The 2009/10 Football League season will start on Saturday August 8th 2009 and end on Saturday May 8th 2010. (The Championship is finishing on Sunday May 2 as it's a World Cup year.)
The new season fixtures will be released on Wednesday June 17th at 10am.
The 50th anniversay of the Carling Cup starts w/c Monday August 10 with the first round games. The final is on February 28th.
The JPT Trophy will begin it's first round w/c Monday August 31 with the final at Wembley on March 28.
As ever the League One/Two play-off final weekend will be over the May Spring Holiday weekend with the League One final on Sunday May 30. Again, the Championship final will be a week earlier on Saturday May 22.
Christmas and New Year will be hectic to say the least with all clubs scheduled to play four games in just nine days starting with a fixture on Saturday December 19th, followed by a midweek fixture, a game on Boxing Day and one on Monday December 28th.
As this year there's no New Years Day 2010 game as the following day is the first Saturday of the year and therefore is FA Cup Third Round day. And it's my birthday.
Always all change in the third tier as seven new clubs, the most in the football league, join the division.
However, take a close look, nearly half of the clubs, (I'm cheating a bit with MK Dons), were involved in top flight football at some time during the seventies and eighties. Ashes to Ashes indeed.
League One 2009/10
Brentford,
Brighton,
Bristol Rovers,
Carlisle United,
Charlton Athletic,
Colchester United,
Exeter City,
Gillingham,
Hartlepool United,
Huddersfield Town,
Leeds United,
Leyton Orient,
Millwall,
Milton Keynes Dons,
Norwich City,
Oldham Athletic,
Southampton,
Southend United,
Stockport County,
Swindon Town,
Tranmere Rovers,
Walsall,
Wycombe Wanderers,
Yeovil Town.