Sky Bet League One champions Luton Town will kick-off their first season in the second tier of English football for 12 years with a Friday night home game against Middlesbrough.
With Graeme Jones taking charge of his first competitive game as Town boss and former England international Jonathan Woodgate making his managerial debut with Boro, the Kenilworth Road clash has attracted the attention of Sky Sports, who will screen it as their first live EFL fixture of the 2019-20 campaign.
Jones will know plenty about the Teesside club, who missed out on the play-offs by one place and one point last season, having spent four years coaching in the Boro academy at the end of his playing career.
It will be the first time the two clubs have faced each other since the 1994-95 Division One campaign, when the Hatters beat Bryan Robson’s side 5-1 here in the October before eventual champions Middlesbrough celebrated promotion back to the Premier League the following April with a 2-1 win over the Town in the final-ever game at Ayresome Park.
Jones’ squad’s first away game will come a week later with a trip to south Wales to face Cardiff City, recently relegated from the Premier League before a midweek Carabao Cup first round tie, the opposition for which we will discover this evening with the draw taking place at 7pm.
Next up at home is a quick reunion with the manager’s most recent employers, West Brom, who we met in the opening fortnight of last season too, when the Baggies – with Jones as assistant manager to Darren Moore – knocked the Town out of the League Cup.
The opening month is completed with away trips to two more sides the Hatters have faced in recent months – Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday 20th August and Barnsley on Saturday 24th – before another of last season’s top-flight teams, Huddersfield Town, visit Bedfordshire on Saturday 31st.
The Hatters will come up against former manager Nathan Jones and his Stoke City side for the first time with a midweek trip to the Potteries on Tuesday 10th December, before the return at the Kenny on the final day of February.
Over the festive period the Town will host the third relegated side, Fulham, on Boxing Day before away days at Bristol City (Saturday 29th December) and Millwall on New Year’s Day.
While Easter presents a Yorkshire double header with Barnsley visiting Kenilworth Road on Good Friday, before the return fixture with Huddersfield on Monday 13th April.
We close the campaign as we open it, at home, with Blackburn Rovers coming to town on Saturday 2nd May.
AUGUST
Fri Aug 2 Middlesbrough H
Sat Aug 10 Cardiff City A
Wed Aug 14 Carabao Cup One
Sat Aug 17 West Bromwich Albion H
Tue Aug 20 Sheffield Wednesday A
Sat Aug 24 Barnsley A
Wed Aug 28 Carabao Cup Two
Sat Aug 31 Huddersfield Town H
SEPTEMBER
Sat Sep 7 International Date
Sat Sep 14 Queens Park Rangers A
Sat Sep 21 Hull City H
Wed Sep 25 Carabao Cup Three
Sat Sep 28 Blackburn Rovers A
OCTOBER
Wed Oct 2 Millwall H
Sat Oct 5 Derby County A
Sat Oct 12 International Date
Sat Oct 19 Bristol City H
Wed Oct 23 Fulham A
Sat Oct 26 Birmingham City A
Wed Oct 30 Carabao Cup Four
NOVEMBER
Sat Nov 2 Nottingham Forest H
Sat Nov 9 Reading A Emirates FA Cup 1
Sat Nov 16 International Date
Sat Nov 23 Leeds United H
Tue Nov 26 Charlton Athletic H
Sat Nov 30 Brentford A Emirates FA Cup 2
DECEMBER
Sat Dec 7 Wigan Athletic H
Tue Dec 10 Stoke City A
Sat Dec 14 Preston North End A
Wed Dec 18 Carabao Cup Five
Sat Dec 21 Swansea City H
Thu Dec 26 Fulham H
Sun Dec 29 Bristol City A
JANUARY
Wed Jan 1 Millwall A
Sat Jan 4 Emirates FA Cup 3
Wed Jan 8 Carabao Cup Semi-Final (1)
Sat Jan 11 Birmingham City H
Sat Jan 18 Nottingham Forest A
Sat Jan 25 Derby County H (Emirates FA Cup 4)
Wed Jan 29 Carabao Cup Semi-Final (2)
FEBRUARY
Sat Feb 1 West Bromwich Albion A
Sat Feb 8 Cardiff City H
Wed Feb 12 Sheffield Wednesday H
Sat Feb 15 Middlesbrough A
Sat Feb 22 Charlton Athletic A
Tue Feb 25 Brentford H
Sat Feb 29 Stoke City H
MARCH
Sun Mar 1 Carabao Cup Final
Wed Mar 4 Emirates FA Cup 5
Sat Mar 7 Wigan Athletic A
Sat Mar 14 Preston North End H
Wed Mar 18 Swansea City A
Sat Mar 21 Leeds United A (Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final)
Sat Mar 28 International Date
APRIL
Sat Apr 4 Reading H
Fri Apr 10 Barnsley H
Mon Apr 13 Huddersfield Town A
Sat Apr 18 Queens Park Rangers H (Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final)
Sat Apr 25 Hull City A
Sat May 2 Blackburn Rovers H
Sat May 23 Emirates FA Cup Final
Please note that this is a draft schedule and all clubs have seven days to request changes.
The remainder of the TV selections for August matches will be publicly announced by Friday 5th July.
Thereafter, the TV selection dates will be publicly announced with a minimum of five weeks’ notice before the fixtures (except the penultimate weekend of the season which will have a minimum of three weeks’ notice).
All Championship teams will have two home midweek fixtures on a Tuesday and two on a Wednesday, and also two away midweek fixtures on a Tuesday and two on a Wednesday, due to the broadcasting agreement.
Supporters should be aware that all games are subject to more changes this season due to the possibility of being shown live on TV.
All fixtures on the final day of the season will kick-off at 12.30pm.
