Sheffield Wednesday manager, Brian Laws, can't wait for the start of the new season after seeing the new Championship fixtures released this morning.

Laws is expecting a superb atmosphere for the season opener against Barnsley at Hillsborough on August 8 and there are plenty of other dates the Owls boss is looking forward to.

"I think it is a fantastic fixture to start the season and it is important for us to be at home," Laws enthused. "It will also be important for us to get off to a good start and if we can do that against one of our local rivals then all the better!"

"All the derby matches seem to be well spread-out through the season, which they weren't last year so that will provide lots of interest for our fans. We didn't get the results we wanted against Barnsley last season so it is good that we have an opportunity to redress that on the first day of the new campaign."

After Steel City success over Sheffield United twice last season, Laws is also relishing the matches against Sheffield United, with the first encounter coming at Bramall Lane on September 19.

"It's good to see that we have a derby against Sheffield United early in the season too," Laws said. "The first time we play them will be away from home, whereas in recent seasons we have played them at Hillsborough first. Playing the first match against the Blades at Bramall Lane will be a stern test and will make the 'double-double' very difficult!"

Also on the manager's radar was the match against his hometown team, Newcastle United. The Owls travel to St James' Park for the third match of the season and host the Magpies on Boxing Day.

"We are playing Newcastle early in the season and I think that is a good thing because the teams coming down from the Premier League are likely to still be adapting to life in the Championship. The fact that we are playing Newcastle at home on Boxing Day is also a great fixture to look forward to and almost guarantees a sell-out crowd."

All in all it is a tough start to the season for Wednesday but also a mouth-watering one.

"The early part of the season is always a key time and we have some intriguing fixtures in this period from favourites like Newcastle to the smaller clubs who have just been promoted like Peterborough and Scunthorpe. As we have seen previously, those teams who have just been promoted often play without fear are often very tough opponents and we will have some tough tests in the first couple of months," Laws commented.

"One thing that sticks out is that it will be a very strong division next season. We have some really big games in every month of the season and if we can get off to a good start it could be a very memorable campaign for Sheffield Wednesday.

"I have been looking forward to seeing the fixture list for some time now and I certainly haven't been disappointed."

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