League One fixtures 2023-24: Reading v Peterborough & Derby v Wigan on opening day

Reading's players suffered relegation after having six points docked last season - they will play in the third tier for the first time in almost two decades

Reading will begin their first season in League One since 2002 against beaten play-off semi-finalists Peterborough.

The managerless Royals went down from the Championship last term after being docked six points for financial issues.

Fellow relegated side Wigan, who will start the season on minus eight points after their own money concerns, begin with a trip to Derby.

Blackpool, the other Championship side to go down, face Burton while play-off finalists Barnsley host Port Vale.

All opening League One fixtures are scheduled to kick-off at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 5 August, with the regular season due to end on Saturday, 27 April.

League Two champions Leyton Orient return to the third tier for the first time since 2015 with a short trip across the Thames to Charlton.

Fourth-tier play-off winners Carlisle host their nearest neighbours Fleetwood as they return to League One for the first time since 2014, while the other two promoted sides - Northampton and Stevenage - face one another at Sixfields.

• Club-by-club 2023-24 League One fixture list

• Championship: Southampton kick-off EFL season with Sheffield Wednesday trip

• League Two: Wrexham return to EFL with MK Dons match

First round of fixtures in full

• Barnsley v Port Vale

• Blackpool v Burton Albion

• Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City

• Cambridge United v Oxford United

• Carlisle United v Fleetwood Town

• Charlton Athletic v Leyton Orient

• Derby County v Wigan Athletic

• Northampton Town v Stevenage

• Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers

• Reading v Peterborough United

• Shrewsbury Town v Cheltenham Town

• Wycombe Wanderers v Exeter City

Ex-Championship sides face difficult seasons

Wigan and Reading drew 1-1 in the penultimate match of last season and meet one another on 23 December in Berkshire and on 20 January at the DW Stadium

Wigan start the season eight points adrift after twice being docked points by the English Football League for failing to pay their players on time.

But with local businessman Mike Danson taking over the club from their former Bahrain-based owners there is hope that the club can once again be on a steady footing after a number of years of ownership turmoil.

It is ironic that they should open against Derby - the Rams were in a similarly precarious financial position 12 months ago, having been relegated after being docked 21 points for their own financial problems.

But Wigan do at least have a manager and are no longer under a transfer embargo, unlike fellow relegated side Reading.

The Royals would have stayed up in the Championship by a point last season but for their six-point deduction after breaching the terms of a business plan for a previous profit and sustainability rule breach.

But they are in the third tier for the first time since the 2001-02 season and are under a transfer embargo for that breach, and the non-payment of loan wages.

The club have seen a host of high-earning players such as George Puscas, Yakou Meite and Naby Sarr leave in recent weeks.

While the Royals will be allowed to bring a squad together they will have to do it under strict conditions over wages and will not be able to pay any transfer fees, making the job of whoever takes over from Paul Ince that bit more difficult.

Who could win the title?

Can Peterborough United bounce back from being the first club to throw away a four-goal first-leg lead in a play-off semi-final?

With two of the bigger sides to have come down from the Championship looking as though they may struggle at the start - coupled with the runaway top three from last season of Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and with Sheffield Wednesday all being promoted - could this be the most open League One title race for some time?

Beaten play-off finalists Barnsley and semi-finalists Peterborough and Bolton Wanderers will all fancy their chances of improving next season - but will Posh still be suffering from the hangover of losing to Wednesday on penalties having been 4-0 up after the first leg?

Beneath them, Portsmouth have already recruited six new players for a first full season, Derby - having had a season of consolidation under new owner David Clowes - could see this campaign as a good one to make a charge for a return to the second tier, while Charlton Athletic are under new ownership.

At the other end of the table Fleetwood Town fans might be worried after chairman Andy Pilley resigned following a conviction for money laundering and fraud, while the four promoted clubs will hope they can get a foothold in the third tier.

All four clubs will hope to follow the example of Exeter City and Bristol Rovers, who finished comfortably in mid-table last season, rather than the League Two champions Forest Green Rovers - who mustered just six wins all season and finished 17 points adrift at the bottom of the table.