London Leading The Way

As a proud Londoner currently living up in the frozen wastes of the north, also known as Manchester, with an overwhelming passion for football that infuriates the friends I’ve made up here, there are few things in the universe that bring me greater joy than seeing a team from London smashing other teams off the park.

This last month has been the greatest time for me since I started this blog and here’s why:

May 14th, Edgeley Park: Stockport County, huge favourites in the League One playoffs after finishing 3rd in the regular season, lose their semi-final on penalties to a Leyton Orient team that had snuck into the playoffs on the final day. Many County fans will point Orient’s controversial opener in the first leg as when the tie turned against them, but they still came into the home leg knowing that it was winner takes all and couldn’t get it done when it mattered most. Under pressure it was the Londoners who refused to wilt. They stood strong and led their fans to Wembley.

May 17th, Wembley: Manchester City are nailed on favourites to win the FA Cup and save their season against a Crystal Palace team that haven’t won a single major trophy in their entire 164 year history. Palace score in the 16th minute and hold on to lift the trophy, despite having just 21.7% possession, condemning the 4-times reigning Premier League champions to a trophyless season in the process.

May 21st, Estadio de San Mamés, Bilbao: Manchester United lose the Europa League Final to the ultimate banter team in not just London but all of European football 2 seasons after Spurs lost their talismanic striker, who many felt had carried the team for years, to Bayern Munich. Turns out the Spurs can go completely anti-Spursy, it just takes them losing their talisman and coming up against the worst team to occupy Old Trafford in more than half a century.

This season Spurs weren’t much better than them in the league so maybe the Londoners can lead them both back up the league table next season.

May 25th, Wembley: Leyton Orient, conquerors of Stockport County, are beaten in the Playoff final by Charlton Athletic. The first of 2 Playoff victories for teams from south of the river.

May 26th, Wembley: Back to back victories on the hallowed turf for teams from south of the river as AFC Wimbledon score in first half stoppage time to overcome a team that had led them in the league by a clear 15 points at the turn of the year. The Saddlers’ abysmal form in 2025 had seen them drop out of the automatic promotion places and now the True Dons had shown them just what their slacking off had cost them. Wimbledon returning to the third tier after 3 seasons in the basement tier of the EFL. A move that sends them a league above the franchise that stole their club in 2001.

May 28th, Tarczyński Arena, Wrocław: Chelsea made it 6 of the best for the greatest city on Earth with a late flurry of goals to secure the UEFA Europa Conference League title against a dogged Real Betis team in Poland.