Testing times await Latics

MK Dons first game in tough start to season

ATHLETIC will begin the new npower League One season with a tough challenge at play-off semi-finalists Milton Keynes Dons.

Manager Paul Dickov pits his wits against opposite number Karl Robinson on the opening day of Saturday, August 18, at stadium:mk, as the club aims to hit the ground running amid a potentially- tricky early run of fixtures.

Athletic start their home campaign at Boundary Park by taking on Walsall on Tuesday, August 21, the following weekend backing up at the same venue when welcoming another team who finished inside last terms' top-six, Stevenage.

And the 2012-13 campaign continues in September with visits to relegated pair Portsmouth and Doncaster.

The other team to come down from the Championship, Coventry, are visitors to Boundary Park on Saturday, September 29, with a relatively short midweek trip to promoted Crewe in store on Tuesday, October 2.

Crawley is a new destination on Saturday, October 27, with the first clash against fellow former League Two outfit Shrewsbury on Saturday, November 24.

Athletic are at home to Doncaster on Boxing Day and away to Scunthorpe on New Year's Day, rounding off the season with a visit to Leyton Orient on Saturday, April 27.

Fixtures are subject to change. Clubs have until noon on June 28 to make amendments.






League fixtures for 2012-13






August



18 Milton Keynes Dons (A)

21 Walsall (H)

25 Stevenage (H)



September

1 Portsmouth (A)

8 Doncaster (A)

15 Notts County (H)

18 Scunthorpe (H)

22 Brentford (A)

29 Coventry (H)



October

2 Crewe (A)

6 Preston (H)

13 Sheff Utd (A)

20 Leyton Orient (H)

23 Carlisle (A)

27 Crawley Town (A)



November

6 Bury (H)

10 Tranmere (H)

17 Bournemouth (A)

20 Hartlepool (A)

24 Shrewsbury (H)



December

8 Colchester (A)

15 Swindon (H)

22 Yeovil (A)

26 Doncaster (H)

29 Crewe (H)



January

1 Scunthorpe (A)

5 Notts County (A)

12 Brentford (H)

19 Coventry (A)

26 Yeovil (H)



February

2 Walsall (A)

9 Milton Keynes Dons (H)

16 Stevenage (A)

23 Portsmouth (H)

26 Preston (A)



March

2 Sheff Utd (H)

9 Tranmere (A)

12 Hartlepool (H)

16 Bournemouth (H)

23 Shrewsbury (A)

30 Swindon (A)



April

1 Colchester (H)

6 Carlisle (H)

13 Bury (A)

20 Crawley Town (H)

27 Leyton Orient (A)


Reproduced under licence. Copyright 2012 Football DataCo Ltd, The Football Association Premier League Ltd/The Football League Ltd/The Scottish Football League. All rights reserved.






READ the full version of this story only in our print and eChron editions