Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.
Thankfully I made it to my big birthday on Tuesday and I celebrated it with, among other things, a trip to Loftus Road to watch QPR for the first time this year.
My running buddy Liam managed to get hold of a couple of free tickets right behind the goal in the School End, which is one of my favourite places to sit.
Sadly, the R's couldn't build on their fine draw with leaders Sunderland and promptly got stuffed 4-1 by Middlesbrough.
I say stuffed, it was 2-1 until pretty late in the day and the two goals at the end made things look worse than I believe they actually were.
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| Actonians travelled to Norwich City on Sunday |
Don't get me wrong, all is not well in the state of Denmark and QPR have since gone bottom following another loss to Leeds, but I don't share the despair of many others.
Also, I was incredibly lucky this week to receive an invite from Athletic Bilbao to attend their big derby with Real Sociedad in a couple of weeks time.
When I received the WhatsApp message from one of their directors, I was blown away and couldn't quite believe it - it's going to be quite an experience!
I hope to take in a couple of other lower league games while I'm there too.
The week ended on a real high with a day trip to Norwich to watch Actonians' big top-of-the-table clash against the Canaries at The Nest.
They defended stoutly and counterattacked well and recorded a hugely important 2-1 win to go two points clear at the top.
Coming into the season, avoiding relegation was my main priority so to be top with the halfway mark approaching at the end of the month was and is totally unexpected.
Next up they host bottom club Ashford Town but follow it up with the visit of Real Bedford who are now second and looking formidable - they are the only unbeaten side in the division.
Anyway, I'm just going to savour today for as long as possible - it was great.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week sees the latest international break, meaning there's no Premier League or Championship matches this week. We do, however, have a big Nations League match between England and Ireland at Wembley, fixtures in League One and League Two, the EFL Trophy, National League Cup and lots of FA Trophy and other non-league games.
It's also a great weekend for watching women's football with most teams affiliated to a men's club playing at their main stadiums so there are great, cheap opportunities to visit the likes of Stamford Bridge, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, The Valley and Loftus Road.
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.
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 - turquoise 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 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 11 November
Isthmian League Cup Third Round
Carshalton Athletic v AFC Croydon Athletic @745pm - the Robins enjoyed a thrilling 4-3 win over high-flying Billericay Town on Saturday to move up to ninth in the league. This should make them strong favourites against a side who are 10th in the division below. The winners will play Leatherhead or Westfield in the next round.
Tickets
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Tuesday 12 November
EFL Trophy
Charlton Athletic v Bromley @7pm - the Addicks have got off to a perfect start in Southern Group C with back-to-back wins over Cambridge United and Chelsea U21s. Next up they face near neighbours Bromley who are competing in the competition for the first time following their promotion from the National League. With one win and one defeat, they're bottom of the group.
Tickets
National League Cup
Wealdstone v Southampton U21 @7pm - things were starting to look really dire for Matt Taylor and the Stones but they're definitely moving in the right direction. With 10 points from their last four league games and a superb win at Grimsby Town in the FA Cup, they're now only a point adrift of safety. The only reverse in the last few weeks came in their opening group game of this competition which they lost 2-0 to Fulham U21s.
Tickets
National League South
Boreham Wood v Truro City @745pm - the hosts missed a golden chance to move within two points of the play-off places by surprisingly losing to bottom club Aveley on Saturday. Now five adrift of the top seven, they'll hope to get something out of this game in hand to cut the gap. It's unlikely to be easy though as Cornish club Truro are only being kept off top spot by goal difference.
Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Chertsey Town v Basingstoke Town @745pm - there have been some big games between these two in recent years. In 2022 they both made the Isthmian League South Central play-offs where the Curfews thrashed Basingstoke 4-1 in the semis before bowing out themselves in the final. The following year Basingstoke won the title to get promoted to this level and Chertsey followed them up as champions a year later. The Hampshire club could move into the top five with a win here while Chertsey are looking to build a cushion between themselves and the bottom four. Tickets will be available on the gate, online ones have yet to go on sale
Isthmian League South Central
Hanworth Villa v Harrow Borough @745pm - the hosts have made a disappointing start to November losing both their league games and going out of the Middlesex Senior Cup on penalties to North Greenford United who play a level below them. As a result they've slipped to 10th. It's been a disappointing week for Boro too who narrowly lost both of their big league matches to fellow promotion contenders Kingstonian and Farnham Town. Still fourth, they could get back up to third with a win here.Tickets are £11 on the gate
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Wednesday 13 November
Isthmian League South Central
Kingstonian v Sutton Common Rovers @745pm - five wins on the trot have elevated the K's to second and made them Farnham's main rivals for the title. Now four points behind but with a game in hand, this match against struggling SCR presents them with a great chance to reduce the deficit to just one point. Tickets are £10 on the gate
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Thursday 14 November
Professional Development League
Millwall v Sheffield Wednesday @12pm - it's all about youth and development football on Thursday with this U21 game at The Den the best of what's on offer. Both clubs are in midtable.
Tickets are £5
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Friday 15 November
ECL Division 1 South
Cannons Wood v Rayleigh Town @745pm - the hosts continue to be the top club in this division from TLFG's catchment area. Currently fourth, third place is within their grasp. Rayleigh are a top eight club themselves and they could move level with the top five with victory. Tickets will be available on the gate for £7
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Previews for 16-17 November to follow
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.
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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