Burnley face Leeds United in season opener

The Clarets will make the trip east on the first day of the Championship campaign, August 8th, at 3 p.m., pending selection for live television coverage.

Sean Dyche’s men will face Birmingham City at home the following Saturday in their first game at Turf Moor, before rounding off August with a visit to Ipswich Town on Tuesday the 18th, a home game with Brentford on the 22, and a trip to former boss Steve Cotterill’s League 1 champions Bristol City, and their revamped Ashton Gate ground, on the 29th.

Clarets fans will relish the opportunity to extend their four-match unbeaten run against old enemy Blackburn Rovers, with a trip to Ewood Park on October 24th, before the return at Turf Moor on March 3rd.

Burnley fans and, indeed, Rovers supporters won’t need a reminder of the previous meeting.

After a 1-1 draw on home soil in September ‘13, where Jordan Rhodes’s ridiculously fortuitous equaliser wiped out Junior Stanislas’s stunning strike, the Clarets went on to end 35 years of misery against their arch nemesis with a 2-1 triumph at Ewood Park.

Rhodes opened the scoring in the 24th minute, and later struck a post with only Tom Heaton to beat, but the visitors went on to claim a victory that moved them eight points clear of third place Derby County in the race for promotion to the Premier League.

Skipper Jason Shackell guided substitute Ross Wallace’s free kick past Paul Robinson in the 73rd minute to level proceedings before Danny Ings drilled home from close range with 11 minutes remaining to send thousands of travelling supporters in to raptures.

For the record, after more than three decades without success for the Clarets, it’s now over five years since Rovers tasted victory in an East Lancashire derby!

Burnley and Preston North End do battle for the first time since North End were relegated in 2011, with a home game on December 5th and a visit to Deepdale on April 23rd.

The last time the Clarets faced Preston in a league encounter was in February 2011, just nine games into Eddie Howe’s tenure as manager.

Barry Nicholson had given the hosts the lead midway through the first half at Deepdale, beating Lee Grant from Paul Coutts’ assist, but the Clarets hit back through Jay Rodriguez and Jack Cork with the latter heading in to the corner from Wade Elliott’s cross in the 84th minute.

And who can forget the corresponding fixture at Turf Moor when the tears of an unfortunate Lilywhite housed inside the Cricket Field Stand were captured on camera at full-time.

With just minutes remaining, Darren Ferguson’s side were leading 3-1 after goals from Adam Barton, a certain Keith Treacy and Jon Parkin had cancelled out Chris Iwelumo’s ninth minute opener.

However, Billy Jones’s dismissal in the 78th minute turned the tide and the Clarets, then stewarded by Brian Laws, were rampant. Iwelumo scored in the 84th and 88th minute to complete his hat-trick before Rodriguez pounced to cap a frantic and dramatic finale.

The two Lancashire rivals met in the Capital One Cup during the 2013/14 campaign, this time under current boss Sean Dyche, where Kieran Trippier and Ings earned the Clarets a passage to the third round of the competition.

It’s been 15 seasons since Burnley, Rovers and Preston plied their trade in the same division. As the 2000/01 term culminated, Rovers finished second in the old Division One, Preston lost 3-0 against Bolton in the play-off final at the Milennium Stadium in Cardiff while the Clarets finished seventh.

The festive fixtures see the Clarets at home to Charlton on December 19th, with a Boxing Day trip to Hull City.and a home game with Bristol City on the 28th.

January 2nd sees a home gane with Ipswich Town.

There will be midweek trips to Milton Keynes Dons on January 12 and Fulham on March 8th, on top of the long haul to Ipswich in August.

Burnley round off their campaign with QPR at home on April 30th, and visit the Valley on May 7th, the final day of the season, with a 12-30 p.m. kick-off.

Full fixture list:

08/08/2015 15:00 Leeds United v Burnley

15/08/2015 15:00 Burnley v Birmingham City

18/08/2015 19:45 Ipswich Town v Burnley

22/08/2015 15:00 Burnley v Brentford

29/08/2015 15:00 Bristol City v Burnley

12/09/2015 15:00 Burnley v Sheffield Wednesday

15/09/2015 19:45 Burnley v Milton Keynes Dons

19/09/2015 15:00 Derby County v Burnley

26/09/2015 15:00 Burnley v Reading

03/10/2015 15:00 Rotherham United v Burnley

17/10/2015 15:00 Burnley v Bolton Wanderers

20/10/2015 19:45 Nottingham Forest v Burnley

24/10/2015 15:00 Blackburn Rovers v Burnley

31/10/2015 15:00 Burnley v Huddersfield Town

03/11/2015 19:45 Burnley v Fulham

07/11/2015 15:00 Wolverhampton v Burnley

21/11/2015 15:00 Burnley v Brighton

28/11/2015 15:00 Cardiff City v Burnley

05/12/2015 15:00 Burnley v Preston North End

12/12/2015 15:00 Queens Park Rangers v Burnley

15/12/2015 19:45 Middlesbrough v Burnley

19/12/2015 15:00 Burnley v Charlton Athletic

26/12/2015 15:00 Hull City v Burnley

28/12/2015 15:00 Burnley v Bristol City

02/01/2016 15:00 Burnley v Ipswich Town

12/01/2016 19:45 Milton Keynes Dons v Burnley

16/01/2016 15:00 Brentford v Burnley

23/01/2016 15:00 Burnley v Derby County

30/01/2016 15:00 Sheffield Wednesday v Burnley

06/02/2016 15:00 Burnley v Hull City

13/02/2016 15:00 Reading v Burnley

20/02/2016 15:00 Burnley v Rotherham United

23/02/2016 19:45 Burnley v Nottingham Forest

27/02/2016 15:00 Bolton Wanderers v Burnley

05/03/2016 15:00 Burnley v Blackburn Rovers

08/03/2016 19:45 Fulham v Burnley

12/03/2016 15:00 Huddersfield Town v Burnley

19/03/2016 15:00 Burnley v Wolverhampton

02/04/2016 15:00 Brighton v Burnley

05/04/2016 19:45 Burnley v Cardiff City

09/04/2016 15:00 Burnley v Leeds United

16/04/2016 15:00 Birmingham City v Burnley

19/04/2016 19:45 Burnley v Middlesbrough

23/04/2016 15:00 Preston North End v Burnley

30/04/2016 15:00 Burnley v Queens Park Rangers

07/05/2016 12:30 Charlton Athletic v Burnley

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