Opening Fixtures of the League One Season
The new League One season is set to kick off on Saturday, 5 August with a full slate of fixtures. Relegated sides Reading, Wigan, and Blackpool face tough opening matches, while the newly promoted sides will be looking to make a mark in the third tier. With two of the bigger sides to have come down from the Championship looking as though they may struggle at the start, could this be the most open League One title race for some time?
Barnsley v Port Vale
Barnsley, who were beaten play-off semi-finalists last season, will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Port Vale. The Tykes will be hoping to make a strong start to the season and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Blackpool v Burton Albion
Blackpool, who were relegated from the Championship last season, will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Burton Albion. The Seasiders will be hoping to make a quick return to the second tier and will be looking for a positive start to the season.
Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City
Bolton Wanderers, who were beaten play-off semi-finalists last season, will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Lincoln City. The Trotters will be hoping to build on their impressive form from last season and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Cambridge United v Oxford United
Cambridge United will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Oxford United. The U’s will be hoping to make a strong start to the season and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Carlisle United v Fleetwood Town
Carlisle United, who were fourth-tier play-off winners last season, will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Fleetwood Town. The Cumbrians will be hoping to make a quick return to the third tier and will be looking for a positive start to the season.
Charlton Athletic v Leyton Orient
Charlton Athletic will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Leyton Orient. The Addicks are under new ownership and will be hoping to make a strong start to the season and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Derby County v Wigan Athletic
Derby County will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Wigan Athletic. The Rams were in a similarly precarious financial position 12 months ago, having been relegated after being docked 21 points for their own financial problems. But Wigan do at least have a manager and are no longer under a transfer embargo, unlike fellow relegated side Reading.
Northampton Town v Stevenage
Northampton Town and Stevenage will face one another at Sixfields in the opening round of fixtures. Both sides were promoted from League Two last season and will be hoping to make a strong start to life in the third tier.
Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers
Portsmouth will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Bristol Rovers. The south coast side have already recruited six new players for a first full season in the third tier and will be looking for a positive start to the season.
Reading v Peterborough United
Reading, who were relegated from the Championship last season, will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Peterborough United. The Royals are under a transfer embargo for that breach, and the non-payment of loan wages, but they are still allowed to bring a squad together under strict conditions over wages and will not be able to pay any transfer fees.
Shrewsbury Town v Cheltenham Town
Shrewsbury Town will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Cheltenham Town. The Shrews had an inconsistent season last year but will be hoping to make a strong start to the new campaign and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Wycombe Wanderers v Exeter City
Wycombe Wanderers will begin their League One campaign with a home match against Exeter City. The Chairboys had an impressive season last year and will be hoping to build on that form and push for promotion back to the Championship.
Who Could Win the Title?
With two of the bigger sides to have come down from the Championship looking as though they may struggle at the start – coupled with the runaway top three from last season of Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and with Sheffield Wednesday all being promoted – could this be the most open League One title race for some time? Beaten play-off finalists Barnsley and semi-finalists Peterborough and Bolton Wanderers will all fancy their chances of improving next season – but will Posh still be suffering from the hangover of losing to Wednesday on penalties having been 4-0 up after the first leg?
Beneath them, Portsmouth have already recruited six new players for a first full season, Derby – having had a season of consolidation under new owner David Clowes – could see this campaign as a good one to make a charge for a return to the second tier, while Charlton Athletic are under new ownership. At the other end of the table Fleetwood Town fans might be worried after chairman Andy Pilley resigned following a conviction for money laundering and fraud, while the four promoted clubs will hope they can get a foothold in the third tier. All four clubs will hope to follow the example of Exeter City and Bristol Rovers, who finished comfortably in mid-table last season, rather than the League Two champions Forest Green Rovers – who mustered just six wins all season and finished 17 points adrift at the bottom of the table.
Conclusion
The new League One season is set to kick off on Saturday, 5 August with a full slate of fixtures. With two of the bigger sides to have come down from the Championship looking as though they may struggle at the start, could this be the most open League One title race for some time? It remains to be seen who will come out on top this season, but one thing is certain – it promises to be an exciting and unpredictable campaign!