Fixture Computer Hands The Whites a Tough Start

Leeds fans everywhere have been eagerly anticipating today ever since the last ball was kicked against Watford on the final day of the Championship season. The reason for this is of course because the fixtures for the 2013/14 campaign have been released and the United faithful can finally begin planning for the next ten months or so.

Below are the fixtures for the first two months:

For the full fixture list, click here!

The Whites kick off their campaign at home to the opponents they faced last time out at Elland Road as Brighton head to West Yorkshire. Rodolph Austin and El-Hadji Diouf were sent off controversially during that game so of course will be missing this time around through suspension. It doesn't get any easier for Brian McDermott's men who face a trip to Leicester, a Yorkshire derby with Sheffield Wednesday and travel to Ipswich before Harry Redknapp brings his recently relegated QPR to Elland Road all in the first month of the season.

McDermott and the travelling Leeds army will make the long trip to his former club Reading on a Tuesday night in September. There will be a second trip to the capital in September as Leeds face Millwall at the New Den.

Other key fixtures include a home fixture with Derby County on the final game of the season. An opponent that the Whites have had little success against in recent years, so lets hope there is nothing riding on the game! Boxing day will see United make the popular trip to Blackpool, hopefully it will be an all White Christmas at the seaside. The inevitable midweek trip to Bournemouth will be in March while United will face Barnsley (home), Blackpool (away), Nottingham Forest (away) and Blackburn (home) in a busy Christmas period.

Here are Brian McDermott's thoughts:

"I've been around the game for such a long time now, I think more as a player than a manager you look at the fixtures.

For me I look at the first game and see if we are playing at home, and we are. Then I'll look at the last game to see if we are playing at home and we are which I'm really pleased about.

I look at the Christmas fixtures and obviously I was looking out for Reading as I managed there.

Apart from those fixtures that's it really because we have got so much to do before that first game against Brighton, we need to make sure that we are absolutely spot on."

We now know where we will be as the season unfolds, it's now over to Brian McDermott and GFH to see who they can bring into the squad for that first game with Brighton.