TLFG: 23 December 2024 - 5 January 2025

Greetings one and all and welcome to TLFG's Christmas and New Year Special - I can't believe it's that time of year again.

Below you will find match maps for the next two weeks showing where to find all the men's matches in the top 11 levels of the game and all the women's ones in the top eight.

At the moment I've written previews up until this Friday 28 December and I'll endeavour to write some up-to-date ones for the weekend once Boxing Day is out of the way.

Interestingly, the games are quite spread out with only a few leagues having games on Boxing Day whilst others are only playing on weekends as usual.

There's no Premier League or EFL football in London this Saturday so it's a great opportunity to explore the scores of great non-league clubs which inhabit the city instead.

Barnet could go top if they beat Sutton United on Boxing Day - tickets

Sunday 29 December is when you'll be able to see the capital's top clubs with four Premier League and four EFL games scheduled for then.

I had great hopes of watching one or two games last week but I ended up seeing none.

Midweek football when you're on early shifts and have a young family is a challenge, with games on my doorstep at QPR the only really viable option and there weren't any this week.

On Saturday I was fairly certain I would go to watch the R's against Preston and a free ticket was forthcoming but I didn't as the opportunity to donate blood platelets and plasma came up instead.

For various reasons, donations fall at this time of year but the need doesn't as people still have accidents, fall unwell, have traumatic births or need ongoing treatment for a whole range of conditions.

Donation centres are open every day except Christmas itself so if you've got a couple of hours free, think about saving someone's life or making it a lot better - more info here.

Aside from that, Non-League Day 2025 planning continued with a catch-up meeting with charity partners Prostate Cancer UK.

I also had a chat with some of the team at Athletic Bilbao who provided me with a list of English clubs they want to work with on the day.

There's still loads to do and only three months to go but it keeps me going and I love it!

I'm hoping to make my first trip of the season to Harrow Borough on Boxing Day when they host local rivals Hayes & Yeading United in a derby. 

Where will you be headed?

With one game kicking off at 11am it will be possible to see two games on Thursday but be aware that most National Rail services including the Elizabeth Line and large sections of London Overground will not be running but Tube and bus services should be fine - full details here.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The highlights of the next two weeks include games in the Premier League, EFL, National League and loads of other matches in our local non-league and women's 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.

MATCH MAP 23-27 DECEMBER
Monday fixtures - yellow pin

Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin

MATCH MAP 28-29 DECEMBER
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin

MATCH MAP 30 DECEMBER-3 JANUARY
Monday fixtures - yellow pin

Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin

Friday fixtures - black pin

MATCH MAP 4-5 JANUARY

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 23 December

Isthmian League North

Walthamstow v Haringey Borough @745pm - all eyes turn towards Wadham Lodge on Monday as the Christmas feast of football gets underway with this north London derby in the eighth tier. Sadly neither side are pushing for the title but with two games in hand, the 'Stow could well get themselves into the play-off race. Haringey suffered relegation from the Isthmian Premier last season and are in the bottom three again so they badly need to get something here. Tickets are £10 on the gate

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Thursday 26 December

Premier League

Chelsea v Fulham @3pm - the biggest game of Boxing Day is this derby between two very near neighbours at Stamford Bridge. Both sides come into this on the back of disappointing 0-0 draws with Everton and Southampton respectively. Despite this, the clubs are having good seasons with the Blues in second and the Cottagers challenging for a top-eight finish. The smart money in these games is always on Chelsea as they have utterly dominated these derbies in recent years, losing just once in 25 games. Tickets have sold out but if you're absolutely loaded, hospitality packages are still available from £950!

Championship

Watford v Portsmouth @3pm - Saturday's 2-1 loss at Burnley left the Hornets one point and one position outside the play-off places. On Thursday they face one of the division's bottom five but it could be tougher than a first glance might suggest as Pompey are side on the up. With 11 points from six games, they're in much improved form and their 4-1 thrashing of Coventry on Saturday showed what they're capable of. Interestingly, the sides haven't met at Vicarage Road since 2011 and on that occasion, Watford won 2-0. Tickets

League One

Leyton Orient v Crawley Town @1pm - in one of the day's earlier kick-offs, the O's will be looking to pick up their fourth win in five matches. Although down in 15th, they're only six points off the all-important top six so they've still got plenty to play for. Sussex club Crawley saw their recent run of good results end at Peterborough United and they'll arrive at Brisbane Road in the bottom four. Tickets

Charlton Athletic v Cambridge United @3pm - we've got a very similar match-up at The Valley where the midtable Addicks host a relegation-threatened side. Nathan Jones' team gave their fans an early Christmas present by beating Northampton Town 5-0 on Saturday, a result which leaves them only four points adrift of the play-off spots. Charlton are also unbeaten in nine games against Cambridge, with their last defeat coming way back in 1992. Tickets

