Greetings one and all and welcome to this week's TLFG.
After enjoying a 1-0 win for Actonians last Sunday, they ended up on the wrong end of that scoreline in their big derby with QPR today.
To make it even more painful, the goal came in the 88th minute.
Still without a recognised striker since Dior Knorr left for AFC Wimbledon in November, goals have really dried up.
With other teams tripping over each other to pull clear at the top, the A's are still only three points behind leaders Chatham but the chances of winning the title are slim as they've played more games.
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| There's now less than six weeks to go |
If by some miracle a striker does come in, then who knows?
Next up is a trip to Chesham United on Thursday night, a match I'm hoping to get to.
I really liked Amy Lane when I last went but that was in the 1990s so there will probably have been a few changes.
If I do go, it could herald a busy few days of match watching as I've got about 10 days off work but I'm sure Her Indoors will have other ideas, therefore I don't want to jinx things by saying where.
The women's North London Derby between Arsenal and Spurs at the Emirates on Sunday does look tempting though and I'd really like to take my eldest daughter who's seen the Gunners a few times but never at their HQ.
With now less than six weeks to go, Non-League Day preparations have also continued relentlessly with the match finder now ready to go.
OK, I think that's about it from me. I need to grab some food before heading to bed as I've got a 5am start for work.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's highlights include games in the Premier League, EFL, National League, Women's Super League and lots of other games featuring our local non-league and women's clubs.
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 10 February
Premier League 2
Fulham v Middlesbrough @7pm - the Cottagers have one of the best U21 sides in the country. Currently second in this 26-team division, they'll go level with leaders Manchester City if they win this. Boro are in the bottom three so a home win looks highly likely. This is being played at the club's Motspur Park training ground. Tickets are usually around £3 but I haven't found any info yet, check on the day
Isthmian League South Central
Sutton Common Rovers v Uxbridge @745pm - there's an important game at Carshalton's ground which will affect proceedings at either end of this eighth-tier division. The hosts are fighting the drop and come into this just three points adrift of safety. The visiting Reds, on the other hand, will go some way to cementing their place in the top four if they take home the spoils. Tickets are £11 on the gate
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Tuesday 11 February
Championship
Watford v Leeds United @745pm - the Hornets suffered the heartbreak of conceding a late equaliser as they could only manage a 2-2 draw at high-flying Sunderland on Saturday. It's not going to get any easier here as Leeds are top and unbeaten in five games against the Hertfordshire club. They did, however, lose at home to Millwall in the FA Cup in their last game so there's some hope. Tickets
League One
Charlton Athletic v Peterborough United @745pm - the Addicks' push for a play-off place stayed on track on Saturday as they beat Stevenage 2-0 at The Valley. Now in the top six, they're looking really good but the table is tight. With the three teams below them all within three points, they can't slip up if they want to stay in the top group. Posh are often among the promotion chasers but they're just one place above the relegation zone. They do have a four-point cushion but Burton, just below them, are in cracking form and could quickly reel them in. Tickets
Leyton Orient v Mansfield Town @745pm - the O's did themselves and the third tier proud with their battling performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup which saw them lose 2-1. It's now time for them to get back to the business of trying to break into the play-off places. Three points behind Charlton with a game in hand, their chances look good. The Stags are in midtable and lost home and away to the London club last season and haven't won at Brisbane Road since 2016. Tickets
League Two
AFC Wimbledon v Crewe Alexandra @745pm - the Dons would've moved into the top four on Saturday but they could only draw 0-0 with struggling Accrington Stanley as two important points got away from them. Next up they face a Crewe side who are only a point behind them in this incredibly tight battle for promotion - only five points separate the teams in second and eighth. Amazingly, the last five games between these two have ended in draws and current form suggests it could be the same again. Tickets
National League
Dagenham & Redbridge v Woking @745pm - both of these sides are woefully out of form and starting to drift towards the fifth tier's relegation zone. Both have only managed one win in their last six games, something which has left the visiting Cards just three points above the bottom four. When the sides last met in August, it was the Surrey club who edged to a 1-0 win. Tickets
National League South
