Wrexham have toughest schedule to start – and opening games feature controversial rivals

If everything has felt a bit like a dream since Wrexham’s impressive promotion to the National League, today a first welcome reality has arrived. That’s the Ligue 2 fixture list for the 2023-24 season.

Wrexham now have their route undoubtedly hoping to move quickly up two divisions from non-league to English football’s third division. Things don’t always go smoothly. More than half of the 23 teams Wrexham will face next season also played in the National League during their 15 years outside the English Football League (EFL).

Of course, the general rules for matchlists are simple. Each team in his division plays against him twice, at home he once and away he once, and in the end it all equalizes. right? Well… it’s not. When, where, and in which teams you play against can affect your team’s momentum at various points in the campaign.

Just as important as any point is the start. tone setter. A look at the flyers could overstate many supporters’ pre-season expectations beyond reality. It’s easy for seeming losses to remain winless and the impact of just a few hours of football to have important decisions about pre-transfer deadlines.

So what happened to Wrexham’s start? The Athletic We evaluated the opening 10 games of the league to determine just how hard Phil Parkinson’s team can find it.

The system is relatively simple, ranking each opponent based on their Ligue 2 final standings from last season.

In addition to the 18 teams that didn’t move up or down, the 4 teams relegated from Ligue 1 were also ranked in order of finish. So Milton Keynes Dons, who finished 21st in the 24-club third-division league last season, just one goal behind, a year after their division reached the promotion play-offs, will have the toughest game imaginable. .

Of the two teams from the National League, Wrexham are ranked 23rd as they were champions, making them the easiest side to face in the division following Notts County promotion in the play-offs.

Yes, this is far from perfect math, but it always happens before the real fun begins and any hasty decisions are made.

We still have six weeks to go, so for now let’s take a look at Wrexham’s start.

Knowing how we worked this out, we’ll soon see where Wrexham’s next season opener ranks.

The North Wales side will kick off at the racecourse ground, which is always preferable, but it will be against MK Dons, the toughest home game of the season by off-season calculations. There’s no hiding that a healthy win at the opening weekend will further fuel the dreams of consecutive promotions.

A week later comes one of the easiest away trips, with AFC Wimbledon ranked 21st.

Of course, the first two opponents offer interesting subplots.

MK Dons remain a controversial club in the eyes of many English football supporters, especially Wimbledon supporters. Because they were born out of the FA-approved decision to move Wimbledon’s venue from London’s southern suburbs to the bedroom town of Milton Keynes, 120 kilometers north. West of the capital and renamed.

This is the kind of franchise decision that is common in American sports. However, most football clubs in England originated from local communities and have been around for over 100 years. Meanwhile, with the long-established cross-divisional relegation and promotion system, clubs are expected to gain rather than be given a place within the pyramid. In this case, the owners of Wimbledon were given permission to disband and relocate the club founded in 1889, rather than establishing a club at Milton Keynes and working their way up the ranks from the deepest non-league clubs. .

The new club, founded in 2002, ceded Wimbledon’s place in the football pyramid and was allowed to use Wimbledon’s nickname, the Dons. Some Wimbledon supporters are not aligned with the move north and have set up their own teams. Founded from the ground up, it was AFC Wimbledon that started his nine-division life in English football. Since then, they’ve been promoted six times, to match a five-year stint in Ligue 1. They are now back in League Two after relegation in 2022, returning to their spiritual home of Plough Lane after years without a stadium to call their own, despised by Milton Keynes and Wrexham. I will face the club again.

Speaking of Welsh…

Both Barrow and Swindon Town finished in the top six last season, but three of their first five games are against the toughest ranked teams in the top ten. Three of the five are still at home.

September will see the remaining five games we’re keeping an eye on. Notable among them is the match against last season’s League Two play-off finalists Stockport County. Stockport County finished fourth (three teams were automatically promoted) and lost 1-1 on penalties at Wembley. Draw with 5th place Carlisle United. This is another of Wrexham’s toughest trips all season. However, the other four games in September will be against teams not ranked outside the top 10.

Neighborhood residents are also at the start. From Wrexham to Tranmere, a Liverpool suburb, he is 51 km (32 miles), but crew his Alexandra’s traveling support only takes him 24 miles to travel to the racecourse.

Also worth noting is Wrexham’s 46th regular-season finale on the last weekend of April. With Stockport at home on the day, it could be a great opportunity if both sides have promotion or the playoffs left.

At this point, Notts County deserves a little love too.

Given the notable National League title battles both clubs shared, and the kind words of Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney following their success, supporters of both clubs are in line with the other. You can imagine that he would be sending a hot gaze.

How does it compare to the Knotts start?

By our calculations, their first five games will be easier than Wrexham’s, but three of them will be away.

But September will be even tougher as four of their opponents are ranked within the top seven in the next five games, including two of the teams relegated from Ligue 1.

In fact, the Notts will play six of their opening 10 games away from Meadow Lane Stadium, while Wrexham will play six of their opening 10 at home. But don’t get too hung up on it. As I said at the beginning, everything will be leveled out by the end of the season when it comes to the list of matches. The same cannot always be said for referee decisions and luck.

All that’s left is October 28th and February 17th.

That’s the matchup between the two, the second of which will take place on the racetrack ground.

The two have also avoided meeting in the Carabao Cup. This is the second major cup competition of the domestic season after the FA Cup. It is played between all Premier League and EFL clubs and was won by Manchester United last season.

Both teams will be placed in the North Division in the first round draw. Wrexham will host Wigan, who were relegated from the championship in April, while Notts County will host League One side Lincoln City.

The match will take place in the week between the League Two opener.

(Top photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)