Hope for 2017

I hope 2017 is a year where...

...I laugh more. Multiple times a day if possible.

...I make plans with friends on a regular basis, even if we have to schedule them a month ahead of time.

...Maybe I make some new friends. I'd love to be in some type of moms group in the coming year.

...I take the time to print more photos and send them to family near and far. I don't share a TON of pics of T on the internet, so I know a package of adorable pictures in the mail just might make someone's day.

...Health and fitness are priorities for me, always. None of this up and down, back and forth stuff.

...I get into a daily routine at home. Since quitting my full-time job I've really struggled with time management; I thrive on routine and lists and need that order back in my life.

...I actually do something new/fun/drastic with my hair.

...Jared and I decide if we're going to continue going to our church or find a new one. Church shopping is tough but we want to find that place that feels like "home" to us and our growing family.

...I continue to learn how to be a mom and try to be the best one I can.

...I'm quicker to pick a book and slower to turn on the TV.

...Jared and I continue to work on dreams and goals and don't give up on them. You're never too old for a dream, right? :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend. Can't wait to "see" you all on the blog in 2017. Here's hoping it's the best year yet. Happy New Year, friends!

Goodbye, 2016.

I always love writing a year-end post on my blog every December. I never feel more excited or more hopeful than I do in those few days leading up to January 1. This year has been good to me and good to our family. It's been a whirlwind at times and challenging at times, but 2016 is a year I'll never forget, that's for sure. Today I wanted to look back at just a few snippets from the last twelve months.

January- The month we found out we were having a baby BOY. I'll never forget that day or how real the pregnancy seemed all of a sudden.

February- Jared and I got a rare opportunity to check out the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. It was something we did on a whim and I'm so glad we did it.

March- Our last vacation as a twosome! We visited Savannah for a day and a half and then went to Hilton Head Island for the rest of the week. It was the best, most relaxing vacation ever and I'll cherish that time with Jared forever.

April- Got to celebrate our sweet baby boy at not just one, but two baby showers from both sides of our family. I wish I could go back and relive both of those days, they were so special and so fun.

May- We had a baby! Even though we were expecting him in June ;) And Jared and I celebrated our 5th anniversary in the hospital, haha. What a memory!

June- I don't remember June ;) Just kidding... sorta. But it was definitely a chaotic month of sleeping in 2-3 hour increments, constantly changing diapers and me just trying to recover from having a c-section.

July- Definitely still in the crazy newborn stage, but Jared and I slowlyyy were able to get longer stretches of sleep and we were settling into our new normal, as crazy as it still was. We had a fun Christmas in July date-night-in, too.

August- After the birth of our son, this month brought the biggest life change ever for us. I decided to quit my job and stay home full-time. It was such an emotional decision but I'm so thankful to be home with T right now.

September- Got a much needed girls night for the first time since T was born. We also celebrated my dad's 60th birthday and his 80-pound-weight-loss-- I'm still SO proud that he did that.

October- Bring on the fall and fun! We had fun going to the pumpkin patch with our little guy for the first time, and dressing him up as the cutest pumpkin ever for Halloween.

November- Another girls night out, this time to a painting class. Celebrated Jared's birthday. And of course way too much fun and Thanksgiving celebrating.

December- Here we are! It's been a month full of Christmas fun and as cliche as it might be to say, I am so SO thankful for the blessings in my life. This year has brought Jared and I so much joy. This year has strengthened our marriage because we have faced so many new things together. I feel closer to Jared than ever and I love, love LOVE our life. That's not to say that there haven't been challenges and changes that rocked our world (hello, I quit my job to be a SAHM and we are learning to be parents together!) but I have grown so much this year. 2016, you will be near and dear to my heart forever!

A Good Holiday

I'm not one of those people who is bummed when Christmas is over. I love Christmas and I soak in all the festiveness I can, but when December 26th rolls around? I am ready to take the decorations down and get ready for the new year. I'm ready for decluttering, new goals and high hopes for the coming year. That said, we had a pretty darn good Christmas. It was absolutely exhausting for all of us, T especially, but it was so great introducing him to the wonders of this time of year. 

T did well with the long car rides, the wayyy too late nights and even the missed naps but it's definitely taking him a few days to recover. Poor little buddy has been sleeping SO much, he just looks worn out. Anyone else feel guilty dragging their kids all over creation for the holidays? =\ I'm sure it doesn't help that he is trying sooo hard to get those teeth to come in. Can't wait for those suckers to pop through already! But the craziness of it all was worth it and I love to see everyone loving on him, especially great-grandparents. WHAT a blessing it is to have them in his life.

T with his great-grandpa Pappy! :)

It's been a good couple of weeks. Seeing my people and laughing a lot. I've eaten entirely too much fudge and watched countless movies this holiday season. I've also been bad about taking pictures of anything other than T- haha, but I guess that's to be expected. This is the only picture of the 3 of us that we snagged all weekend... Christmas Day and T had already spit up on one outfit and was getting too hot in the other one so white onesie it was. #reallife

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends over the past few days. Looking forward to stalking all of your photos and updates! I know this time of year blog word goes on somewhat of a hiatus but I have a few more posts this week I'm pumped to share. Cheers!

Christmas Time Thoughts

The week of Christmas! What a magical time it can be. Exhausting and chaotic at times, but still magical in ways big and small. I know this weekend's celebrations will be here and gone in no time so I'm looking to all the little moments that have happened this week that I want to remember. Christmas time really makes you reflect and think, especially leading up to the new year.

I finally took T down to the stadium to meet everyone and to show him off this week. Took me long enough, right? It just always felt like such a hassle or an inconvenient time. We don't exactly live right down the street either- it's a decent little drive. But oh, it was so fun to take him in. He smiled and bounced and let everyone hold him without so much as a peep. While I certainly don't miss the insane hours, I miss the people there and probably took it for granted how many great people I worked with. Needless to say, it was nice to see everyone (Hi, Anna!) and to be welcomed with open arms.

Speaking of T, this has been my favorite month with him so far. It just keeps getting more and more fun. I'll probably write a more detailed post about mom life sometime next week because things are changing a lot around here! Even though he won't remember a second of it, I'm looking forward to Christmas morning with him. It's going to be so awesome to have our little buddy joining us for early morning presents in the cutest pj's ever.

Jared and I both feel that we don't give back enough and hope to change that in 2017. We always do some year-end giving though and every December it reminds me that we should do more of it. I don't say this as a pat on our own backs or anything of that sort, but just as a reminder that it feels awesome to bless others, no matter if you do it monetarily or with your time/talents. I long for the day that our mortgage is paid off and we are truly 100% debt free and can give, give, GIVE even more abundantly to others. More to come from Sallie & Perkins in 2017!!

I guess I'm a little all over the place this week. Just reflecting on a lot of things as Christmas approaches. Life is good right now and I don't want to take one second of it for granted. This year has been so different and probably the most defining year of my life but I can't imagine it being any other way. What's on your mind this week??

Christmas-Filled Weekend

It's only December 19th but I've already had 2 Christmas celebrations this year! I've said it, but I'll say it again... where is time going!? It's all I can do to hold on and embrace this holiday season. I'm looking forward to this short work week (for Jared) and lots of celebrating this weekend with both sides of my family. And then? Oh, I hope for some serious downtime and rest going into the new year. I need a fresh start for sure and I'm already excited for the new year.

Friday night Jared and I snuck away for a third time since T's been born. I get so anxious leaving him even though I know everything will be fine. Jared makes fun of me for not wanting to leave him, especially since every time we've left we've put him to bed for the night already... but it's hard! The time with Jared is always so wonderful once we're out, so I'm working on getting better about scheduling some date nights in the future. We went to Awaited, the Christmas production we see every year at a local church. We met up with Jared's cousin and her boyfriend and enjoyed a festive evening together. I think this is our 8th year seeing this play!

Saturday Jared and I both took turns doing some last minute shopping for each other and running a few errands. Somehow, no matter how much I plan, I end up out and about the Saturday before Christmas and holy moly, I DON'T KNOW WHY!? Way too many people, too much traffic and too much chaos for my liking. But I got the last of things I needed for Jared's stocking and I think I'm all set now. That night we watched yet another Christmas movie while we wrapped gifts.

And yesterday wrapped up with family Christmas at my in-laws house. I ate entirely too much peanut butter fudge and I'm not even ashamed about that. We exchanged gifts and I got some super fun stuff I'm pretty excited about- including new sheets. These are the things that we ask for at 30, right?! ;) T was a trooper, even though he's still teething like crazy (Can we pleeeease get a tooth or two by Christmas?!) and didn't nap like normal. I love my little family so much!

TLFG: 19 December 2016 - 2 January 2017

Well we've made it to the end of 2016 and what a year it's been for Britain and the world.

I won't say any more than that but I'm still grateful to be here and I hope I'll have enough to stumble over the line into 2017.

The football world has been rocked by scandals again with the still unfolding abuse story overshadowing things as the new year beckons.

My personal highlights were Harrow Borough making the FA Cup First Round, organising another successful Non-League Day, see friends get their football books published and making a couple of trips overseas to watch some European football.

The first half of 2017 will see my two favourite clubs have to fight out a relegation battle as QPR and the aforementioned Harrow are in trouble.

I'm also looking forward to the second Non-League Finals Day at Wembley in May and I'm debating whether to go to the Women's European Championships in the Netherlands in July.

I'd be interested to hear about your highs and lows and hopes for the year ahead.

This week's blog is the now customary festive special edition which will cover you for the next two weeks. There are loads and loads of games, many of them derbies - although, as you'll see below, the Premier League and EFL are a bit lacking in terms of real blockbusters which is disappointing.

There are games spread right across the period with kick-offs varying too, allowing groundhoppers to take in at least two matches on some days.

It's just gone 0300 GMT so I think it's time to hit the hay and wrap things up for another year. I hope you've enjoyed the blog and found it useful. Have a great festive period and see you back here in early January.

TRAVEL ADVISORY

Please be aware that public transport will be significantly affected over the Christmas period, especially on Boxing Day (26 December).

There will be virtually no national rail services, including London Overground, and a significant chunk of the District Line will be shut too.

This means that getting to matches at Brentford, Chelsea, Millwall and Watford will be less straightforward than normal but good London Underground alternatives, with a bit of walking, are available instead.

For full details of festive services, including those on New Year's Eve, see the TFL website.

THE WEEKS AHEAD

There are 130+ matches in the London area over two weeks with action in the Premier League, EFL, National League and several minor league and county cup competitions.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. 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 (white 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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

Match map 19-25 December
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

Match map 26-30 December
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

Match map 31 December - 2 January
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures

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 19 December

Ryman League Premier Division
Kingstonian v Dulwich Hamlet @745pm - a fine game to start the week as two sides with play-off ambitions from south of the river meet at Kingsmeadow

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Tuesday 20 December

National League
Boreham Wood v Braintree Town @745pm - ninth in this division, The Wood are London's second highest ranked non-league club and should fancy themselves against relegation threatened opposition from Essex

Ryman League Premier Division
Harrow Borough v Tonbridge Angels @745pm - both sides are in slightly artificial positions at either end of the table with several games in hand on most of the teams above them. Tonbridge would be top of the league if they won theirs so will start as favourites

Ryman League Division 1 North
Thurrock v VCD Athletic @745pm - after several disappointments in recent years, Thurrock look all set to mount another promotion bid and are currently second, a position that should make them confident of victory here

London Senior Cup First Round
Corinthian Casuals v AFC Wimbledon @745pm - an attractive local derby between an amateur club and one from League One. The Dons are highly unlikely to field a full strength team but there could be one or two notables in their line-up

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Oxhey Jets v Sun Sports @745pm - simply put, this is the Watford non-league derby

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Wednesday 21 December

League One
Millwall v Charlton Athletic - in the quiet time before Christmas, this is definitely the match of the week. Re-arranged after an initial postponement, these two near neighbours from south-east London should put on a decent display

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Thursday 22 December

Middlesex Charity Cup Second Round
Cockfosters v Hayes & Yeading United @745pm - the hosts are having a fine season in the ninth tier SSML Premier while HYU are having a bit of a stinker two divisions above - real cupset potential here

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Friday 23 December

Ryman League Division 1 North
AFC Hornchurch v Aveley @745pm - the pre-Xmas period ends with this rather randomly scheduled Essex derby towards the far end of the District Line. Both clubs have very realistic promotion ambitions so it could be a cracker

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Monday 26 December - Boxing Day

Premier League
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion @3pm - the festive fixtures get underway on Boxing Day with a bumper programme of games. However, the Premier League and EFL offering in the capital is a little underwhelming with this match, albeit between two top eight sides, unlikely to get many pulses racing
Chelsea v Bournemouth @3pm - again, a bit of 'meh' game on paper, with the Blues overwhelming favourites to win. However, if the visitors have a real go it could be exciting
Watford v Crystal Palace @1230pm - the only derby of the day in the top flight is this one but there's no particular rivalry between them so don't expect fireworks

Championship
Brentford v Cardiff City @1pm - this is the best you'll find in the second tier on Boxing Day but neither side are having a good season

League One
Millwall v Swindon Town @3pm - another uninspiring midtable versus strugglers contest

League Two
Leyton Orient v Crawley Town @1pm - the O's badly need a win in their fight to avoid relegation and midtable Crawley could well be beaten (I'm clutching at straws to try and build this up too)

National League
Bromley v Sutton United @3pm - when you drop into the non-league ranks, things start to get far more interesting with this derby between clubs from south London likely to draw a decent crowd

National League South
Dartford v Ebbsfleet United @3pm - although a division below, this is arguably an even bigger derby, both sides are also in the top five
Wealdstone v Maidenhead United @3pm - the Stones welcome the runaway league leaders for what is likely to prove to be a very tough encounter

Ryman League Premier Division
Hendon v Harrow Borough @3pm - it's also north-west London derby time where these two old rivals meet for the first time at Hendon's new ground, it's also a relegation 'six-pointer'

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Tooting & Mitcham United @3pm - a south London derby between two promotion contenders

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Tuesday 27 December

Ryman League Premier Division
Grays Athletic v Dulwich Hamlet @3pm - a lot of non-league clubs have decided to give their players an extended Xmas and play today which is also a Bank Holiday. This seventh tier match is the highest level game on offer and Dulwich should win

Southern League Division 1 Central
Hanwell Town v Uxbridge @1pm - at the time of writing, the hosts are the best London has to offer in this division. If they can string two or three wins together then they could find themselves in the top five. Although not disastrous, Uxbridge's season looks over already

Combined Counties League Premier Division
Bedfont & Feltham v CB Hounslow United @1130am - the CCL always do groundhoppers proud on Bank Holidays by giving the bulk of their games late morning kick-offs meaning you can easily catch another game or two elsewhere. This match, next to Heathrow airport's runway, is a groundshare derby
Walton & Hersham v Westfield @1130am - the game of the day in this division pits fourth against second and with the visitors hailing from Woking there's a touch of a derby about this one too

Combined Counties League Division 1
AC London v Banstead Athletic @1130am - we've got another groundshare derby between one side who were top and one who currently are top

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Cockfosters v Hadley @3pm - up in third, Cockfosters are the best London have to offer in the SSML and should therefore feel confident going into this local derby
Edgware Town v Wembley @3pm - elsewhere in the division we have another local derby which should be worth a watch

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Hillingdon Borough v Harefield United @3pm - another derby between two Middlesex clubs who effectively play on the same road. If you've got a car, this could be combined with the 1pm kick-off between Broadfields and Kensington at Harefield's ground

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Wednesday 28 December

Ryman League Division 1 North
Romford v Thurrock @745pm - the pick of the day's action is this groundshare derby where Thurrock will look to win to close the gap on leaders Maldon & Tiptree

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Friday 30 December

League One
Millwall v Gillingham @745pm - for the last couple of years Gillingham have been Millwall's geographically closest opponents so there is definitely a derby feel to games between the two

Ryman League Division 1 North
Aveley v Haringey Borough @745pm - if you fancy a non-league alternative then this game between two clubs who could make the play-offs might tickle your fancy

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Saturday 31 December

Premier League
Chelsea v Stoke City @3pm - the year comes to an end with another fairly average looking fixture at Stamford Bridge, one the Blues should win to maintain or extend their lead at the top

Championship
Brentford v Norwich City @530pm - the Bees provide the 'best of the rest' entertainment again as they take on the out-of-form Canaries who have won only two of their last 10 games

League Two
Leyton Orient v Cambridge United @1pm - with the visitors chasing promotion, it looks like another tough afternoon for the O's. The early kick-off makes this another good one for groundhoppers

National League
Boreham Wood v Eastleigh @1pm - having seen off Halifax to make the third round of the FA Cup, Eastleigh arrive with a bit of national recognition

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Wingate & Finchley @1pm - the biggest crowd of the day in this division is likely to be at Champion Hill for this south versus north London clash

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Sunday 1 January

Premier League
Arsenal v Crystal Palace @4pm - at last, a half-decent derby to get excited about with both teams needing the points at either end of the table
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur @130pm - another derby which should be a bit more even than the one above

National League
Sutton United v Bromley @3pm - it seems to be the custom in the National League to play one of your nearest rivals on Boxing Day and then play the reverse fixture the following week

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Monday 2 January

Premier League
West Ham United v Manchester United @515pm - this will be the third time in a little over a month that the Hammers will have played Jose Mourinho's side. They got thrashed in the EFL Cup but managed to draw the arguably more important league game 1-1

Championship
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion @3pm - tickets will be very hard to get for the match above but this game provides a very good alternative. Being located just outside the capital, all matches against London clubs are effectively derbies for Brighton so they should come close to selling out their allocation. They could also be top of the table by kick-off

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Millwall @1pm - there's another cracking London derby to look forward to here but you must be a member or on the club's 'fan register' to buy a ticket

League Two
Barnet v Plymouth Argyle @3pm - the Bees play host to the team who are currently top

National League
Dagenham & Redbridge v Braintree Town @745pm - an Essex derby between sides at opposite ends of the table

Ryman League Premier Division
Metropolitan Police v Kingstonian @3pm - a local derby at the well appointed Imber Court but don't expect much rivalry as the hosts don't have many fans

Ryman League Division 1 North
Phoenix Sports v VCD Athletic @1pm - these two are very local rivals so much so that when I went to watch Phoenix a few years ago, you could hear the crowd watching the match at VCD's ground

Ryman League Division 1 South
Tooting & Mitcham United v Corinthian Casuals @3pm - a derby between two sides who are also fighting for promotion
Walton Casuals v Whyteleafe @3pm - yet another groundshare derby

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Erith Town v Erith & Belvedere @3pm - the Erith derby, it's just a shame neither of them play there and have to groundshare with other clubs

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Sutton Athletic v Kent Football United @3pm - third versus fourth at the time of writing

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Southall v Hillingdon Borough @3pm - two former FA Vase finalists meet at Hanwell Town's ground as the festive season comes to a close

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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

11 Days

Can we talk about how there are only ELEVEN days until Christmas folks?! It has completely snuck up on me... even though I always knew it was coming! In fun, holiday spirit today-- I give you the 11 days of Christmas! (Yes, I should have posted this yesterday and it could have been 12 but... messed that one up!)

11- Attempts at a Christmas card picture. Let's just say, it wasn't our best card this year- but hopefully our cute kid makes up for it.

10- Thousand steps a day I'm aiming to get every day for the rest of this month. I don't want to start the new year feeling like I'm slacked off all holiday season so I'm trying to stick with it! Also, I might be signing up for another half-marathon.... what!?

9- Number of "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments I am trying to decide between. This decision should not be this difficult, but it's taking me entirely too long to choose.

8- Varieties of baked goods that are tempting me every.single.day right now.

7- Candles that we have on constant rotation in our house. We've stocked up in the past couple of years so we have a huge variety of seasonal scents that I can't get enough of.

6- Number of Amazon Prime packages that are still on their way to our house. We thought we were so ahead of the game, but WHOOPS we still had some shopping to do.

5- Average hours of sleep I'm getting per night right now. I stay up too late, and my baby is teething sooo...

4- Christmas movies that are still must watches for me this year that we haven't seen yet:  Jingle All The Way, The Grinch (with Jim Carey!), Claymation Christmas and The Holiday.

3- Number of gifts we bought for T this year. He literally needs NOTHING and will remember NOTHING so we got him practical items that he'll actually need in the coming months.

2- Boys that I'm going to kiss under the mistletoe this year. That's Jared and T, for anyone wondering ;)

1- Goal for this holiday season is just to soak it all in. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle but the holidays are all about family and time together, and that's what I want to focus on.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Between the shopping, the baking, the Christmas movies and a holiday party it was quite the festive few days over here. Friday night after we put our grumpy baby to bed (#teethingprobz) Jared and I made the most of a date night in starting with a few rounds of our on-going rummy game. In case you haven't heard me mention it, we're playing one continuous game and tallying it until someone gets to one million points. Sitting by the the tree with tunes on the record player apparently threw me off my game though because Jared dominated. Thank goodness we still have a long way to go.

That same night I chose It's a Wonderful Life for our movie and was super stoked to watch it because I felt like it had been a few years since I had. So IMAGINE MY SURPRISE when about 20 minutes into the movie Jared tells me HE'S NEVER SEEN IT. What?! I legitimately had to pause the movie and question him, his childhood and his life motives for a few minutes. Once I got over the shock, we continued and Jared ended up absolutely loving the movie. I mean, how could you not?

Saturday I baked all day long with my sister-in-law and her aunt and grandma. This is the third year they've hosted a baking day now and I'm happy to be included in this little tradition. All the treats turned out dangerously good so if you'd like to come help me eat them please feel free. Otherwise I will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the next week!

To round out my weekend, I attended a small get together at the home of the photographers I'm now working for part-time. They invited the team over and I was thrilled to be included, considering I've only worked for them for a couple of months. We enjoyed snacks, more delicious cookies and easy conversation. It's truly a blessing to have this job and I'm excited about the long-term potential as well. They are good people with good hearts and I feel fortunate to be part of their business and their vision.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of holiday cheer!

TLFG: 12-18 December 2016

I don't think I've got a huge amount to write about this week as I've been working every night and haven't had a chance to see any live football.

My teams, QPR and Harrow Borough, both suffered further defeats to leave them going into Christmas in a relegation battle. With Boro that's the norm but for Rangers, their squad and resources should see them nowhere near the bottom three. With back-to-back home games against vastly improved Derby and Aston Villa sides over the next few days, it could get even worse.

More generally, from a London perspective, the Premier League is showing signs of becoming a two-horse race between Arsenal and Chelsea as they both won again while Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs all dropped points.

In all the divisions of the EFL we have several teams pushing for a play-off place but title challenges look unlikely for most of them.

In non-league, keep on eye on the eighth tier Ryman League Division 1 South where things are really hotting up. Six of the top eight clubs are from the London area and several meet each other this week.

It's late on Sunday night so I'll keep this brief and wrap things up now. Enjoy your week and let me know what you've been up to.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well over 100 matches in the London area over the next week with action in the Premier League, EFL, National League and several minor league and county cup competitions.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. 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 (white 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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

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 12 December

Premier League 2 
West Ham United v Swansea City @7pm - it's fourth versus the leaders in this PL2 Division 2 game at Dagenham & Redbridge's ground
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion @7pm - the Cottagers are just ahead of West Ham and will need to win to make sure of their place in the top three of this U23 competition

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Tooting & Mitcham United @745pm - the promotion race in this division is really hotting up with these two south London rivals very much in contention

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Tuesday 13 December

Championship
Fulham v Rotherham United @745pm - the hosts are London's main contenders in this division at the moment with a win here against the division's bottom club possibly putting them in the top six

FA Trophy First Round Replay
Wingate & Finchley v Wealdstone @745pm - Ryman League Wingate did well to salvage a late 2-2 draw against the Stones on Saturday. Will they make the most of home advantage and cause a cupset in the replay?

Ryman League Premier Division
Enfield Town v Lowestoft Town @745pm - after a slow start, these two regular promotion contenders are right back in it. Now both in the top seven, a win would really bolster their credentials

London Senior Cup First Round
Clapton v Greenwich Borough @745pm - the Tons are up in the top four of the Essex Senior League while Greenwich are in the top four at the level above. The Old Spotted Dog could be a leveller, especially if the Clapton Ultras return to the stands after their boycott but it's looking doubtful at the moment


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Wednesday 14 December

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Manchester United @8pm - there's a big night of top-flight action on Wednesday with this probably the pick of the games as teams needing points at either end of the table do battle. Stat attack - this game sees the highest scorers in the bottom six (Palace with 27) take on the lowest scorers in the top six (Man Utd with 20)
Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City @8pm - Spurs have suffered only two defeats in their last 10 league games and put five past Swansea last week. A struggling Hull side should also be dispatched with relative ease
West Ham United v Burnley @745pm - without a game on Saturday, the Hammers dropped back into the bottom three but they pulled clear again after a fine 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Sunday. Burnley are having a better season than many predicted and could well win here if the Hammers aren't 'on it' from the start

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Derby County @745pm - after suffering a humiliating 1-0 defeat at bottom club Rotherham on Saturday, Ian Holloway's return to the club as manager already appears to be going badly wrong. With three defeats from four games against sides who were all in very poor form, things are looking worrying. The Rams also had a shocking start to the season but with Steve McClaren back in charge they've won six in a row and are force again

Ryman League Division 1 South
Walton Casuals v Godalming Town @745pm - the pick of the night's non-league action gives us the opportunity to run the rule over the Stags who are mounting a bit of a promotion challenge. Despite being without a ground of their own this season, they're right up in seventh and enjoyed a thrilling 4-3 win over Tooting & Mitcham on Saturday, a result which knocked the Terrors off top spot. The visitors are having a horror season and should provide another three points 

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Friday 16 December

FA Youth Cup Third Round
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers @7pm - end the working week with a bit of U18 football up at Boreham Wood's ground. If that's not handy, Fulham play Mansfield Town in the same competition at the club's Motspur Park training ground

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Saturday 17 December

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Chelsea @1230pm - the Eagles end a tough week of games with this derby against the Blues who could well be league leaders by the time kick-off comes round. On paper Palace should lose but they have managed a couple of wins over Chelsea in recent years including a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge last season
West Ham United v Hull City @3pm - back-to-back home games against Burnley and Hull could make or break the Hammers' and particularly boss Slaven Bilic's season. Both games must really be won, four points would be acceptable but much less than that could be terminal

Championship
Fulham v Derby County @3pm - depending on how things go in midweek, this could be a really entertaining game. The Cottagers have bagged nine goals in their last two games and should see off Rotherham. Derby, as mentioned above, are on a hot streak built mainly on a solid defence which has seen them concede only two goals in six games

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Port Vale @3pm - the Dons suffered the disappointment of a 1-0 loss at arch rivals MK Dons on Saturday. Given how tight the table is, they dropped down to 10th but a win here against lower midtable opposition could put them right back up there
Charlton Athletic v Peterborough United @3pm - two sides with a good shot at the play-offs meet at The Valley in the day's other third tier game

League Two
Barnet v Stevenage @3pm - the Bees played their first game following the departure of manager Martin Allen on Saturday. Interim boss Rossi Eames, a 31-year-old coach who has never played pro football, took charge and masterminded a 1-0 win over Yeovil to keep the north London club firmly in the hunt for a play-off place. This match, against opponents from Hertfordshire, is effectively a derby too

National League
Boreham Wood v Barrow @3pm - the Wood welcome team of the moment Barrow who are currently on a spectacular 23-game unbeaten run which has taken them to fifth in the league and earned them a place in the third round of the FA Cup. The sides drew 1-1 in Cumbria earlier in the season

National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough v St Albans City @3pm - the game of the day in the NLS pits fifth against second. I went to the reverse fixture on Non-League Day and it produced an entertaining 4-2 win for Hampton but it's City who have been on the up since

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Tonbridge Angels @3pm - in the division below we have another heavyweight contest to look forward to. Dulwich are fourth and even though Tonbridge are back in eighth they've got between three and five games in hand on most of the clubs above them so should be there or thereabouts by the end of the season

Ryman League Division 1 South
Corinthian Casuals v Greenwich Borough @3pm - there are lots of big games in this division this week with many of the top six in action against each other. At the time of writing this is fifth against third
Carshalton Athletic v Hythe Town @3pm - a little further to the east, we've got fourth versus sixth so take your pick!

