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| There's now less than two weeks to go until Non-League Day |
There's loads coming up this week so fill your boots! Apologies for any errors.
THE WEEK AHEAD
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 March
Premier League
West Ham United v Newcastle United @8pm - the Hammers may be in the bottom five but two wins in a row have effectively guaranteed their place in the top flight for another season. Now 16 points clear of the relegation zone, the bottom three are miles behind. With four defeats from six, the Magpies' hopes of a top-four finish have taken a knock but they're not out of it by any means. A win here would leave them just two points away from the Champions League places. They also have the EFL Cup Final to look forward to at the end of the week so it will be interesting to see if there is any dip in performance levels in this one. Tickets
National League South
Aveley v Worthing @745pm - a 1-0 defeat at title chasing Boreham Wood saw the Millers end the weekend bottom and 11 points adrift of safety with nine games to go. Increasingly, it's looking like the best they can hope for is to beat fellow strugglers Weymouth in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon. It's not going to get any easier here as visitors Worthing went top on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Chesham United. When the two last played in November, it was the Sussex club who won 2-1 but the winner came right at the death. Tickets
Essex Alliance League Senior Division
Lymore Gardens v Frenford Development @8pm - there's an important game way down in the 11th tier too. The hosts, who play at Redbridge, are currently second but have three games in hand which will put them joint top. Frenford are a top five side themselves who could finish as high as second if they have a good run in. Tickets are £5 on the gate
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Tuesday 11 March
League Two
AFC Wimbledon v Cheltenham Town @745pm - the Dons got back into automatic promotion contention with a hugely important win over Notts County on Saturday. Now fourth and two points behind Doncaster, this game in hand will put them into the top three if they win it. The visitors are midtable, four without a win and haven't won at Wimbledon since 2012 so another home win looks likely here. Tickets
U21 Development games
If you're looking for an afternoon game or want to see two matches on Tuesday then head to The Den where Millwall host Watford in a Professional Development League game at 2pm (tickets). Also, in the evening, there's a Premier League Cup match between Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers at Dartford's ground at 7pm where it's £5 on the gate
National League South
Enfield Town v Hampton & Richmond Borough @3pm - the Towners kept their Great Escape bid on track with a valuable 2-1 win at Salisbury on Saturday. The three points moved them above Welling and St Albans and out of the relegation zone. St Albans still have a game in hand so there's no margin for error at all. Here they play a midtable Hampton side whose season is effectively over and with five defeats from their last six, it looks like they've kind of given up too. Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Chertsey Town v AFC Totton @745pm - since beating Poole in mid-January, the Curfews' form has dropped off a cliff. Two wins from the following nine games, has left them three points above the relegation zone. Saturday's 3-1 win at Basingstoke was huge for the club and they'll want to build on that here. Hampshire club Totton are second but their title hopes to a big hit with a 3-1 loss at Wimborne over the weekend. As a result, they badly need to win this. With former QPR and Southampton striker Charlie Austin in their squad, they should be tough to beat. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Hayes & Yeading United v Uxbridge @745pm - in the eighth tier we've got a local derby between two sides who are battling to go up. Fifth and fourth respectively, these two still need wins to keep themselves in the play-off places as other local rivals Hanworth Villa keep the pressure on below them. The hosts are in marginally better form and the pair fought out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture. Tickets are £12 on the gate
CCL Premier South
AFC Whyteleafe v Tadley Calleva @8pm - the Leafe followed up their momentous FA Vase win over Bourne Town by losing a thriller 4-3 at Sandhurst Town. The result left the six points behind leaders Redhill and could prove terminal to their title challenge given Jersey Bulls are ahead of them too. Here they welcome a side who sit just outside the play-off places in sixth. Although 11 points behind fifth-placed Fleet, all is not lost as they have five games in hand on fourth placed Cobham. Even if they win all those, it's still going to be tough to finish fifth so they can't afford to lose here. Tickets are £8 on the gate
