Familiar faces for U's EFL debut
Sutton's first three games in the EFL will be against sides who U's have met in recent years in the National League. The fixtures have been published this morning, and U's will begin life as an EFL club on Saturday 7 August with a visit to Forest Green Rovers, who provided the opposition for our first away game following promotion to the National League in 2016. That game finished 1-1, Nicky Bailey's second half penalty cancelling out a first half goal from Matt Tubbs, who would play for U's later that season. Forest Green ended that season promoted through the play-offs.
U's first home EFL game on Saturday 14 August will be at home to Salford City, almost exactly three years after the Manchester club's previous visit to Gander Green Lane saw U's come from behind with goals from Craig Eastmond and Ross Lafayette to win 2-1, and the following Tuesday, 17 August, Hartlepool will be the visitors just three months after the memorable afternoon that saw U's clinch the National League title with a 3-0 win.
The first new opposition for Sutton will come on Saturday 21 August with a visit to Scunthorpe United, while the first team to visit Gander Green Lane for the first time will be Oldham Athletic on Saturday 28 August.
Boxing Day will see U's in Bristol to take on Rovers at the Memorial Stadium, while on New Year's Day Exeter City visit Gander Green Lane. Between those two games U's entertain Colchester United on Wednesday 29 December - that is not a Bank Holiday and so the game is scheduled for 7.45pm. The Easter weekend sees Sutton at Mansfield on Good Friday, 15 April, and at home to Newport County on Easter Monday, Newport being one of three scheduled midweek away trips for U's, on 7 December - the others are Salford (8 February) and Swindon (15 March).
U's last home league game of the season will be against Bradford City on Saturday 30 April, a week before the season finishes with a visit to Harrogate Town.
For the full fixture list click here.
A reminder that this afternoon we will discover the draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup, which is scheduled for the week beginning 9 August. It is live on Sky Sports News at 3.40pm, and will be followed by the Papa John's Trophy draw at 4.30pm.