TLFG: 13-19 January 2020

Greetings and welcome to the latest edition of TLFG - I hope you're well.

I've been really pushed for time this week so I'm going to keep this bit brief.

This week's piece has most of the normal features so you won't be lacking info but I don't have that much to say on a personal level.

However, big congratulations are in order to Aveley and Sutton Common Rovers who gave two of the performances of the week in the FA Trophy and FA Vase respectively.

Tickets for Tottenham's cup replay at their new stadium are only £20

SCR's win means they are now the only London club left in the competition, whilst Aveley are the only club from within the M25 to have so far made it through to the next round (there are a couple of replays pending).

The Millers are one of the lowest ranked teams left in the Trophy and they've beaten several 'superior' teams to make it through six rounds and into the last 16.

Former EFL clubs like Notts County, Stockport County and Yeovil Town will all be waiting for them in Monday's Third Round draw so let's see what happens.

Lastly, many thanks as always to those who have donated to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund. It makes writing this even more worthwhile so many, many thanks.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next few days include games in the Premier League, EFL, FA Cup, FA Trophy, Women's Super League and loads of other matches in our local non-league competitions. 

As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs. 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 (orange 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.

Donate to TLFG's coffee-drinking fund here

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.

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - blue pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

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 13 January

Professional Development League
Charlton Athletic v Millwall @1pm - the week begins with some U23 action at Dartford's Princes Park stadium. I'm not sure of the admission cost but it won't be more than £5

Isthmian League North
Aveley v Bury Town @745pm - the best non-league game of the day takes place at Parkside where two of the division's top four go head-to-head

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Tuesday 14 January

FA Cup Third Round Replay
Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough @745pm - after only managing a draw at the Riverside, Spurs entertain Championship club Boro at the THS. If you haven't been to their new ground, now's your chance as tickets are on sale to non-members and they're only £20

FA Trophy Second Round Replay
Barnet v Farsley Celtic @745pm - the Bees face opposition from Yorkshire as they look to make further progress down a more realistic road to Wembley. Farsley play one level below Barnet so should start as underdogs. Tickets are £15

Isthmian League South East
Cray Valley PM v Whyteleafe @745pm - the hosts won the SCEFL and made it to the FA Vase final last season. They've adjusted to life at the higher level really well and are in the top four again. Fellow south London club Whyteleafe are also challenging for promotion so this should be a decent contest

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Wednesday 15 January

FA Women's League Cup Quarter-Finals
Arsenal v Reading @7pm - the biggest crowds of the day will probably be found in women's football. The tie of the round pits the reigning Super League champions and current leaders against another one of the country's top four. Adult tickets are only £7 if bought online in advance or £10 on the gate
Chelsea v Aston Villa @7pm - in the other match to be played in London, the Blues should start as strong favourites against Villa who play in the division below. However, the Midlands club are top of the Championship and come into this match in great form. Adult tickets for this match are only £3

Isthmian League Premier Division
Cray Wanderers v Hornchurch @745pm - the oldest club in London welcome the Urchins to Hayes Lane as two of the division's top six look for crucial points to help with their promotion push. The visitors bowed out of the FA Trophy on Saturday after surprisingly losing at home to Aveley. As a result of their cup exploits they have four games in hand on most of the top six, meaning they could go top if they win them all

A bit further afield
In the FA Youth Cup, Chelsea U18s entertain their counterparts from Bradford City at Aldershot Town's ground. The Blues youngsters have dominated this competition in recent years but didn't win last season and will want to regain their crown. Tickets shouldn't be more than £5

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Thursday 16 January

London Underground League
This competition sees teams from each of the network's lines and associated TfL teams fight for glory at the 4G facility on Market Road near Caledonian Road station. Matches take place at 4pm and spectators are very welcome. There are usually a couple of fixtures a week - check the league's Twitter feed for all the latest. On Thursday, London Overground play the Elizabeth Line

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Friday 17 January

Championship
Fulham v Middlesbrough @745pm - after playing Spurs on Tuesday, you wonder whether Boro will be staying in London for this game otherwise it's going to be a pretty punishing schedule for the Teesside club. After a poor start to the season, Jonathan Woodgate's side are on a great run of form and an inconsistent Fulham will have to be careful. Tickets are available to non-members

Premier League International Cup
Arsenal v Leicester City @7pm - if you'd prefer a cheaper option, head to Boreham Wood's ground for some U23 football. This competition features clubs from all over Europe and is currently at its group stage
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Saturday 18 January

