Welcome to this week's TLFG, it's great to have you here.
How has your football watching been over the last few days?
Since watching Harrow Borough lose to Hanworth Villa last Saturday, I managed to get to watch them again at Rayners Lane in the Middlesex Senior Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.
I've wanted to go to Tithe Farm for a game forever - despite having grown up in the area, I'd never actually been to see a game there which is quite bonkers when you think I've seen matches thousands of miles from home!
The sides play less than a mile apart but for possibly the first time in history, are now in the same division and close together in midtable.
Rayners Lane were in better form coming into it and are the reigning cup holders so when they took an early lead, it looked ominous.
Thankfully, Harrow equalised swiftly and the game was closely contested until the break.
Early in the second half, the hosts retook the lead but had a man sent off shortly after.
Boro made use of the extra man and equalised relatively quickly but couldn't find the breakthrough and the tie went straight to penalties after the 2-2 draw.
With Harrow having come through several shoot-outs already this season, confidence was reasonably high but their efforts were pretty atrocious and they lost 4-1.
Game two of my week came today (Sunday) and saw me trek eastwards to Forest Gate for a women's match.
With Actonians' first and reserve teams not playing and their Thirds starting too early for me to get to, I opted to watch Clapton CFC's derby against Hackney in a cup match.
CCFC play at the Old Spotted Dog which is London's oldest ground and therefore an absolute must visit for fans who have an interest in the history of the game.
Fan-owned, the supporters have been funding and co-ordinating gradual improvements to the ground but it's still rough round the edges and packed with quirks and charm - it's one of my very favourite.
Their women's side were expected to win this tie and they duly did, despite the bobbly surface and dazzlingly sunny conditions.
The fans were in full voice as always and there's a very good chance I'll be back here to watch their men's team on Non-League Day (22 March) when they entertain Croydon.
I spent Non-League Day here in 2015 when I went to watch the original Clapton side (it's complicated) fight out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ilford in front of nearly 800 fans.
Hopefully we'll see a similarly massive crowd and lots of drama this time too.
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's highlights include games in the Premier League, EFL, National League, Women's Super League, Women's FA Cup, Women's National 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 3 March
National League South
Aveley v Salisbury @745pm - the most meaningful game of the day takes place at Parkside. The Millers are rooted to the bottom of the table in this sixth-tier division and time is running out. With 11 games to go, they're 10 points adrift of safety. On Saturday they lost 2-1 at home to Hampton & Richmond Borough to make it eight defeats from the last 10. Salisbury are in the bottom six and with only one win from 10 are in poor form too. Lose this and you fear it may all be over, if it isn't already.
Tickets
Premier League 2
There are two games in this U21 competition on Monday with
Crystal Palace hosting
Arsenal at Sutton United (
tickets) and
Fulham playing Nottingham Forest at Motspur Park - check admission details with the club on the day. Both games start at 7pm
Professional Development League
Brentford v Swansea City @1pm - there's also a lunchtime kick-off in Staines in this other U21 competition. The Bees can go top of Group South if they win this match at Wheatsheaf Park.
Tickets -------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday 4 March
Championship
Millwall v Bristol City @745pm - the Lions made the headlines for all the wrong reasons on Saturday as goalkeeper Liam Roberts got sent off for an horrific challenge in the early stages of their big FA Cup tie at Crystal Palace. Unsurprisingly, they went on to lose 3-1. Returning to league action, they need to win this to keep their play-off hopes alive. Seven points adrift of the top six with a game in hand, they can still do it. Their chances will be improved greatly if they can beat the Robins as they're one of the group of five teams between themselves and where they want to be.
Tickets
League One
Charlton Athletic v Barnsley @745pm - the Addicks won their huge derby at Leyton Orient to move above them into the top six. Their cracking results has now put them second in the form table too. After a bit of a wobble, the Tykes are starting to build some momentum. Three wins in a row have lifted them to tenth, four points behind Charlton in what is a tight promotion race. When they last played in October, it finished 2-2.
Tickets
League Two
Bromley v Doncaster Rovers @745pm - it was also a great derby day for the Ravens on Saturday as they won 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon. It saw the Dons slip out of the top four but moved the Hayes Lane club up to 10th. Seven points adrift of the play-off places, they still need a lot of results to go their way if they are to make the post-season. Doncaster should give them an even tougher test than Wimbledon as they're in the top three but Bromley beat them 1-0 in Yorkshire back in October.
Tickets
National League
Barnet v Yeovil Town @745pm - the Bees kept themselves in pole position in the fifth tier with a solid 3-0 win at Oldham Athletic, a side with promotion ambitions of their own. Six points clear with 11 games to go they could still blow it but their form would have to spectacularly collapse. Somerset club Yeovil were a Championship side as recently as 2014 but they fell all the way down to the sixth tier over the course of a miserable decade. Back up a division, this season has been about consolidation with Saturday's draw against Southend keeping them in eleventh.