Essex Senior League
Clapton v Takeley @3pm - a top four clash at the Old Spotted Dog. As mentioned above, the Clapton Ultras are in dispute with the club over a sudden rise in admission prices so have been boycotting games so the atmosphere might not be as lively as normal
Barkingside v FC Romania @3pm - it's possible a few of them might make the short trip to Ilford to support Barkingside's 'Game for the Homeless' as they throw open the doors to local people who find themselves without accommodation. They'll also be collecting money, food and clothes to benefit such people so don't go empty handed

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Sunday 18 December

Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley @4pm - Spurs host the Clarets knowing a win could take them back into the top four, if midweek results go their way

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa @12pm - if you've got tickets to the above you could very conceivably combine it with this game and catch two games in a day. QPR are struggling at the moment while Villa are a much improved side under new boss Steve Bruce and are climbing the table steadily

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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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

Traditions Old & New

I love hearing about other family traditions and learning what makes this time of year special for other people. Sure, we're all decorating our trees and watching holiday movies- but the unique little things that people love year after year are so special. Jared and I have been making new traditions together each year we've been married and I know we'll continually add to them as our family grows. Chelsea recently shared her family traditions and inspired this post :) So today's post is about traditions old and new!

Growing up my sister and I convinced my parents to let us open presents on Christmas Eve EVE one year and it just stuck. It actually made sense at the time... my dad was always working late on Christmas Eve and then we were rushing off to one Grandma's house that night and another Grandma's house the next day which didn't leave a lot of time for our immediate family to exchange gifts. So every year on December 23rd we got to open gifts from my parents and we'd just save our stockings for Christmas morning. My sister and I thought it was SO awesome to spread out Christmas for an additional day.

Since Jared and I got married we've started many of our own traditions. Every year we put up our Christmas tree and decor immediately after Thanksgiving (okay- except this year we jumped the gun and did it early hehe) and fill the whole weekend with festivities. We waste no time busting out the Christmas movies and Christmas pjs. Most years we see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and we always try to squeeze in a trip to our zoo's festival of lights as well- no matter how cold it is ;) And finally, we make it to a local church's huuuuge Christmas production every year without fail! Bonus points for it being a FREE show.

Now that we have T, I know Jared and I will want to add new family traditions with him- especially as he gets older. Even though he won't remember a second of this holiday season, I cannot wait to snuggle him up on Christmas morning while we open gifts in front of our tree and eat waffles. Well, Jared and I will be the ones eating waffles... still milk and purees for you kiddo ;) I love seeing him stare at our tree in amazement and can't wait for the day he'll be awake late enough to drive around and look at lights as a family. I look forward to a time when T's old enough to understand the importance of giving back and we can do something for a family or charity in need.

What traditions have you kept year after year? What new ones are you hoping to start with your family?

Currently {December Edition}

Joining in with Anne and her co-host Kellie for this month's edition of the Currently series! 

Doing- Too much online shopping. Not really too much, I guess, since everything I'm buying is a Christmas gift. It just feels like a lottttt all at once. I am just not someone who enjoys shopping all that much in general so if I can do it from my couch, you best believe I will! 

Enjoying- How festive and cozy our house feels. Those suuuper early mornings with T are a little bit easier when I come downstairs and our tree is glowing over in the corner. Because yes, I typically leave it on all night and day, 24/7. You only get a month of it after all.

Cooking- Jared and I are on a spaghetti squash kick lately and have been making it a variety of ways. It's nice that it's so versatile and that you can add meat to your recipes or it can be a great meatless option too. Anyone have a favorite way to prepare spaghetti squash that they'd like to share? We are always looking for new ideas.

Wrapping- Nothing yet! I am excited that we stocked up on paper, gift bags and bows after Christmas last year though. I saved money and it was a fun little surprise to get them out of the storage bins this month.

Playing- Sudoku on my tablet (Grandma status) and lots of repetitive "games" with T each day. It's both amusing and boring that he loves to hear/see/do the same things over and over again. He's very into clapping hands (with my help of course) and playing peek-a-boo these days. Ahh, the simple life of a baby.

What are you currently doing??

I Didn't Leave My House This Weekend

If that title isn't enough to draw blog readers from near or far I don't know what it?! ;) This weekend was all about recovering in our household. In the past week all three of us have gotten nasty colds that have lingered far longer than I'd hoped. Having a sick baby is pretty miserable, but having a sick baby while you're sick yourself? Woof. It's been an ugly, germy week over here that's for sure. Luckily, we're past the worst of it but it'll be a good day when we can stop using the NoseFrida. Y'all... that thing is disgusting but absolutely necessary. And as if that wasn't enough, T also had his 6-month check up on Friday but thankfully his post-shots tears were short lived. And our chunker is officially over 18 pounds. I better have some amazing biceps forming...

Since we were pretty much stuck at home for the weekend, Jared and I continued on with our old person status and started a new Christmas puzzle. White Mountain brand has SO many great puzzles, in case any other nerds are looking for some new ones. We always get ours on Amazon. Even though we didn't feel well and went to bed mega-early, it was relaxing to puzzle and listen to some Christmas tunes. My brother-in-law got us the Elf soundtrack on vinyl and we're pretty obsessed. I mean, anything Elf related is obviously awesome right? Unless you're an Elf on the Shelf. No, no, no. Doesn't that just take way too much work and effort people?! Just say no!! ;)

I'm trying to resist buying ALL THE THINGS for T's first Christmas. He will literally remember none of it. But of course it's special for Jared and I more than anything ;) We bought him some cute outfits to rock in the coming weeks and I'm still trying to pick out the perfect "1st Christmas" ornament for him. As a kid I always got an ornament every year from my parents and we want to start that tradition with T. I think this year I want to go with something really simple and classic like this one or this one. There will be plenty of years for fun character/hobby ornaments as he grows up.

