moment but nothing like that of League Two leaders Argyle who have only lost once this season
Millwall v Gillingham @745pm - with the Gills located just outside south-east London this is effectively a derby. Last season these two were promotion rivals and you'd expect them to do well again this time but neither have really got going yet

National League
Bromley v Woking @745pm - this match already has the feel of a relegation 'six-pointer' about it as both have made disappointing starts. Given this is a national division, this can fairly be described as a derby too as the Cards are another club who live just outside TLFG's catchment area

FA Cup Third Qualifying Round Replay
Egham Town v Faversham Town @745pm - with the fourth qualifying round draw taking place on Monday, the winners of this should know who their opponent will be. With several former Football League clubs in the draw, it could mean a big payday for the victors

Combined Counties League Cup
Raynes Park Vale v Colliers Wood United @745pm - it's A3 derby time again and it's already the second meeting of the season for these two local rivals. The last match just over a month ago ended in a 2-2 draw

Essex Senior League
Barking v Barkingside @745pm - as the names would suggest these two don't play a million miles apart so it's a derby. It's also a good chance to take a look at Barking who have recently moved into top spot


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Wednesday 5 October

FA Cup Third Qualifying Round Replay
Hadley v Eastbourne Borough @745pm - the match of the night, for me, takes place up in Barnet where ninth tier Hadley have done amazingly well to get to this stage of the competition (a club record). Having drawn with their sixth-tier opponents away from home on Saturday, it would be quite a story if they made it through here

Ryman League Division 1 South

Walton Casuals v Dorking Wanderers @745pm - the Stags are spending this season groundsharing with Whyteleafe which is a whopping 16 miles (25km) from where they're from. Despite this upheaval, they've made a good start and welcome the current league leaders on Wednesday

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Croydon v AFC Croydon Athletic @745pm - there seems to be loads of good derbies this week and this is no exception with the visitors already four points clear in the SCEFL

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Friday 7 October

U23 Professional Development League
Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest @2pm - if it's a lunchtime bargain you're after, get along to Loftus Road for 2pm where it's free to get in

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Holmesdale v FC Elmstead @745pm - get your weekend underway with some Friday night football down near Bromley. It's a midtable clash but the clubs groundshare meaning there will be that little bit more at stake

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Saturday 8 October

World Cup Qualifier
England v Malta @5pm - the post-Sam Allardyce era begins in earnest this week with the Three Lions taking on one of Europe's smaller nations at Wembley. It should be a cakewalk even for this England side and tickets are still available

League Two
Leyton Orient v Portsmouth @3pm - with it being an international break, this is only EFL game taking place in the capital but it's a pretty decent one with Pompey likely to bring a large following

National League
Sutton United v Woking @3pm - newly promoted Sutton were up with the leaders a few weeks ago but have become a bit inconsistent and have dropped back into midtable. However, a win in this Surrey derby could put them back in contention for a play-off place

National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough v Poole Town @3pm - I saw the Beavers in action on Non-League Day and was very impressed as they took St Albans apart. They've kept things going nicely and are second going into this match against another top-five side

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Bognor Regis Town @3pm - these sides last met in last season's play-off semi-finals which Dulwich won. So far this season, Bognor have made the brighter start but it should be close. A big crowd is expected, especially as the hosts are holding a 'Trade Union Day' so if you're a member of a union and turn up with your membership card you'll get in for just £4.
Harrow Borough v Billericay Town @1pm - the other deal of the day is to be found at Earlsmead where kick-off has been brought forward to allow anyone with a ticket for England v Malta to pop down there first (it's a five-minute train ride from Wembley) and get in for £5.

FA Trophy Preliminary Round - this knock-out cup competition, with its final at Wembley in May, is contested by teams in the fifth to eighth tiers. This is the opening round and features sides from the eighth tier only. 

VCD Athletic v Greenwich Borough @3pm - the hosts had a great couple of seasons a few years back and climbed from the Kent League up to the Ryman Premier in quick time. They lost their manager and went back down to the Ryman North. Greenwich play in the parallel Ryman South and are the new team on the up, something made possible by some recent big investment from new owners. They are a club to watch but won the SCEFL title last season with virtually no-one watching - they must be careful to do things sustainably or they will almost certainly become another non-league boom/bust club
Chipstead v Kempston Rovers @3pm - like the FA Cup, the Trophy allows teams to come up against sides they would never normally play. On Saturday the Chips welcome last season's United Counties League champions who have made a flying start to life in the Southern League. With only one defeat in 10 league games so far, they are going to be tough to beat
Whyteleafe v Cheshunt @3pm - with the Leafe making a disappointing start, this game is again more about the visitors who are well placed to mount a play-off challenge in the Ryman North


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Sunday 9 October

FA Trophy Preliminary Round
Cray Wanderers v Carshalton Athletic @3pm - this tie between two sides from the Ryman South looks like a fine way to end the week. Not only are they from the same division but they're just two points apart in sixth and seventh so appear well matched too

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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.

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