West Brom begin Championship season with tricky trip to Bournemouth
West Brom face a tough test on the opening day of the Championship season with them set to face Bournemouth away on the south coast on August 7.
The Cherries were narrowly beaten by eventual promotion winners Brentford in last season’s play-off semi-finals.
The Baggies’ tough start is compounded by having to face fellow relegated side Sheffield United in just their third game, as confirmed by the club’s official Twitter account.
Incoming boss Valerien Ismael [Telegraph] will certainly need to hit the ground running, while he faces a final day tie against former club Barnsley which could be all-important come May.
Baptism of fire
Although West Brom will begin the Championship season as one of the favourites to win promotion, facing two of the best sides in the division across their first three games is still a tough prospect.
The Baggies stumbled to a disappointing 19th place finish last season, consigning Sam Allardyce to his first relegation as a Premier League manager.
Fulham and Sheffield United will join them as they attempt to gain promotion at the first attempt, an all-important feat before the most talented players continue to be lured away from the club.
The brand new fixture list may sting the eyes of Ismael who would have hoped for an easier start to gain some momentum with his new squad.
Although the Barnsley boss’ arrival has not yet been officially announced, it is widely expected to be a matter of when and not if.
With pre-season getting underway as soon as next Monday, the announcement cannot come soon enough as the side prepare to face a high-quality Bournemouth side on August 7.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has reacted to a planned overhaul behind the scenes at The Hawthorns.
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