Enfield Town v Welling United @745pm - the Towners looked dead and buried until very recently but eight points from their last four games, including a huge win at fellow strugglers Aveley on Saturday, have given them a fighting chance of staying up. Sitting at the top of the relegation zone, they need to catch the visiting Wings who are just above them. There is still a five-point gap, but Enfield have a game in hand so a win here will make a huge difference to either team. Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Chertsey Town v Walton & Hersham @745pm - there are some great looking games in the seventh tier but if I were to pick one to go to it would be this derby in Surrey. The sides last met in August in front of a bumper bank-holiday crowd as the Swans won a thrilling game 3-2. With the Curfews just two points above the relegation zone and the visitors in the top five, there's plenty to play for so it should be well worth a couple of hours of your time. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Raynes Park Vale v Kingstonian @745pm - it's also derby day in the eighth tier where two clubs who groundshare do battle. Both sides were without a game on Saturday so should come into this relatively fresh. RPV changed managers a couple of weeks ago in a move which surprised many, with new boss Hayden Bird beginning his reign with a 0-0 draw at Metropolitan Police. In the top seven and chasing a play-off place, they should provide a decent challenge to the K's. The tenants have had a great season and are now only three points behind leaders Farnham Town so will move level with them if they triumph here. Tickets are £10 on the gate
Essex Senior League
Barking v Takeley @745pm - on the east side of town, we've got a top-six clash in this ninth-tier league. The hosts need a win to move into the play-off places whilst Takeley could end the night one point behind leaders Stanway Rovers if they come out on top. Tickets will be available on the gate for £10
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Wednesday 12 February
Professional Development League
Brentford v Watford @1pm - if you want to see two games on Wednesday, then get yourself over to Wheatsheaf Park in Staines for this early kick-off. The Bees are currently third in the 11-team Group South of this U21 competition and have the games in hand to go well clear at the top. The Hornets have games in hand too, which if won would put them second so it's kind of a top-of-the-table clash. Although advertised on Brentford's website, tickets aren't on sale which is unusual so check all the details before you travel
Isthmian League North
Sporting Bengal United v Gorleston @745pm - SBU got thumped 4-1 at title challengers Brentwood on Saturday to remain stuck in the bottom two. Four points adrift of safety, they do have games in hand on all the teams immediately above them, so they do have a chance. Here they play a side who face a long journey down from Norfolk. Although only in midtable, they've built a decent seven game unbeaten run and look like being tough opponents. Tickets will be available on the gate for around £10
FAWNL Southern Premier
AFC Wimbledon v Watford @745pm - there's a busy programme of midweek games in the Women's National League too with this match at Raynes Park Vale's ground topping the bill. The Dons suffered a surprise home defeat to struggling Plymouth on Sunday as the Devon club had a day to remember (their men's side beat Liverpool in the FA Cup too). Staying in the top six, they face a local-ish rival who moved into the top four with a win at Gwalia United in Wales. The sides have already played twice this season with Wimbledon winning the away league fixture 1-0 but losing at home on penalties in the Women's FA Cup. A draw looks the most likely outcome here. Tickets
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Thursday 13 February
FA Youth Cup Fifth Round
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur @7pm - in the country's most prestigious U18 competition, we've got an enticing looking derby at Vicarage Road. The Hornets have beaten Oxford United and Crewe Alexandra to get this far whilst Spurs have got past Middlesbrough and Grimsby Town. A home tie against Southampton awaits the winners in the quarter-finals. Tickets
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Friday 14 February
Championship
QPR v Derby County @8pm - what better way to spend Valentine's Day than an evening at Loftus Road with possibly a pre-match meal in Nando's on Uxbridge Road if you really want to treat your significant other. After a couple of disappointing losses to Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall, the R's bounced back with a midweek win over Blackburn Rovers. There's a full round of midweek fixtures before this match but as it stands, QPR are 13th and only four points adrift of the play-off places in an incredibly congested table. The Rams, on the other hand, are in the relegation zone following a shocking run which has seen them win only one of their last 10 games. Tickets
Premier League 2
If you don't want to spend somewhere in the region of £30+ to watch a second-tier game, then maybe some U21 football would be more to your liking. There are two games in the capital on Friday night with Arsenal hosting Middlesbrough at Boreham Wood and West Ham United entertaining Blackburn Rovers at Rush Green. Both kick-off at 7pm. Gunners games are usually free at this venue whilst the Hammers usually charge £5
ECL Division 1 South
Barkingside v Basildon Town @745pm - the best non-league option of the night takes place at Cricklefields which is near Ilford in east London. The 'Side continue to fight the drop from this 10th-tier division. Sitting just one point above the relegation zone but having played more games than the three below them, things are looking perilous. Basildon are eighth and have an outside chance of the play-offs so they badly need a win too if they're serious about going up. Tickets will be available on the gate for around £7/8
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Previews for 15-16 February 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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