Home for starters!

Photo: Darren Robinson

John Sheridan

ATHLETIC will host Oxford United on the opening day of the 2017-18 season - the first time in six years they have been picked to kick off the Sky Bet League One campaign with a home fixture.

The U's, who are currently without a manager after Michael Appleton left to join Leicester City as Craig Shakespeare's assistant, travel to SportsDirect.com Park on Saturday, August 5.

John Sheridan's side are at home again in the midweek first round Carabao Cup game with Burton Albion that follows, before the first away trip of the season to Walsall on Saturday, August 12.

Athletic are at home to relegated Championship side Wigan on Saturday, August 19, before the opening month is rounded off with an away-day at newly-promoted Blackpool on Saturday, August 26.

A packed month of September, featuring seven fixtures, includes the longest midweek trip of the season when Athletic go to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday, September 12.

The festive period has Sheridan's side at home to Fleetwood on Boxing Day and hosting Bristol Rovers four days later, before an away date at Shrewsbury on New Year's Day.

The Easter double-header has Athletic visiting Wigan on Easter Saturday, March 31 - that could potentially be pushed back to Good Friday - with a home match against Blackpool on Easter Monday, April 2.

Athletic's campaign is rounded off by a visit to Northampton on Saturday, May 5, a game that has a kick-off time of 5.30pm.

"We are happy with it, to be perfectly honest," said Athletic's chief executive Mark Moisley of the fixtures list. "Last year, a lot of our big home games were late in the season and both games at Christmas were away."

ATHLETIC'S pre-season camp in Bath features two games: at Salisbury on Wednesday, July 12 (7.45pm kick-off) and against Swindon behind closed doors on Friday, July 14 (noon).

August

5th Oxford Utd h
12th Walsall a
19th Wigan h
26th Blackpool a

September

2nd Charlton h
9th Fleetwood a
12th Bristol Rovers a
16th Shrewsbury h
23rd Rotherham a
26th Peterborough h
30th Portsmouth a

October

7th Bury h
14th Blackburn h
17th Bradford a
21st MK Dons a
28th Scunthorpe h

November

11th Southend a
18th Rochdale h
21st A.F.C. Wimbledon h
25th Gillingham a

December

9th Northampton h
16th Doncaster a
23rd Plymouth a
26th Fleetwood h
30th Bristol Rovers h

January

1st Shrewsbury a
6th Charlton a
13th Rotherham h
20th Peterborough a
27th Plymouth h

February

3rd Bradford h
10th Blackburn a
13th MK Dons h
17th Rochdale a
24th Southend h

March

3rd Scunthorpe a
10th Bury a
17th Portsmouth h
24th Walsall h
31st Wigan a

April

2nd Blackpool h
7th Oxford Utd a
14th Gillingham h
21st A.F.C. Wimbledon a
28th Doncaster h

May

5th Northampton a