Football season starts this weekend after what feels an eternity. It’s still unclear when fans will be able to return to home or away games. Fans will be desperate to get back into stadiums to support their teams, as iFollow and other streaming services have been unreliable at best so far in the cup competitions.
There are some newcomers to League One this year that will be expected to be battling for promotion, and some where survival would be a massive achievement. Either way, fans of every club will be glued to their screens come 3pm on Saturday.
Away Trips for the new boys
All clubs coming down into League One this season face away trips on the opening day of the season, as Hull City, Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic will play Gillingham, newly promoted Crewe Alexandra and Ipswich Town respectively. Other new boys Swindon Town and Northampton Town play Rochdale and AFC Wimbledon respectively.
It’s tough to say how the newcomers to the division will get on. Wigan don’t play Ipswich until Sunday. They can sit back and watch the rest of the teams battle it out the day before. The other two teams relegated from the second tier last season were Charlton and Hull. Many feel that Charlton will have a good chance of getting off to a winning start against newly promoted Crewe. Hull City face a tough trip to Gillingham. The Tigers are winless in 90 minutes in a competitive game since the start of July. The odds will no doubt favour the home side at Priestfield.
Swindon Town – the surprise package?
Swindon Town could be a real surprise package this season, and start their campaign against Rochdale with the new boys fancying their chances after strong recruitment in pre-season. Northampton Town play perennial strugglers AFC Wimbledon. It will be a great test for The Cobblers, as they will be tipped by many to be battling relegation alongside the Dons.
Clubs in League One have already had some warm up games for the league. The EFL Cup Trophy opening games have been played over the last week. As a consequence, many sides treated the games like pre-season affairs. The regular season is finally getting underway after what has felt an age. All clubs will be hoping their squads are in shape for the gruelling season ahead.