Premier League
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur @1230pm - the Hornets looked dead and buried before Nigel Pearson came in. They're now one of the division's form teams and moved out of the relegation zone on Sunday with a very comfortable 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Bournemouth. With only one win from their last five games, Spurs could well become Watford's next victims. Tickets are not available to non-members
Arsenal v Sheffield United @3pm - the Gunners' disappointing season continued on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. The result leaves the north London club 11 points adrift of the Champions League places which the visiting Blades are looking the more likely of the two to crack into. The Yorkshire club have made a superb return to the top flight and are still in the top six with well over half their games played. Tickets are not available to non-members
West Ham United v Everton @3pm - over at the Olympic Park we've got the David Moyes derby as the current Hammers' manager prepares to take on one of his former clubs. The Irons lost to Sheffield United in their last game to leave them just one point above the relegation zone. The Toffees also have a new boss in the dugout and things are improving steadily under Carlo Ancelotti. Tickets are available to non-members

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Leeds United @1230pm - after losing the derby match to Brentford, QPR face another big game against title chasing Leeds. Last season, a pretty mediocre Rangers side really raised their game when playing Marcelo Bielsa's team and beat them 1-0 as Luke Freeman gave a virtuoso display. Speaking to a Leeds fan I know, they have a pretty poor record against London clubs in recent seasons and have only won on three of their last 10 visits to W12. Tickets are on sale to non-members but you must have been on QPR's ticket database prior to 23 December
Millwall v Reading @3pm - no such restriction will be in place for the kind of derby between the Lions and Royals. Millwall are one of the smallest clubs in the division so they're doing really well to be in the top eight in mid-January. Their form is a little inconsistent unlike Reading who are on a decent unbeaten run after a poor start - it could well be close. Tickets are on sale to non-members

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Peterborough United @3pm - the Dons narrowly lost at Portsmouth on Saturday as they failed to pull well clear of the relegation zone again. With only one win from their last five, they're only two points above the bottom three. Posh are once again going for promotion and they're currently one point outside the play-off places. It looks like being a tough afternoon for the hosts. Tickets are on sale to non-members

National League
Barnet v Dagenham & Redbridge @3pm - there's a crosstown derby in the fifth tier where the Bees will look to take all three points off a struggling Daggers side. The Essex club parted company with former England boss Peter Taylor a couple of weeks ago and they'll be hoping things improve under his replacement Daryl McMahon

National League South
Welling United v Hungerford Town @3pm - talking of new managers, the Wings have just installed former Braintree and Enfield Town boss Bradley Quinton to try and stave off relegation. The south-east London club are bottom of the form table and just above bottom club Hungerford in the real table which means this game is huge for both

Isthmian League Premier Division
Carshalton Athletic v Wingate & Finchley @3pm - my MOTD in the seventh tier is this one as it's highly important for goings on at either end of the table. At the time of writing, the Robins are fourth and are London's top ranked Isthmian League club. Wingate are rock bottom and you wonder if this is the year when they finally fail to stay up - with tiny crowds, they've been punching above their weight since getting promoted nearly 10 years ago

Isthmian League South Central
Hanwell Town v Westfield @3pm - there's only one place to be on Saturday if you're into eighth-tier football and that is Reynolds Field where the current top two do battle for the leadership of the division. Located a few minutes walk from Perivale Tube station on the Central Line and just off the A40, this is an easy ground to get to

CCL Premier Division
Sutton Common Rovers v Spelthorne Sports @3pm - it was hard to pick a game in the ninth tier but I've gone for this one after having a closer look at the league table. Although way down in 11th, SCR have three games in hand on most of those above them because of their great run in the FA Vase. After winning at Christchurch on Saturday, they are now the only London club left in the competition and will hope to emulate former Combined Counties League side Chertsey who won it last year. Spelthorne are in the top four but will be caught by SCR if they win those games in hand

SSML Division 1
New Salamis v Shefford Town & Campton @3pm - again there is no real standout fixture at this level on Saturday but this one between two of the division's top five should provide some reasonable fare. It's also being played at Enfield Town's ground so the facilities are pretty good

MCFL Premier Division
Clapton CFC v London Samurai Rovers @2pm - these two fought hard for promotion last season and both eventually came up. Much has been written about the large crowds the hosts get and they drew another one of 563 on Saturday for the visit of PFC Victoria - the highest 11th tier attendance in the country. Both have ambitions of doing well again this season so I expect another significant turnout here
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Sunday 19 January

FA Women's Super League
Arsenal v Chelsea @2pm - the game of the day in the WSL is this big London derby between the leaders and the side in third. The Gunners are currently three points clear at the top after thrashing Brighton 4-0 in Sussex on Sunday whilst Chelsea are only four points behind with a game in hand. The Blues were ruthless in beating Bristol City 6-1 at the weekend as the Robins' woeful defence let them down again. Adult tickets are only £7 if bought online in advance or £10 on the gate

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 in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

NEED HELP?

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!

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