Welcome one and all to this week's TLFG.
How has your week been?
After the excitement of my trip to Norwich last weekend, I've had a quiet week with lots of time spent at work.
I did get time to put together the programme for Actonians' game against Ashford Town on Sunday and I thought I'd choose the photo I included in last week's blog to feature on the front cover.
It showed star striker Dior Knorr holding off a defender during the win at The Nest and I thought it would look good.
Not much more than an hour before kick-off this afternoon, the news broke that Dior had signed for third-tier club AFC Wimbledon to break A's fans' hearts and ruin my programme!!!
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| Millwall welcome leaders Sunderland to The Den on Saturday - tickets |
She only turned 18 in October and after only three months with us her obvious talents have catapulted her up a tier already - all the best to her but I hope she doesn't spend the rest of the campaign on the bench for the Dons and miss out on what could've been a potentially brilliant season with us.
If only we could have kept hold of her until the end of the month as we play Real Bedford in a top-of-the-table clash next Sunday which is going to be really tough without her.
Oh well, that's football and we won the game against Ashford without her but they are bottom.
Sadly I won't be at that big game as I'll be heading out to the Basque Country to do a bit of ground hopping.
The current plan is to see the derby between Sestao and Barakaldo on Saturday night, another game to be decided on Sunday afternoon before the big one between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad on Sunday night - I can't wait!
Lastly this week I'd like to pay tribute to James McMahon who sadly passed away this week.
He was a reader of this blog and gave some great feedback over the years.
I was particularly excited by this as he used to be the editor of legendary metal magazine Kerrang! which I used to read avidly as a teenager.
He was only in his early 40s and when the news broke a few months ago that he had cancer it was a terrible shock.
This disease is often a cruel rollercoaster, offering real hope one moment and then crushingly awful news the next as I experienced first hand with my Mum.
According to his social media posts, James seemed to be making some progress and then it all seemed to go downhill quite quickly.
His wife has set up a collection to raise money for a group which helps people with OCD which James also had during his lifetime - it's raised almost £10,000 already.
He was a big Doncaster Rovers fan but also took a shine to Walthamstow whose ground I believe he lived quite close to.
A prolific podcaster on music and the supernatural, he has produced hours of entertaining content.
I don't really know how to end this section, other than to say make the most of the time you have as it could end at any moment.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week sees the Premier League and Championship return after the latest international break.
Alongside this we also have games in League Two, the National League and all our other local non-league competitions.
In midweek, we have some big games in the Women's Champions League and FA Youth Cup.
The week comes to an end with a bumper programme of women's football which includes matches in the next round of the Women's League Cup and Women's FA Cup, not to mention a top-of-the-table clash featuring Actonians in the fourth tier.
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 18 November
Isthmian League Premier Division
Carshalton Athletic v Potters Bar Town @745pm - level on points and sitting just outside the play-off places this looks like being an important game for both as they push for a spot in the top five. Neither side had a great weekend with the Robins only drawing at struggling Bognor while PBT got thrashed 4-0 at home by Cray Wanderers who were also in the bottom three.
Tickets
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Tuesday 19 November
League Two
AFC Wimbledon v Accrington Stanley @745pm - three points adrift of the play-off places, the Dons have three games in hand and a win here against Accrington will put them seventh at Grimsby Town's expense. Lancashire club Stanley are down in 18th but have only lost two of their last 10 games against Wimbledon so would appear to be a bit of bogey team.
Tickets
National League South
Welling United v Weymouth @745pm - four straight defeats in the league have seen the Wings slip into the bottom six in this sixth-tier division. On Saturday they suffered the ignominy of losing at home to lower-division opposition in the FA Trophy as their bad form continued. On Tuesday they face a huge game against a side in the relegation zone. Sadly for them, Weymouth's form is improving. The Dorset club are unbeaten in six league games and beat the division's leaders Weston-super-Mare in the FA Trophy on Saturday to cause a bit of an upset. It looks like it could be another tough evening for Welling, especially if they lose.
