The football league kicks off in earnest this weekend, without the extravagance and millions of the English Premier League – just 72 teams with their loyal sets of fans ready to dream for another year.
For most that will become mid-table mediocrity or worse, but right now all fans can dream.
Here’s a quick highlight package of the more interesting games for the opening round of fixtures.
Championship highlights
Brighton and Hove Albion versus Nottingham Forest
Saturday, 4:45am (AEST)
The season opens up on Friday night, with two teams who would have hoped for much better than their 20th and 14th finishing places last year. Brighton have been tipped to struggle and Forest to be in the play-off mix, this is a good sighter for fans to see if those predictions are correct.
Leeds United versus Burnley
Sat 9:30pm (AEST)
Leeds are still one of the biggest clubs in this second-tier competition and have grand designs on returning to the EPL for the first time since 2004.
Burnley applied themselves well last year in the EPL, and will no doubt fly under the radar as they did in 2013-14 when they were the surprise packets. But with some of their young stars sold in the off-season can they reach the same heights?
Brentford versus Ipswich Town
Brentford gave notice to their manager Mark Warburton several months before the end of the season despite getting them promoted to the Championship and making the play offs. New manager Marinus Dijkhuizen will be hard pressed to improve, but that’s what he’s been hired for.
Fellow playoff finisher from last season Ipswich Town look even stronger this year, even plucking the Bees captain from them in the days before the match for good measure. With four top Football League strikers there looks like plenty of goals in Town this season.
Full fixture
| UK | AEST | Match | |
| FRI 19:45 | SAT 04:45 | Brighton vs Nottingham Forest | |
| SAT 12:00 | SAT 21:00 | Cardiff vs Fulham | |
| SAT 12:30 | SAT 21:30 | Leeds vs Burnley | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Sheff Wed vs Bristol City | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Rotheram vs Milton Keynes Dons | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Hull vs Huddersfield | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Charlton vs Queens Park Rangers | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Brentford vs Ipswich | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Bolton vs Derby | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Blackburn vs Wolves | |
| SAT 15:00 | SUN 0:00 | Birm City vs Reading | |
| SUN 12:00 | SUN 21:00 | Preston vs Middlesbrough | |
League One highlights
(All games Saturday, 11:55pm AEST)
Swindon Town versus Bradford City
Both teams are tipped to finish up the sharp end this year, and this first clash will be a good pointer on which can go for automatic promotion.
Swindon made the playoffs last year and Bradford missed out by one spot. Bradford at least still have their sweet memories of their FA Cup triumph over Chelsea from last season.
Coventry City versus Wigan Athletic
Two former FA Cup winners go head-to-head in the third tier of English Football as 1987 winners Coventry take on 2013 winners Wigan Athletic. The bonus of this season for Coventry is they start their campaign in their actual home town, unlike last season which started by playing their games in Northampton. Former West Brom and Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray is now the man in charge and last year’s 17th won’t be good enough this season.
Wigan have gone with youth in Gary Caldwell (33) to get them out of the relegation spiral.
Burton Albion versus Scunthorpe United
Time to check out one of the new boys for the season ahead, and with big name Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank in charge they’ll always grab some of the spotlight for his League Two winning side from last year.
Scunthorpe are a hardened lower division team with a far less glamourous but no less useful manager in Mark Robins. So despite their 16th place finish last year, it will be a good test for the Brewers.
Full fixtures
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Walsall vs Oldham
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Swindon vs Bradford
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Shrewsb’y vs Millwall
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Rochdale vs Peterborough
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Gillingham vs Sheffield United
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Fleetwood vs Southend
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Doncaster vs Bury
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Crewe vs Port Vale
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Coventry vs Wigan
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Colchester vs Blackpool
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Chesterfld vs Barnsley
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Burton vs Scunthorpe
League Two highlights
(All games Saturday, 11:55pm AEST)
Leyton Orient versus Barnet
Two teams moving in opposite directions meet in a north London derby of sorts. Leyton Orient came within a game of Championship football and then were relegated last year under a new owner and several managers.
Coming up a division this season after two in the non-league, Barnet were 53 places below Leyton Orient two seasons ago. Always good to see where teams that have come up and down go early in the season.
Exeter versus Yeovil Town
Sort of a south-west derby, and a game that will have to do for rivalry for Exeter until Torquay come back. Yeovil Town have been relegated two seasons in a row since their lofty one-year stay in the Championship. A win here would calm the nerves, a loss could start them on the way out of the football league.
Exeter finished midfield last year so will be a good yardstick for Yeovil.
AFC Wimbledon versus Plymouth Argyle
Really only picked to see how the Beast – Adebayo Akinfenwa – is looking for the upcoming season. This behemoth is always fun to follow, unless you are an opposition defender.
Plymouth Argyle are tipped to go all right this season and a win away early is always a good start.
Full fixtures
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Oxford vs Crawley
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Mansfield vs Carlisle
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Leyton Orient vs Barnet
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Hartlepool vs Morecambe
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Exeter vs Yeovil
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Cambridge U vs Newport
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Bristol Rovers vs Northampton
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Wycombe vs York
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 AFC Wimb’don vs Plymouth
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Stevenage vs Notts Co.
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Accrington vs Luton
SAT 15:00 SUN 0:00 Portsmouth vs Dag and Red
National League
The Conference has been renamed this year to be the National League, and is always worth keeping an eye on for potential league clubs for next year.
The division below is split into North and South, and there is a very interesting fixture in one of those divisions this weekend.
The club started by disgruntled Manchester United fans, FC United of Manchester, play their first game at this level this weekend when they travel to Gloucester. It will no douby be a point of interest throughout the year.
These are just my thoughts of the games I think will be of interest, and would love to hear from the various fans of their thoughts for the games of the weekend, and best tip.
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