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
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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
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Saturday 23 November
Premier League
Arsenal v Nottingham Forest @3pm - I think it's fair to say that this season isn't going as well as the Gunners would've hoped. As we approach the end of November, they're on level points with Forest, a club who finished just above the relegation zone in 2023/24. To be fair, that probably says more about the fantastic job Nuno Espirito Santo is doing in the East Midlands than it does about anything else. The only team to so far defeat leaders Liverpool, they should head to the Emirates Stadium with plenty of confidence despite never having won there. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1989 for their last win at Highbury so it's been a while since they tasted success in this part of town. Tickets are only available to members and hospitality is almost sold out with the cheapest package at this stage £880
Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers @3pm - only a point behind Arsenal in seventh, the Cottagers are having a grand old time. If they win this match against one of the strugglers, they could end the day in the top four! However, Wolves have a decent recent record at Craven Cottage only losing on three of their last 10 visits - I still fancy a home win though. Tickets are available
Championship
Millwall v Sunderland @3pm - currently eighth, the Lions are on a better run of form than the Mackems who arrive at The Den as leaders. The club from the north-east could be well clear by now but three consecutive draws means they're now only top on goal difference. They've also failed to win on their last five trips to Bermondsey and this looks like being another tricky afternoon for them. Tickets
QPR v Stoke City @3pm - with only one league win all season, it's no surprise to find the R's rooted to the bottom. Now five points adrift of safety, after losing 2-0 at Leeds United in their last game, they badly need a win here. The Potters in 13th are about as midtable a club as it's possible to be and although they don't win many, they don't lose many either. This has a strong whiff of 0-0 about it. Tickets
League Two
AFC Wimbledon v Walsall @3pm - two of the top eight in the fourth tier meet at Plough Lane in what should be an entertaining game. The Dons scored twice at the death to steal a draw against Accrington Stanley in midweek, a result which saw them miss out on moving into the play-off places. The Saddlers are fourth and have games in hand on all of the top three so they look like formidable opponents. Tickets
Women's League Cup
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa @1215pm - if you're looking for an early game then head to Leyton Orient's ground which plays host to this women's match. Only a point apart in midtable, these sides should put on a decent display. They produced a 2-2 draw at Villa Park in the WSL earlier in the season and both won their opening group stage games in this competition. Whoever wins here will go top of Group E and tickets are available. For groundhoppers, you should be able to combine this with a local non-league game - the matches at Clapton CFC, Sporting Bengal United and Walthamstow would appear to be the easiest to get to
National League
Barnet v Woking @3pm - the Bees kept their place in the top three last weekend with a thrilling 4-3 win at Dagenham & Redbridge. Now only three points behind leaders Forest Green Rovers, they've a good chance of picking up another victory here. The Cards made the play-offs the season before last but slipped down to 17th in 2023/24. They find themselves in exactly the same position as they head to The Hive and they'll do well to get anything here. Tickets
National League South
Boreham Wood v Torquay United @3pm - game of the day in the sixth tier sees the ninth-placed Wood entertain a former EFL club from Devon. The Gulls, are in theory, too big to be playing at this level but it's where they find themselves. Currently fourth, they will be targeting nothing less than promotion this season. Tickets
Southern League Premier South
Walton & Hersham v Gloucester City @3pm - with only one defeat in five, the Swans are up in fourth in this seventh-tier division. On Saturday they welcome a team who are playing their first season at this level for the first time since 2009 following their relegation from the National League North. They've adapted well and are second going into this - it could be a cracker. Tickets are £12 on the gate
Isthmian League South Central
Raynes Park Vale v Ascot United @3pm - there aren't any obvious blockbusters in the eighth tier this weekend but this game at Grand Drive could be fun. With the title increasingly looking like a two-horse race between Farnham Town and Kingstonian, the battle for the other play-off places looks a lot closer. These two are in the hunt for one of those three places so it should be worth a watch as should prolific striker Jordan Gallagher, cousin of Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, who plays for the hosts. Tickets are £10 on the gate
CCL Premier North
North Greenford United v Amersham Town @3pm - in the ninth tier, two title contenders meet at Berkeley Fields. NGU come into this in third whilst the visitors are top. Amersham romped to the CCL Division 1 title last season and have now made their way to the top of this division after winning their games in hand which had built up after a great run in the FA Cup. Only three points separate them but Amersham have a game in hand. Tickets are £8 on the gate