In other randomness, I am also on the hunt for a cute, but affordable holiday dress for Jared's upcoming work party. My closet is lacking these days, especially in the dress department. I just don't have any! Now would be a great time to have friends nearby who wore the same size and would just open up their closet to me. I don't have a need for dressing up too much these days but I suppose having a nice little black dress would be a good investment. We'll see what I come up with... 

Last thing! Thanks to everyone who entered my LuLaRoe leggings giveaway and thanks again to Jen for collaborating with me and my readers. The lucky winner is TABITHA! I'll be emailing you soon to coordinate the shipping of your item :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TLFG: 5-11 December 2016

It's been another pretty decent week for London's top clubs.

Impressive wins for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur saw them continue to keep their places in the top five of the Premier League while Crystal Palace finally ended their terminal looking losing run with a very fine win over Southampton.

Watford lost their second game in a row but it's West Ham United who have the most to worry about following their 5-1 humbling by the Gunners at the London Stadium which left them just above the relegation zone.

In the Championship, Fulham stuffed an excellent Reading side 5-0 to get back into play-off contention while QPR and Brentford suffered defeats which left them in precarious lower midtable positions.

It was all about the FA Cup for our local League One teams. AFC Wimbledon produced the comeback of the weekend at non-league Curzon Ashton, coming back from 3-0 down with 10 minutes to go to win 4-3. Millwall shared seven goals with Braintree Town, prevailing 5-2 while Charlton were held to a goalless draw by MK Dons. 

However, the story of the round was non-league Sutton United's 2-1 win over Cheltenham Town which propelled them into the third round - a place where they made FA Cup history by beating then top-flight side Coventry City back in 1989. I'd love to see more of the same for the Gander Green Lane club - the draw is tomorrow night at 7pm when all the Premier League and Championship sides join the competition.

QPR line up a free-kick during the first half against Wolves at Loftus Road

My week saw me take in the EFL game between QPR and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Scheduled on Thursday night for TV, I debated long and hard whether I could bring myself to go when the cheapest ticket was £29. 

I love my Rangers but is paying that much to watch two struggling Championship sides on a chilly December night really worth the best part of 30 quid?

Encouraged by my wife to boycott the game, I decided I would but then made the fatal mistake of listening to this week's QPR podcast which had a one-hour interview with new boss Ian Holloway. By the end I had been inspired to bite the bullet and head to Loftus Road for the game. If he has that effect on listeners, it's understandable that he's successfully motivated several teams to promotion over the years.

The game itself wasn't great but we looked more than capable of winning it until James Perch got himself sent off with about an hour of the game remaining.

Wolves took advantage and went 2-0 up with about 25 minutes to go. At that point it looked like a cricket score could be on the cards and it probably would've happened if the absolutely brilliant Alex Smithies hadn't been in goal.

I counted at least seven major saves, some of which were of the highest quality - including at least three one-on-ones. He was undoubtedly man-of-the-match. 

Tickets for Non-League Finals Day at Wembley in May are now on sale

QPR did almost pull off a shock draw as Joel Lynch grabbed what appeared to be an 89th-minute consolation goal. However, with the referee adding on seven minutes of injury time, the hosts laid siege to the Wolves goal and created the chance for Lynch again but the defender-cum-striker fluffed his kick and the ball harmlessly rolled away - it ended 2-1.

The honeymoon period seems to be over already for Holloway and things will really look bad if QPR lose at struggling Rotherham next week.

I forgot to mention last week that tickets for this season's Non-League Finals Day at Wembley are now on sale.

For £25 you get to see the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals back-to-back at the national stadium on Sunday 21 May. Last year nearly 50,000 people attended and outsold the England game against Turkey that was taking place in Manchester the same day. It was a great family day out with kids getting in for a quid - the same price applies this time too.

Babysitting and late shifts means it's likely to be a quiet one for me on the football front this week so I hope you get to see a game or two on my behalf.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are almost 100 matches in the London area over the next week as the Champions League and FA Trophy make their return. There is also action in the Premier League, EFL, National League and several minor league and county cup competitions.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. 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 (white 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 (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

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 5 December

Premier League Cup - a cup for U23 sides from various Premier League and EFL clubs. Similar to the Champions League, it has a group stage featuring 32 teams and then a knockout phase. We're still in the early stages of the group phase at the moment

Charlton Athletic v Fulham @7pm - in the other Group F game, at Greenwich Borough's ground, we have a London derby

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Corinthian Casuals @745pm - elsewhere in south London we have a big game between two sides in the top five of this division. Each side are averaging well over two goals a game so far this season so this is where I would be headed

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Tuesday 6 December

Checkatrade Trophy - this competition pits the first XIs of League One and League Two sides against U23 teams from the Premier League and Championship in an attempt to develop young players. Again it begins with a group stage before going to a knockout phase. Widely derided by fans and some officials of the third and fourth tier teams, crowds have been very poor

AFC Wimbledon v Brighton & Hove Albion U23 @745pm - don't expect a great night out here. The Dons are among the loudest protesters about the format of this competition and have even encouraged their fans to stay away from these games. They also played on Sunday in the FA Cup so will no doubt field a weakened team. It will be cheap to get in but you might be the only person there!

