FIXTURES: Kiss-me-quick hats & Donkey rides as Sunderland head to Blackpool on New Year’s Day

Sunderland’s EFL League One fixtures are out - and if the reality of what is to come hasn’t quite hit you yet, then it should have now.

Jack Ross and his side will kick-off the season when Charlton Athletic visit the Stadium of Light on August 4th, before a trip away to Luton Town - who we haven’t faced in a league fixture since trouncing them 5-0 on the day we went up as Champions under Roy Keane - on the following weekend.

In the midweek (15th) we take on Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the EFL Cup, before following that up with a home game with Scunthorpe United on August 18th. Proceeding that are away games at Gillingham (21st) and AFC Wimbledon (25th) respectively - our first ever meeting with the Dons since their formation in 2002.

Joey Barton brings his Fleetwood Town side to the Stadium of Light on the 8th of September, and we’ve also nabbed a home fixture on Boxing Day as Bradford City head to Wearside for the first time in many years - the two clubs haven’t met in the league since we played on the exact same day on Wearside in 2003 in a 3-0 Kevin Kyle-inspired win for Mick McCarthy’s mackems.

We’ve also got perhaps the best possible date for a trip away to Blackpool - New Year’s Day. Anyone else fancy spending the weekend on the drink down there?

Our last three games are a trip away to Peterborough, a home clash with fellow title favourites Portsmouth, and then we finish the season with a trip to the seaside to take on Southend United on May 4th. Who said League One wasn’t going to be fun?

The full fixture list can be viewed below - which game are you looking forward to most?

EFL