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The big match though of course involves Tranmere Rovers, and they travel south for their first game of the season to take on Swindon Town. I'm sure there are many other places that Tranmere would have prefered to have started their season, at Prenton Park for instance, or perhaps a summer trip to Oldham, where it would be raining, but Ronnie Moore's side are going to have to play everybody and what is going to be a testing but ultimately exciting campaign starts at the County Ground for the Super Whites.
Swindon Town team profile:
Formed: 1894
Ground: The
Manager: Maurice Malpas
Nickname: The Robins
Season Finish 2006/07: 13th (Coca-Cola League One)
Previous Meetings:
Last season, the home side won on each occasion when these two teams met, with Swindon ending Tranmere's ten match unbeaten run at the County Ground in October, whilst on a wet, cold Friday night at Prenton Park in March, Tranmere ran out 2-1 winners.
The match at the County Ground in October was an even affair, with Swindon only grabbing the win with a very late goal from Barry Corr, who scored in the 89th minute of the match after he was left unmarked in the penalty area and had all the time in the world to pick his spot and slot the ball past Danny Coyne in the Tranmere goal.
Previously in the match, each side had had a few chances, with Danny Coyne pulling off three or four excellent saves in the Tranmere goal, whilst Gareth Taylor should have done better to net at the other end for Rovers.
Tranmere last the match though, their first away defeat of the season after five matches unbeaten, a run in which they had picked up three wins and two draws.
At Prenton Park in March, Tranmere pulled off a 2-1 victory as they kept their slim play-off hopes alive against The Robins.
Rovers went ahead on twelve minutes when Jennings ran on to Shane Sherriff's pass and slotted the ball into the net in front of the Cowshed before Sherriff, Greenacre and Myrie-Williams all had chances to double Rovers' lead.
The second goal did eventually come for Tranmere on 40 minutes though, when Chris Greenacre hit Paul McLaren's swinging corner just over the goal line, giving Ronnie Moore's side a 2-0 half time lead.
There was less action in the second half, with Tranmere happy to sit on their 2-0 lead, and although Swindon did pull one back on 68-minutes, with Liverpool born Billy Paynter netting from close range, Rovers managed to hang on for a well deserved win.
Vital Stats:
Four of the last six matches between these two sides have ended 2-1
Four of the five August meetings between Tranmere and Swindon have come at Prenton Park, with Rovers losing the only away game 1-0
In 28 games in Swindon between Tranmere and the Robins, Rovers have picked up just four wins, with 17 home wins and seven draws
Just one of the last seventeen matches between these two teams have ended as a draw
This is the twelfth out of thirteen consecutive seasons that Tranmere and Swindon have been in the same division. The two sides were relegated from Division One (now Coca-Cola Championship) together in 2000/01, and the only season when the two teams have not been in the same division was 2006/07, after Swindon were relegated to League Two the previous season.
On This Day:
2005: Ian Hume and Chris Greenacre score for Brian Little's Tranmere in a 2-2 draw at home to Blackpool
2003: Rovers open the 2003/04 season with a stunning 4-1 win over Brentford at Prenton Park, with Shane Nicholson (x2), Gary Jones and Simon Haworth netting for Ray Mathias' side
1997: The season starts badly for Tranmere as they lose 2-1 at the Hawthorns to West Brom in Division One
Tranmere Rovers have played just five previous matches on August 9th, picking up three wins, one draw and one defeat. In those five matches, they have scored thirteen times and conceded seven goals.
Pre-Season results:
Swindon Town have had a busy pre-season, playing no less than eleven games against several non-league clubs and a number of high-profile teams.
They have had a mixed bag of results, starting with two draws, 2-2 away to Steaua Bucherest and 1-1 away to Fenerbahce, before losing 2-1 against FC Zlin.
Another high-profile team were next up for Swindon, as Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth travelled to the County Ground and picked up a 3-1 win, before The Robins picked up thier first win of pre-season away to Hampton and Richmond four days later, defeating the non-league side 2-1.
Salisbury then beat Maurice Malpas' side 2-0 but since, Swindon have gone five games without defeat, winning four times and drawing just once.
Firstly they beat Chippenham 4-1 before getting a highly impressive home draw against F.A. Cup finalists Cardiff City, drawing 1-1 with the Welsh side.
Supermarine were next up for the Robins, a kind of improved version of the Marine Tranmere played, maybe, and Swindon edged this match 4-3 before getting successive wins against Hungerford (4-2) and Plymouth (3-0).
Tranmere Rovers had a reasonably successful pre-season, with the first team losing only one game, and that coming at the hands of Premier League giants Liverpool, with Tranmere going down 1-0 in their opening pre-season match to the former European Champions at Prenton Park thanks to a very well taken goal by Benyoun.
Otherwise, Tranmere's pre-season results have been very good. Several trialists and new signings were blended in to their 6-2 friendly win over Heswall, a game in which new boy Gareth Edds scored a hatrick before a few days later Ronnie Moore's side picked up a resounding 4-0 win over Marine.
With most of the trialists having now left, Tranmere then picked up an impressive 4-1 win over Southport, a game in which Craig Curran scored twice, before impressive trialist Charlie Barnett helped Rovers to a 2-1 win over Morecambe, with Curran and Gornell getting the goals.
A friendly against Bolton was called off due to a thunderous outburst of rain which brought six inches down in half an hour over Prenton Park, making the pitch unplayable, but by the time Rovers played Blackpool a few days later, not only was the pitch in a much better state, but Charlie Barnett had also signed permanently for the club, joining from Liverpool on a one-year deal.
The Blackpool game was the first teams final match in preperation for the 2008/09 season, and they finished pre-season in style with an excellent 1-0 win over the Coca-Cola Championship side.
The only goal of the game was scored by Charlie Barnett in an increadibly quick, free-flowing counter-attack, that also involved Curran and Sonko, although Rovers could have had more on the day, whilst John Achterberg made several good saves in the Rovers goal.
Double Hit:
Over the years, as you would expect, with Tranmere and Swindon spending many years in the same division together, plenty of players have come to represent both the Robins and the Rovers.
One such player includes Kenny Beamish, who had two spells at his home town club, Tranmere Rovers, after being born in Birkenhead in August 1947.
A popular player, centre forward Beamish made 555 appearances in his career which, as well as Tranmere Rovers, included spells at Brighton, Blackburn, Bury, Port Vale and Swindon.
In his 555 matches, