The return of Championship football means a whole host of ‘new’ teams to play. Of course, the majority of teams here we played in our ill-fated second tier sojourn in which we suffered relegation. A lot has transpired since then – we are on the up now. Much has changed and we will analyse how the sides we are about to face fared last season, as well as evaluating how good an away day they should be.
BIRMINGHAM: LAST SEASON 20TH
In the opening I said that much has changed, but one thing that seems guaranteed in the Championship is that Birmingham City will have a poor season and eventually stop up. They’ve finished between 17th to 20th since the 16/17 season and have shown nothing to suggest it won’t be the same this time around. They will be down towards the bottom of the league unless they recruit massively. Hopefully our Speakman connection can come good and we can nick their best prospect, Jobe Bellingham, who was reportedly in attendance for our play-off final victory. In terms of an away day, we can expect an allocation up to 4,500, which should be granted due to lack of demand for tickets from home fans. A long way from the railway, a long way from the town. The ground’s a bit of a dump, with pillars and things. Beware chaps in flat caps.
AWAY DAY RATING: 5/10
BLACKBURN: LAST SEASON 8TH
Blackburn are a decent side these days, their enigmatic forward Ben Brereton/ Brereton Diaz was in the running for Championship player of the season. He featured for Chile in the Copa America where he looked sharp and he managed to score 22 goals in the Championship last year. Holding on to their star man will be key to a promotion push this year. They finished 8th last season and will look to build on this next year – they will definitely be up there. They would’ve been in contention for the play-offs were it not for a spell of poor form towards the end of the campaign. I’ve only ever run past Ewood Park so I can only say that from the outside it looks like a traditional English ground, it’s relatively large and though I only glimpsed at it, I reckon the Bryan Douglas Darwen End holds around 4,000 away fans. I am told it’s a fair way from the town, but a decent ground, and only a couple of hours away.
AWAY DAY RATING: 7
BLACKPOOL: LAST SEASON 16TH
An Embo inspired Blackpool achieved promotion last season and in their Championship return they retained their status, finishing 16th despite inconsistent form. They played already relegated Peterborough for their final fixture of the campaign and were absolutely battered 5-0, they claimed two points in August, yet went unbeaten in the league in January. In short, Blackpool is a land of contrasts.
Now, onto Blackpool as an awayday. Many Sunderland fans have fond memories of our 2019 takeover (well the day anyway, the game was a boring 1-0 affair) where we had over half of the stadium. No longer protesting, the Tangerines have returned to the club and are more vocal than ever. It should be a great atmosphere and the place itself is brilliant for a debauched weekend on the coast. Blackpool, needless to say, has ample cheap pubs a short walk away from Bloomfield Road and though the basically everywhere needs a lick of paint, Blackpool away can provide an elite weekend – our first 10 ranking.
AWAY DAY RATING: 10
BRISTOL CITY: LAST SEASON 17TH
Astonishingly, the front three for Bristol scored a combined 42 goals, ultimately less than the ridiculous Aleksander Mitrovic, but still a very good return. Especially considering one of the front three was ex-Sunderland loanee, Antoine Semenyo. Bizarrely, with the amount of times they managed to find the net, defensive frailties meant that Bristol actually finished below Blackpool in 17th. They conceded too many goals, but their knack for goal scoring provides an ideal platform next season if they can shore up their defence. Many of their games aren’t short of goals, so lets hope our fixtures next year are entertaining ones and we can outscore them. Bristol’s a long way from home but the town is pretty nice. They have OK-ish ground, but it’s a hike from the station and the town.
AWAY DAY RATING: 6
BURNLEY: LAST SEASON 18TH (PREM)
At one point Burnley looked set to beat the drop. Without Sean Dyche for the first time in what seems like living memory, they started to pick up a few decent results, albeit too late. On paper, they probably have a good enough squad to get out of the Championship. Financially however, they look a bit of a basket case. It all looks a bit Sunderland circa 2017 to me. No doubt they’ll have to sell some of their better players but, this notwithstanding, I just feel like Burnley could be on the slide just like we were at one point. Burnley is a bit of a rubbish place to go and even going there for the football is a bit grim. The pubs around the ground or in the town centre aren’t great and I personally don’t think much of Turf Moor as a stadium. Not too far away, though.
AWAY DAY RATING: 5
CARDIFF: LAST SEASON 18TH
Visiting Cardiff and Swansea will provide our first trips to Wales for what feels like an eternity, but in reality, is less than half a decade. I’m looking forward to this one, especially considering how poor Cardiff looked last season. In front of goal, Cardiff are incredibly poor. Aden Flint, a defender we have been previously linked with, was their top scorer with just six goals. Six. 20 year old Colwill, a local lad, looks a great player for the future and he managed 5 goals in the Championship in his debut season. They also have the player with the shortest surname in the EFL in Perry Ng, who is a solid enough right back. If Cardiff don’t sort out their problems in front of goal, they’ll struggle again. Cardiff: Unfriendly locals, a fair way from the station and a long way from home. Practice your Welsh.
AWAY DAY RATING: 3
COVENTRY: LAST SEASON 12TH
Sick of teams forcing rivalries in League One? Well, there’s only a couple of sides who’ll do that this season. One of them is Coventry. Coventry finished 12th this season and you might think this is quite frankly impossible. What with ex Sunderland loanee Jake Clarke-Salter at the back, as well as a McFadzean playing in defence (not that one!) you might well ask - how have they managed that? Forwards Viktor Gyökeres and Matt Godden are key figures in their team, both have decent goal tallies, and Callum O’Hare has also had a decent season. It’s rubbish, and persists with that banner and the statue. Miles from anywhere.
AWAY DAY RATING: 2
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