Boro find themselves in the Championship this season with only one objective: Getting out of it as quickly as possible!
After a disastrous season last time around and some high profile departures over the summer, Boro will be looking to prove they are too good to stay down.
The team, including new recruits with experience of lower league football, have no time to ease themselves into life in the Championship as our 2009-10 promotion campaign kicks off with a night match against play-off contenders Sheffield United at 8.00pm on Friday 7th August.
Despite the loss of top scorer James Beattie last January, The Blades know how to carve open a team's defence and we will need to hit the ground running in order to establish ourselves in this league.
Next up Boro have trips to Swansea City (15th, 3.00pm) and Scunthorpe United (18th, 7.45pm) before welcoming Doncaster Rovers to the Riverside on the 22nd of the month. Finally, we travel to Bristol to take on the Robins (29th, 3.00pm).
September is equally action-packed. Boro host Ipswich Town on the 12th, just three days before making a trip to Sheffield to take on Sheffield Wednesday on a Tuesday evening (15th, 7.45pm).
A week later, we welcome West Brom back to the Riverside with both teams looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League. A trip to Coventry City (26th, 3.00pm) and the arrival of the Foxes for a Tuesday night clash on the 29th (8.00pm) round off the month.
October features a host of teams Boro fans probably didn't expect to see on their fixture lists for a while. The opportunity to go to Reading (3rd, 3.00pm) and Preston (24th, 3.00pm) breaks up visits from Watford (17th, 3:00pm), Derby County (20th, 8.00pm) and Plymouth (31st, 3:00pm) who are all somewhat unknown quanities to Boro.
Championship stalwarts Crystal Palace (7th, away) and Nottingham Forest (21st, home) provide the opposition in November before we take on newly promoted Peterborough United at London Road on the 28th of the month.
More matches mean Boro will need to improve on their dreadful fitness record from last season and six matches in our traditional 'slump' period in December will certainly be a challenge.
Kicking things off we have QPR at Loftus Road (5th, away) followed by Blackpool and Cardiff City at The Riverside (8th, 8.00pm and 12th, 3.00pm respectively).
Then we get down to the serious business of facing North-East rivals Newcastle United for the first time since we were both relegated on the final day of last season. The Toon Army will be out in force as Boro travel to St James' Park on the 19th but with big name departures on both sides, it will be interesting to see who has adapted best to the Championship at this crucial stage in the season.
Boro host Championship newboys Scunthorpe on Boxing Day (3.00pm) and travel to Barnsley to take on the Tykes just two days later (3.00pm).
2010 brings the Swans to The Riverside on the 9th of January before Boro go on the road again to face Sheffield United (16th, 3.00pm) and Doncaster Rovers (26th, 7.45pm). The Boro host Bristol City on the 30th, bringing the month to a close.
Boro begin February with a trip to Ipswich (6th, 3:00pm) before welcoming Barnsley (9th, 8.00pm) and Peterborough (13th, 3.00pm) to the North-East.
The fixtures come thick and fast with a Tuesday night match away to Blackpool on the 16th (7.45pm) and a trip to Nottingham Forest on the 20th (3:00pm) before QPR descend on the Riverside on the 27th (3:00pm).
March, like December, packs in six matches, starting with another trip to Wales to play Cardiff City on the 6th (3:00pm) before we 'welcome' Newcastle to the Riverside (13th, 3:00pm).
Hot on the Magpies' heels is a trip to Derby for another Tuesday evening encounter on the 16th (7.45pm). Home matches against Reading (20th, 3.00pm) and Preston (23rd, 8.00pm) give Boro a break from travelling but little breathing space between games means that the month ends with a bus ride to Watford (27th, 3.00pm).
As the Easter eggs fill the shops, there is still a full month of football to be played and at this juncture, Boro will need to be fighting fit for one last push out of the Championship.
Standing in our way are games against the Eagles (3rd, 3.00pm), a Monday afternoon trek to Plymouth (5th, 3.00pm) before the Owls make the journey to the Riverside on the 10th (3:00pm).
An excersion to West Brom (17th, 3:00pm) precedes the penultimate match of the campaign, a home encounter with Coventry City (24th, 3:00pm).
May begins and the season finishes with a Sunday trip to Leicester to face former Boro captain Nigel Pearson's Foxes (2nd, 3.00pm) before Southgate, Gibson et al can celebrate promotion.
Here's hoping!
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 3/8/2009
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