League Two

AFC Wimbledon v Swindon Town @3pm - the Dons missed the chance to move into the top three on Saturday as they narrowly lost to promotion rivals Chesterfield. On Boxing Day they have a great opportunity to make amends as they play a troubled Swindon side who've spent most of the season at the wrong end of the table. However, they pulled off an impressive 3-1 win over Grimsby Town to send them into Christmas in the best of spirits. Tickets

Bromley v Newport County @3pm - the Ravens struggled to get to grips with life in the EFL in the opening months of the season following their promotion but now they've hit some form. Unbeaten in seven games and up to 13th, things are looking promising. Welsh club Newport are only a point behind and unbeaten in five themselves so this could be close. Tickets

National League

Barnet v Sutton United @3pm - the Bees lost top spot on Saturday as they could only draw with Halifax. Still level on points with new leaders York City, there's no need to panic. It's a different story for fellow Londoners Sutton though who are now winless in three and down to 13th after losing to Tamworth on Saturday. These two haven't played since 2021 and that occasion, Barnet won 2-0. Tickets

Dagenham & Redbridge v Braintree Town @3pm - the Daggers' mini revival came off the rails at struggling Wealdstone on Sunday as they were soundly beaten 3-0. They'll hope for much better against another one of the strugglers who make the journey down from northern Essex. Tickets

National League South

Aveley v Hornchurch @1pm - as we descend into the lower tiers, the number of derbies increases. The first being this one on the far east of town. Both of these sides were playing in the Isthmian League for years but now they're both in the sixth tier and usually draw a decent crowd for games like this. After a superb first season at this level, the hosts are really struggling this year and find themselves seven points adrift of safety coming into this. The Urchins won promotion at the end of last season and are 13th, well clear of the drop zone. Will the Millers enjoy a Christmas miracle? Head to Parkside to find out. Tickets

Enfield Town v Boreham Wood @3pm - the Towners came up with Hornchurch but have found the step up far more challenging. Level on points with Aveley in the bottom four, things are looking bleak for the north London side. Here they face local rivals who are unbeaten in 10 games and third in the league - an away win looks likely. Tickets

Isthmian League Premier

Cray Valley PM v Chatham Town @3pm - the game of the day in the seventh tier for me takes place at the Artic Stadium. CVPM won the Isthmian South East title last season and had a memorable run in the FA Cup which saw them take local EFL side Charlton Athletic to a replay. They've taken to this new level like ducks to water and find themselves in second after winning 4-2 at Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday. The Chats lost in the play-offs last season and after a slow start are back in the top six again. The hosts are five points behind leaders Dover but have a game in hand so a win here could be huge. A big crowd is expected, so much so that you will have to buy tickets in advance - there will be no sales on the day

Isthmian League South Central

Harrow Borough v Hayes & Yeading United @3pm - in the eighth tier, this local derby tops the bill. For more years than I can remember, Harrow have always played Hendon on Boxing Day but following last season's historic relegation they're now in different divisions so another old rival gets to visit. H&YU also suffered relegation to this level last season and the two are neck-and-neck just outside the play-off places coming into this. If all goes according to plan, this is where I'm planning to spend the day. Tickets are £10 on the gate

SCFL Division 1

Chessington & Hook United v Banstead Athletic @11am - if you want to see at least two games on Boxing Day then you're lucky enough to have this early kick-off in the 10th tier. Both sides are knocking around in midtable but it is a groundshare derby so should be worth a watch for that reason alone. Given the game should be finished by 1pm, you should be able to make quite a few of the 3pm kick-offs but Kingstonian and Walton & Hersham are closest. Tickets will be available on the gate

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Friday 27 December

Premier League
Arsenal v Ipswich Town @815pm - the Gunners warmed up for this game by emphatically beating Crystal Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park to stay third. Conversely, the Tractor Boys ended up on the wrong end of a big deficit as they lost 4-0 at home to Newcastle to go second bottom. The newly promoted side are going to have to do something special to stay up and something even more spectacular to win here. Their last league triumph over Arsenal in north London was in 1979. Tickets are only available to members whilst hospitality packages are available from £695

Essex Senior League

Woodford Town v Buckhurst Hill @745pm - the non-league pick of the night is the Roding Valley Derby in north-east London. These clubs are located just two stops apart on the Central Line so Ashtons should be well worth a visit as the hosts look to go top with a win. Tickets are £7 on the gate

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Previews for the 28 December-4 January to follow

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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