Sky Sports has announced its first set of live televised fixtures from the Npower Football League, with two Championship games to be screened on the opening weekend.
In their controversial new red kit, Cardiff City will kick-off the English domestic season, with a match against newly promoted Huddersfield Town.
The match from the Cardiff City Stadium will be on Friday, August 17.
Less than 24 hours later, Neil Warnock’s Leeds United will play host to recently relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 12.45pm kick-off.
The match will see Stale Solbakken’s first match in charge of the Molineux side.
Delicious derbies
Sky will also be focusing on plenty of local affairs in the opening months of the season.
Amongst their live line-up is a feisty Midlands encounter between Wolves and Leicester City on September 16.
Two nights before that, League One champions Charlton Athletic have a London derby with one of the relegation favourites, Crystal Palace.
Nottingham Forest’s passionate East Midlands rivalry with Derby County will also receive the Sky treatment, with their match at the City Ground beginning at 1.15pm on September 30.
Relegated Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers are shown live in the opening weeks too.
Bolton’s home game with Nottingham Forest is a Friday night billing on August 24, whilst Rovers fans wait until September before their first live instalment, which is a home encounter against Middlesbrough.
Not just one division
Sky has also announced the opening games live from round one of the Capital One Cup.
Oldham Athletic’s home match with Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton’s trip to Swindon Town will be covered on Monday, August 13 and Tuesday, August 14 respectively.
Other games from Npower League One and Two have also been confirmed, although at a far lesser scale than the Championship.
The first League One match will feature Coventry City and Stevenage Borough on September 9, whilst the only League Two match so far announced is Oxford United’s visit to Port Vale on October 15.
Sky is the exclusive home of live Football League and Capital One Cup football in 2012-13. The BBC has dropped live rights but did sign a new four-year-deal in May to still cover highlights in the Football League Show.
LIVE TELEVISED FIXTURES IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Npower Championship
Friday, August 17 – Cardiff City v Huddersfield Town (7.45pm)
Saturday, August 18 – Leeds United v Wolves (12.45pm)
Friday, August 24 – Bolton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest (7.45pm)
Saturday, August 25 – Watford v Birmingham City (5.20pm)
Saturday, September 1 – Leicester City v Blackpool (5.20pm)
Friday, September 14 – Charlton Athletic v Crystal Palace (7.45pm)
Sunday, September 16 – Wolves v Leicester City (1.15pm)
Friday, September 21 – Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough (7.45pm)
Saturday, September 22 – Birmingham City v Barnsley (5.20pm)
Sunday, September 30 – Nottingham Forest v Derby County (1.15pm)
Saturday, October 6 – Ipswich Town v Cardiff City (5.20pm)
Friday, October 19 – Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United (7.45pm)
Saturday, October 20 – Burnley v Blackpool (5.20pm)
Saturday, October 27 – Bristol City v Hull City (5.20pm)
Friday, November 2 – Brighton & Hove Albion v Leeds United (7.45pm)
Saturday, November 3 – Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City (5.20pm)
Friday, November 9 – Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday (7.45pm)
Saturday, November 10 – Leicester City v Nottingham Forest (12.45pm)
Saturday, November 17 – Peterborough United v Blackburn Rovers (5.20pm)
Sunday, November 18 – Millwall v Leeds United (1.15pm)
Saturday, November 24 – Derby County v Birmingham City (5.20pm)
Npower League One
Sunday, September 9 – Coventry City v Stevenage Borough (1.15pm) / Crawley Town v Portsmouth (3.30pm)
Thursday, September 13 – Leyton Orient v Brentford (7.45pm)
Sunday, October 14 – Preston North End v Milton Keynes Dons (1.15pm)
Sunday, October 14 – Shrewsbury Town v Walsall (3.30pm)
Npower League Two
Monday, October 15 – Port Vale v Oxford United (7.45pm)
Capital One Cup
Monday, August 13 – Oldham Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday (7.45pm)
Tuesday, August 14 – Swindon Town v Brighton & Hove Albion (7.45pm)
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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