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Staines Town @745pm - you're far more likely to get a decent atmosphere and an entertaining game a little to the east at Champion Hill. Although Dulwich play four divisions below Wimbledon they've drawn a couple of 2,000+ crowds this season and play some decent football. Currently London's top side in the division, they'll look to extend their unbeaten run to eight games against a Staines side who started well but have tailed off in recent weeks

Ryman League Division 1 South
Greenwich Borough v Tooting & Mitcham United @745pm - Monday's game at Carshalton looks good but this match is even bigger as it pits third against first. Greenwich are the big spending, new boys who came up from the SCEFL last season. They've made an impressive start but are still eight points behind the Terrors who have surprised many, including their own fans, with their sustained form this season. With seven league wins on the bounce and 15 goals in their last three games they're looking formidable

Southern League Division 1 Central
Hanwell Town v AFC Dunstable @745pm - the hosts are leading the charge for promotion from a London perspective. Currently in eighth, they'll need to see off the OD's who are just three points ahead

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Wembley v Hoddesdon Town @745pm - humbled by Peterborough Sports in the FA Vase on Saturday, the Lions are still in with a shout of the SSML title. Although back in fifth, they have the games in hand to get themselves firmly back in contention. Hoddesdon aren't far behind in seventh so should provide a tough test
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Wednesday 7 December

Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur v CSKA Moscow @745pm - Spurs' return to Europe's elite club competition has been disappointing with last month's loss in Monaco knocking them out with a game to spare of the group stage. On Wednesday they take on Russian opponents, who are currently bottom, in a fight for a place in the Europa League. The match is at Wembley and tickets are still available

Checkatrade Trophy
Millwall v Wycombe Wanderers @745pm - given that this match is between two sides who should field first XIs rather than U23 sides and the clubs aren't that far apart geographically (Wycombe play just outside London), there could be a half-decent turnout by this competition's very low standards. Adult tickets are also only £5

FA Vase Third Round Replay - this competition is primarily open to sides in the ninth and 10th tiers of English football. Hundreds of clubs from all over the country take part with its final at Wembley in May

Bedfont Sports v Crowborough Athletic @745pm - by getting this far, the Eagles have already smashed their previous best in the competition. Victory will earn them a place in the last 32 but Crowborough are having a fine season in the SCEFL so demand respect

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
AFC Croydon Athletic v Croydon @745pm - it's derby day in south London. As former league leaders, the hosts will start as favourites. The SCEFL title race is wide open with only five points separating the top six

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Thursday 8 December

Southern Combination Cup
Staines Town v Worcester Park @745pm - to my knowledge this is the only game on Thursday. Don't expect a classic - very little information exists on Staines' website at the present time and it's likely they'll play quite a few youngsters and reserves. Only go if you really are a football addict and check the details with Staines before you travel
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Friday 9 December

Essex Senior League
Redbridge v West Essex @745pm - there's a nice bit of Friday night football to look forward to over in the Ilford area. Neither side are really impressing this season but Oakside is one of the easiest grounds to get to in London, located right next to Barkingside Tube station on the Central Line

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Saturday 10 December

Premier League
Arsenal v Stoke City @3pm - the Gunners have the longest unbeaten run of any side in the Premier League at the moment. They played a hapless West Ham side off the park on Saturday and should be too good for an improving Stoke side who have crept up to ninth
Watford v Everton @3pm - the Hornets got themselves into the top eight but three defeats in four have seen them slide back into the bottom half. The Toffees are just ahead of them but are winless in four themselves and can be beaten

Championship
Brentford v Burton Albion @3pm - things looked rosey for Bees fans when they beat arch rivals QPR at the end of October but it's been defeats all the way ever since. Now just three points above the relegation zone, this match against fellow strugglers Burton has become pretty crucial

League One
Millwall v Shrewsbury Town @3pm - the Lions welcome bottom club Shrewsbury to the Den on Saturday meaning they'll have few better chances to break back into the play-off places which lie just one point above them

League Two
Leyton Orient v Accrington Stanley @3pm - already out of the FA Cup, the O's have had a week off to rest up ahead of this relegation 'six-pointer' against another team who have found things tough going. Stanley have gone six league games without a win but picked up a morale-boosting victory at Woking in the FA Cup on Sunday

FA Trophy First Round - at this stage of this national competition for sides in the fifth to eighth tiers, all the clubs in the fifth tier (National League) join the draw. Their presence takes the total number of teams left in the competition to 64. The winners of each tie pocket a cheque for £5,000 and move one step closer to a dream Wembley final in May

Boreham Wood v Maidstone United @3pm - one of the ties of the round in the south-east sees these two National League clubs meet at Meadow Park. Both have enjoyed promotions from the Ryman League in recent years and it's the Wood who are currently faring better. However, Maidstone won the league game between the two back in August so will travel with some confidence
Sutton United v Bath City @3pm - after their FA Cup heroics on Saturday, you can see the U's in FA competition again in a competition they could very conceivably win. Bath are a midtable side from the division below so should be defeated
Dartford v Dover Athletic @3pm - there's a very interesting Kent derby at the well appointed Princes Park where promotion chasing sides from the National League South and National League go head-to-head
Wealdstone v Wingate & Finchley @3pm - this has a bit of derby feel to it and there is some bad blood between the fans after an unsavoury incident a few years ago when the sides were both in the Ryman League. The Stones should win but have been embarrassed by Wingate before

Ryman League Premier Division
Enfield Town v Needham Market @3pm - the Towners are starting to build up a decent head of steam and have climbed into the top six where they have games in hand on several of those above them. One such side are third placed Needham Market who could go top with victory here

Ryman League Division 1 South
Walton Casuals v Tooting & Mitcham United @3pm - I've already mentioned what hot form the Terrors are in but the Stags are having a pretty good season themselves. Playing at Whyteleafe's ground while there's is being redeveloped, they've climbed to eighth

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Sunday 11 December

Premier League
Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion @12pm - most seasons this would look like a pretty unremarkable fixture that would probably end up being a bit one-sided. It could well play out that way this time too especially with the Blues in such ominously good form at the top of the table. However, a Matt Phillips inspired Baggies side are now up in the top six and could give this a real go

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Erith & Belvedere v Sheppey United @3pm - the much cheaper non-league alternative to the above takes place in Welling where the midtable Deres welcome the leaders

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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 within the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.