Tickets
Isthmian League Premier Division
Wingate & Finchley v Chatham Town @745pm - both these sides made the play-offs last season but were ultimately unsuccessful as Enfield Town went up. Amazingly, of the two, it's relative minnows Wingate who are right up there and challenging again. They come into this in third after winning 2-0 at Whitehawk on Saturday. The Chats haven't been nearly as impressive and are down in 12th. Their weekend fixture saw them lose on penalties to Slough Town in the FA Trophy.
Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Rayners Lane v Harrow Borough @745pm - the Boro have had a disastrous November, losing five league games on the bounce, several against their promotion rivals. They're now down to eighth and badly need a win to stop the rot. Only a point adrift of the play-off places, they're still in contention so all is not lost. On Tuesday they travel to very near neighbours Rayners Lane whose ground you can walk to in around 20 minutes from Earlsmead. The Lane are new to the division following promotion and are six points behind in 13th. Tickets are £10 on the gate
FA Youth Cup Second Round
Leyton Orient v Whitehawk @7pm - last year Barking made all the headlines as they fought their way from the qualifying rounds all the way through to the Third Round of this U18 competition. This year their hopes of repeating the feat ended in the First Round where they lost to Whitehawk. The Sussex club entered in the Preliminary Round and have so far beaten Chipstead, Three Bridges, Worthing, Kingstonian and the Blues. The O's only entered in the previous round where they beat Aldershot Town. The winners will host AFC Fylde in the next round. Tickets will be £4 on arrival
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Wednesday 20 November
UEFA Women's Champions League
Chelsea v Celtic @8pm - we've got a Battle of Britain to enjoy at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as Sonia Bompastor will look to extend her 100% record as Blues manager. Their new French boss has seamlessly picked up where Emma Hayes left off and has arguably taken the side to an even higher level. On Saturday they beat main WSL title rivals Manchester City 2-0 to go two points clear at the top with a game in hand. Prior to that, they won the reverse of this fixture against Celtic 2-1 in Glasgow to stay top of their Champions League group. Overall, it's 10 wins out of 10 and looking pretty great.
Tickets
Essex Senior League
Ilford v Barking @745pm - for me, the best non-league option of the night looks like this east London derby at Cricklefields. The Foxes haven't made the best start and are in the bottom six whilst the Blues could break into the play-off places with a win here. Tickets will be available on the gate
FA Youth Cup Second Round
Bromley v RB Kensington @745pm - the visitors are another side on the verge of achieving something momentous in this U18 competition. Like Whitehawk, they've battled through from the Preliminary Round beating Hayes & Yeading United, Slough Town, Hemel Hempstead Town, Jersey Bulls and Sheringham. As the academy of a League Two club, the Ravens only came in in the previous round where they beat Woking. Can RBK do it again? A trip to Stoke City awaits the winners.
Tickets -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday 21 November
UEFA Women's Champions League
Arsenal v Juventus @8pm - it's all down the Emirates on Thursday night as the Gunners take centre stage. Since the departure of Jonas Eidevall on 15 October, Arsenal have gone unbeaten in six. Their last three games have been really impressive as they've beaten Brighton, Juventus and Spurs and scored 12 goals without reply in the process. Calls are growing for interim boss Renee Slegers to take over on a permanent basis. Given they won 4-0 in Turin last week, a home win looks highly likely here too.
Tickets
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Friday 22 November
Premier League Cup
Bromley v Bristol City @7pm - the Ravens are entering this U21 competition for the first time this season. It's still in the group stage at the moment but with only one win, they're third in their group and could do with another victory here.
Tickets
U18 Professional Development League Cup
Brentford v AFC Wimbledon @8pm - it's a very similar story at Wheatsheaf Park in Staines where a Bees side who are third in their group go in search of a win to boost their chances of qualification. However, this time they're playing a Dons side who are top.
Tickets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previews for 23-24 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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