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Wednesday 12 March
UEFA Champions League
Arsenal v PSV Eindhoven @8pm - with the Gunners winning the first leg 7-1 in the Netherlands, it's quite hard to make this last-16 tie sound exciting. Last year was the first time the north London club had made it to the quarter-finals since 2010 so to get there again will be quite an achievement. Both sides are second in their respective countries - oh I'm really running out of things to say here. If you're going - enjoy! Tickets are only available to members and their friends and family
Championship
Watford v Swansea City @745pm - the Hornets would've been three points off the play-off places if they'd beaten Millwall on Saturday but they let a lead slip and lost 2-1. Now six points adrift, it's going to be tough to break into the leading group. The Swans were looking very shaky for a bit but 10 points from six games has steadied the ship in midtable. When they last played in November, it was the Welsh club who won 1-0. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Kingstonian v Southall @745pm - the K's are second and were the closest challengers to leaders Farnham. Sadly, they lost their top-of-the-table clash 4-0 and they've only won one of the following four games. With Farnham now 12 points clear, it appears Kingstonian's main priority now is holding onto their play-off place as we go into the last part of the season. Southall finished fourth last season following promotion but they're way off that form now. Down in 14th, a midtable finish looks almost certain. Tickets are £10 on the gate
SCEFL Premier
Stansfeld v Erith & Belvedere @745pm - with one win in 10, things are looking a bit worrying for the hosts. In the bottom four and five points above the relegation zone, they need to start winning soon. Now out of the FA Vase, the Deres can concentrate on the league again. With nine games to go, the promised land of the play-offs is still eight points away so they're going to have to do something special to make it. I'm not sure of prices but it should be in the £8-10 region
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Thursday 13 March
UEFA Europa League
Tottenham Hotspur v AZ Alkmaar @8pm - out of all the domestic cups, this European competition presents Spurs with a final chance of salvaging their season. After losing the away leg 1-0, it's not going as smoothly as it could be but it's not a lost cause either. Spurs came from behind to draw 2-2 with AFC Bournemouth on Sunday whilst the visitors haven't played since these sides met in the Netherlands last week. Tickets are available to members and those with a previous purchasing history
UEFA Conference League
Chelsea v FC Copenhagen @8pm - after winning the first leg 2-1 in Denmark, it looks like the competition favourites are a shoo-in for the quarter-finals. Having won all nine of their Conference League games up to this point, the Blues look pretty unstoppable. Tickets
League Two
Bromley v Walsall @8pm - randomly we've got a fourth-tier game too. The Ravens would have found themselves just two points off a play-off place if they'd beaten lowly Tranmere on Saturday but they lost and are now back in 10th. The Saddlers have been top for ages but their form is dipping at a really bad time. Winless in four, they're now only two points clear of Bradford City. They still have an eight-point cushion between themselves and the play-off places but they'll want to avoid having to rely on it. Tickets
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Friday 14 March
Premier League 2
West Ham United v Leicester City @7pm - the Hammers have the chance to go second in this U21 league if they beat the Foxes. The Midlands club are in the hunt for a top-four place themselves so it should be a decent contest. The match is being played at West Ham's training ground and tickets are usually £5 on the gate
Isthmian League South Central
Ashford Town (Middlesex) v Hayes & Yeading United @745pm - we've got a derby to enjoy in the eighth tier. It's also an important game at either end of the table. At the time of writing (both sides have games on Tuesday), Ashford are five points adrift of safety whilst H&YU and trying to seal a play-off place. Although a derby, this is being played at Cobham whilst Ashford await their new pitch. Tickets are £10 on the gate
Essex Senior League
Woodford Town v Little Oakley @745pm - as of Tuesday morning when I'm writing this, Woodford are top but second placed Stanway Rovers only need to draw their midweek game with struggling Stansted to replace them. Little Oakley are down in ninth and have little to play for. Tickets are £7 on the gate
Previews for the rest of the week 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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