League Two fixtures 2018-19: Macclesfield start at Swindon, Tranmere open at Stevenage

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Macclesfield Town celebrate promotion to League TwoImage source, Getty Images
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Macclesfield Town were National League champions last season, finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Tranmere

Promoted Macclesfield Town will start away at Swindon Town on their return to League Two on Saturday, 4 August.

Tranmere Rovers, who also went up from the National League last season, open up with an away game at Stevenage.

Paul Tisdale will take charge of MK Dons for the first time at fellow relegated club Oldham, while his old side Exeter - last season's play-off final losers - will host Carlisle.

Other opening fixtures see Bury play Yeovil and Northampton face Lincoln.

Opening League Two fixtures

Saturday, 4 August, 15:00 BST kick-off

  • Bury v Yeovil Town

  • Cheltenham Town v Crawley Town

  • Crewe Alexandra v Morecambe

  • Exeter City v Carlisle United

  • Grimsby Town v Forest Green Rovers

  • Mansfield Town v Newport County

  • Northampton Town v Lincoln City

  • Notts County v Colchester United

  • Oldham Athletic v Milton Keynes Dons

  • Port Vale v Cambridge United

  • Stevenage v Tranmere Rovers

  • Swindon Town v Macclesfield Town

A new start for Tisdale

Tisdale was, for a couple of weeks, the longest-serving manager in English football after Arsene Wenger left Arsenal in May.

However, his 12-year stay at Exeter ended on 1 June and he took charge of relegated MK Dons five days later.

Tisdale - who has already added his former captain Jordan Moore-Taylor to his squad - will come up against his old club at Stadium MK on 25 August and head back to St James Park on 2 February, 2019.

As Exeter manager, Tisdale lost in the fourth-tier play-off final in each of the past two years. His first challenge as Dons boss is to arrest a slide that has seen the club slip from the Championship to League Two in the space of three seasons.

Return of the Macc

Macclesfield are back in the English Football League after winning the National League by 10 points in 2017-18, and will enter the season with Mark Yates as manager after John Askey left to become the new boss of League One side Shrewsbury.

Their first home game of the campaign is against Grimsby on 11 August, with a short trip to Oldham to follow a week later.

Tranmere overcame Boreham Wood in the promotion final at Wembley to return to League Two after a three-year absence.

Cheltenham will be the first visitors to Prenton Park on 11 August.