ECL Division 1 South
Cannons Wood v Hackney Wick @3pm - the hosts play what seems like a rare home game on a Saturday. Currently the highest-ranked team in this division playing within the M25, they play a team who should be in that position. The Wickers are currently second and in a close title race with Harlow Town but they play all their home matches at Witham Town in Essex. On paper, the visitors should start as favourites. Tickets are £7 on the gate
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Sunday 24 November
Women's Super League
Chelsea v Manchester United @12pm - the action gets underway early on Sunday as Sonia Bompastor's all-conquering Blues look to extend their 100% record in all competitions. Trying to stop them are last season's FA Cup winners Manchester United. Although unlikely to challenge for the title, Marc Skinner's side are the only other unbeaten team in the division so could be tough to break down. This match is being played at Kingsmeadow and only a few tickets remain
Women's League Cup
Crystal Palace v Charlton Athletic @2pm - the group stage continues with this derby at Sutton United's ground. These sides finished first and second in the Championship with only a point between them but with only one promotion place available, it was the Eagles who became a Super League side. If both sides play strong teams, the hosts should theoretically win but who knows? Tickets
London City Lionesses v West Ham United @2pm - businesswoman Michelle Kang is investing a lot into LCL to get them into the WSL as soon as possible but she's not having it all her own way. Only three points behind the leaders with nine games played, the competition to go up is fierce. As a yardstick of how good they're going to have to be to stay up, they'll need to impress against a side like West Ham who've been toiling at the wrong end of the top division for a while. Tickets
Women's FA Cup Second Round
At this stage no new teams enter the draw so it's just the surviving sides from the third tier and below. The winners of each tier receive £8,000 and the losers £2,000. There are five ties taking place in our area:
Hashtag United v Ipswich Town @3pm - arguably the tie of the round sees the top two in the third tier FAWNL Southern Premier meet at Aveley's ground. The Tags are level on points with Ipswich but the Suffolk club have two games in hand. The sides have already played twice this season with the Blues winning the league game between them 2-0. However, Hashtag knocked them out of the League Cup in October. Aside from the prize money, the winners will go into the hat with all the Championship teams in the next round. Tickets are £5 on the gate
London Bees v Chatham Town @1pm - there's an all fourth-tier affair at The Hive complex where the much improved Bees host a really impressive looking Chats team from Kent. Both sides are on lengthy unbeaten runs but when they last met in the league at the beginning of September, it was Chatham who won 4-0 and I'd have them as favourites here. Tickets
QPR v Saltdean United @2pm - talking of form teams in the fourth tier, the R's are top of the table when it comes to the last six games but Saltdean are one of the top performers in the tier below too. In their last match they held Fulham to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage so they're definitely a side to be reckoned with. This is being played at Hayes & Yeading United and tickets will be available on the gate. Tickets are £5 on the gate
Fulham v Royston Town @230pm - two of the top sides in parallel fifth-tier divisions meet at Motspur Park for what should be an intriguing tie. The Cottagers are third in their division but have the games in hand to be clear at the top. Royston, on the other hand, are top of the ERWFL but second placed Luton Town are just three points behind with a game in hand. It will be really interesting to see who prevails. Tickets
Brentford v London Seaward @3pm - for me, the greatest chance of a cupset should come at Bedfont Sports' ground where the sixth-tier Bees host opposition from the fourth. As regular readers know, Brentford have put A LOT of resource into winning promotion this season and now have a team which is way too good for the level. They beat fifth tier Ascot United in the last round and also defeated Seaward 4-2 in a friendly back in August. The visitors are in pretty worrying form too so they look like they could be there for the taking. No idea how much tickets are but it shouldn't exceed £5
FAWNL Division 1 South East
Actonians v Real Bedford @2pm - in terms of budget there's a David v Goliath clash between the top two in this fourth-tier division. The A's are a volunteer-run club where no-one gets paid to play, coach or do admin. The visitors are bankrolled by some Bitcoin investors who won the fifth tier last season and then promptly went out and recruited pretty much the entire MK Dons squad and coaching team who were a midtable third-tier team at the time. Yet coming into this match, it's the hosts who are just ahead. The Pirates, however, are the only unbeaten side in the division and have a game in hand. As mentioned above, Actonians lost their star striker to Wimbledon last week so it will be interesting to see how they adapt to life without her. This is being played at Rectory Park in Northolt. Tickets are £5
More previews for 24 November 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?
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