The day the fixture list is released is always an interesting one, when in reality it’s nothing to be excited about at all!
At the end of the day, we play every team twice between August and May.
But when you’re in a new league, it takes on a new importance.
For any Norwich fan who hadn’t quite accepted relegation yet, they well and truly know it now.
The Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City away days have been replaced with Burton Albion, Rotherham, and Huddersfield. But who wants to go to a 76’000 capacity stadium like Old Trafford when you can stand in the terraces of the 6’900 capacity Pirelli Stadium, just the 91% smaller?
But with some dates, it doesn’t matter what league you find your club in, they’re still first to be looked for on the fixture list. So here we have the top five dates to look forward to in the new season.
Opening day - Blackburn (A)
Opening day is always the first to look for, and it’s not a particularly pleasant one.
Aside from Johnson’s beautiful strike earning a vital three points at the end of the season before last, Norwich have a pretty dismal record at Blackburn, and an even worse record on opening day wins.
It’ll take a big effort to put that right.
Last day - QPR (H)
But at the other end of the fixture list, it’s a bit kinder as we’ve been given QPR at home to end the season.
Hopefully, we can repeat our last Championship season with the final home game being a non event with our play off spot already secured.
August 20th -
Only a few weeks into the season and we’re already off across the border. Another cheeky 1-0 will do us nicely to get the season off and running!
February 25 - Ipswich Town (A)
We don’t have to wait too long for the return fixture either. If it’s anything like the last time Ipswich came to Carrow Road, I’ll be delighted.
Boxing Day - Reading (A)
Boxing Day is always a much loved time in the British football calendar, and we’ve done pretty well.
While it may not sound the most exciting, Reading away is a reasonably easy journey and comes with an almost unlimited away allocation.