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It will be a reminder for Burnley fans of seven years ago when we opened up with the same fixture and went on to win seven of the first eight games to top the league. On that occasion goals from Gareth Taylor and a twice taken Paul Cook penalty won it for the Clarets.
The game was played on the Sunday with a 6:15 p.m. kick off and was broadcast on the new ITV Sport channel. Such was the take up of what was then called Ondigitial that it failed to even compete with Dame Thora Hird's Songs of Praise on the BBC. Hopefully this time the game will be played, as it should be, on the Saturday afternoon.
After Sheffield Wednesday we play our first home game against Ipswich but there are two tough away games early in the season as we travel to play two of the newly promoted clubs Nottingham Forest and Swansea early in the season, a repeat of last season when we had early visits to Scunthorpe and Bristol City.
Doncaster will be the first of the promoted clubs to visit Turf Moor. That's in November whilst Birmingham's visit in October will be the first of the three by the clubs relegated from the Premier League.
It is Barnsley again on Boxing Day, for the third time in nine years, but this time it is at home whilst two days later we travel to Doncaster to complete the festive programme. There are no New Year league fixtures because of the FA Cup on the first weekend of 2009.
Easter sees us play two games next season again. We are at home to QPR on the Saturday and travel to Cardiff on Easter Monday.
Our Lancashire derbies are at home first. Both Blackpool and Preston visit us in September and our trips to Deepdale and Bloomfield Road come in January and March respectively. Both games against Blackpool are midweek affairs.
Those two games against Blackpool are two of ten games to be played on midweek evenings. Only four of those ten are away from home with the other three at Coventry, Barnsley and Watford.
The season draws to a close with games against Southampton and Bristol City. The last away game of the season is at Southampton and the 2008/09 season ends on the first Sunday in May with a home game against Bristol City.
But it is Sheffield Wednesday to start and that's just under eight weeks away.
The full fixture list is as follows:
| Date | Opponents | Ven |
| . | ||
| Sat 09 Aug | Sheffield Wednesday | a |
| Sat 16 Aug | Ipswich Town | h |
| Sat 23 Aug | Crystal Palace | a |
| Sat 30 Aug | Plymouth Argyle | h |
| Sat 13 Sep | Nottingham Forest | a |
| Tue 16 Sep | Blackpool | h |
| Sat 20 Sep | Swansea City | a |
| Sat 27 Sep | Preston North End | h |
| Tue 30 Sep | Watford | h |
| Sat 04 Oct | Reading | a |
| Sat 18 Oct | Birmingham City | h |
| Tue 21 Oct | Coventry City | a |
| Sat 25 Oct | Charlton Athletic | a |
| Tue 28 Oct | Reading | h |
| Sat 01 Nov | Norwich City | h |
| Sat 08 Nov | Wolverhampton Wanderers | a |
| Sat 15 Nov | Queens Park Rangers | a |
| Sat 22 Nov | Doncaster Rovers | h |
| Tue 25 Nov | Barnsley | a |
| Sat 29 Nov | Derby County | h |
| Sat 06 Dec | Sheffield United | a |
| Tue 09 Dec | Cardiff City | h |
| Sat 13 Dec | Southampton | h |
| Sat 20 Dec | Bristol City | a |
| Fri 26 Dec | Barnsley | h |
| Sun 28 Dec | Doncaster Rovers | a |
| Sat 10 Jan | Swansea City | h |
| Sat 17 Jan | Preston North End | a |
| Tue 27 Jan | Watford | a |
| Sat 31 Jan | Charlton Athletic | h |
| Tue 03 Feb | Coventry City | h |
| Sat 07 Feb | Birmingham City | a |
| Sat 14 Feb | Wolverhampton Wanderers | h |
| Sat 21 Feb | Norwich City | a |
| Sat 28 Feb | Sheffield Wednesday | h |
| Tue 03 Mar | Blackpool | a |
| Sat 07 Mar | Ipswich Town | a |
| Tue 10 Mar | Crystal Palace | h |
| Sat 14 Mar | Nottingham Forest | h |
| Sat 21 Mar | Plymouth Argyle | a |
| Sat 04 Apr | Derby County | a |
| Sat 11 Apr | Queens Park Rangers | h |
| Mon 13 Apr | Cardiff City | a |
| Sat 18 Apr | Sheffield United | h |
| Sat 25 Apr | Southampton | a |
| Sun 03 May | Bristol City | h |
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