Following a decade-long spell in League One, Fleetwood Town suffered relegation to the fourth tier of English football during the 2023-24 term, with a tally of 43 points from 46 league contests meaning that they finished in 22nd position, three points behind Burton Albion in the safety of 20th.
The Cod Army made the perfect start as they look to ensure that their stay in League Two is only for a single season on Saturday afternoon, when Highbury Stadium witnessed the hosts secure a one-goal success over Grimsby Town, who look set for a campaign of considerable struggle.
Joining from East Midlands outfit Burton during the summer transfer window, Mark Helm marked his maiden competitive appearance and start for Fleetwood with the game-winning strike in the 18th minute, with the former Manchester United youngster tipped to set League Two alight this season.
Taking his first senior managerial role, ex-Blackpool and Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam is the man tasked with guiding the Cod Army back to League One, despite the 38-year-old Scotsman only winning seven of his 24 matches in charge of the club since taking the reins in December 2023.
Fleetwood will be looking for a significant improvement on their 2023-24 performance in the EFL Cup, with Tuesday’s hosts losing at the first stage of the competition to fellow fourth-tier side Port Vale 12 months ago, regardless of well-taken strikes from Cian Hayes and Ryan Graydon at Vale Park.
After losing to four League One sides over the summer, West Brom proved that you cannot read too much into the results of pre-season friendlies, with the Black Country outfit recording a stellar 3-1 win over QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon to commence their Championship campaign.
It appeared as if the Baggies were heading towards a troubling result in West London when Lucas Andersen put the R’s ahead inside the opening 20 minutes, however a sensational hat-trick from Josh Maja secured maximum points for the visitors, sending a sold-out away end into hysterics.
Following an injury-riddled 2023-24 term, former Fulham marksman Maja will be overjoyed after his brilliant treble on the weekend, with the forward joining Dwight Gayle, Salomon Rondon, Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie as Albion players to net league hat-tricks since 2010.
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