Tickets
Isthmian League Premier
Cray Valley PM v Hendon @745pm - for me, the game of the day in the seventh tier is this match at the Artic Stadium. This weekend's results would seem to suggest that the title race is probably going to be between Billericay Town and Dartford with only one of them going up automatically. The play-offs are contested by the teams in second to fifth and CVPM are currently fourth. Personally, I think fourth is probably the highest they will finish although mathematically they could do a bit better than that. At the other end of the table, the Greens fought out a highly entertaining 3-3 draw with Hashtag United. Although they salvaged a point, they remained five points adrift of safety with 10 games to go.
Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Hanworth Villa v Farnham Town @745pm - in the eighth tier I recommend a trip to Rectory Meadow. The hosts have this knack of really going through the gears in the latter stages of a season to get into play-off contention and they seem to be doing it again. Their 1-0 win over Sutton Common Rovers on Saturday put them top of the division's form table just in time to play the leaders who are now 10 points clear. Hanworth are also one of only two teams to beat Farnham so far this season so the Surrey club could be in for a tougher night than usual. Tickets are £11 on the gate
SCEFL Premier
VCD Athletic v Whitstable Town @745pm - the Vickers kept themselves one point clear at the top of this ninth-tier division by winning 5-0 at Hollands & Blair on Saturday. Nearest challengers Faversham also won to keep the pressure on. To make sure they stay top, they have to beat Whitstable. The Kent club had a very dramatic Saturday afternoon, coming from 2-0 down to beat Whitchurch Alport 3-2 with a last-minute goal as they made the FA Vase semi-finals for the first time. As a result of that cup run, they've got games in hand which, if won, could put them firmly in the top five. I'm not certain of ticket prices but it shouldn't exceed £10
CCL Division 1
Hillingdon Borough v Westside @730pm - if you fancy a tenth-tier game then treat yourself to a trip to the Middlesex Stadium near Ruislip. The hosts have struggled over the last few years but this season they're making a real go of it and will start this match in sixth. With games in hand on all of the top five, a place in the play-offs looks like a very real possibility. Westside, another rather unheralded team, are having a great campaign and could end the evening a point adrift of second place Penn & Tylers Green. Tickets are £6 on the gate
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Wednesday 5 March
Women's Super League
West Ham United v Manchester City @7pm - the Hammers went into Sunday's game at Arsenal as huge underdogs. Having only beaten the Gunners once, not much was expected of them. That statistic didn't change but they gave it a great go. Leading 3-1 going into the 56th minute, a disastrous six-minute spell saw them concede three goals to end up losing 4-3. They slipped to ninth as a result. City were also in the capital on Sunday and came away from Brisbane Road with a 2-1 win over Spurs to remain fourth. West Ham have also only beaten City once in their history so the odds are stacked against them again. This is being played at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Tickets Chelsea v Leicester City @730pm - Sunday saw the Blues show a rare moment of weakness as they had to come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw at Brighton. With Manchester United winning, their lead is now down to five points. On paper, a home game against the Foxes looks like a certain win but the Midlands club are the only other side to have held Chelsea this season, drawing 1-1 shortly before Christmas. This is being played at Kingsmeadow.
Tickets
SCEFL Division 1 Cup
Lewisham Borough v Forest Hill Park @745pm - there are several games in the eighth and ninth tiers but few are likely to be as lively as this groundshare derby in south-east London. These two have been co-habiting at the Ladywell Arena for a few years now, with the derby between them coming to be known as the Catford Classico. The build-up seems to be a little muted this year, perhaps because FHP are now a much stronger side than previously and come into this as leaders of the division. Whatever happens, there should be a decent atmosphere for a tenth-tier game. I'm not sure of prices but it should be in the £6-8 region
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Friday 7 March
Premier League Cup
Chelsea v Ipswich Town @7pm - I couldn't find any senior football on Thursday - you can dig around for some junior games if you're interested but I sadly don't have time this week. So we move straight to Friday and this U21 match at Kingsmeadow. We're through to the knockout stages of this competition now with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
Tickets
Isthmian League South Central
Sutton Common Rovers v Ashford Town (Middlesex) @745pm - there's a relegation six-pointer at Carshalton Athletic's ground. Both sides have struggled all season and find themselves six and seven points adrift of safety respectively. With 10 games to go, it's looking pretty bleak for both of them. Tickets are £11 on the gate
Essex Senior League
Woodford Town v Benfleet @745pm - the hosts seem to have been second for months. However, if they win here, they will go top until at least Saturday afternoon. If it does happen, they'll be two points clear but will have played three games more than Stanway Rovers so it will be a little false. Benfleet are in the bottom five but in no real danger of relegation so it will be interesting to see how they approach the game. Tickets are £7 on the gate
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Previews for the 8-9 March 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.
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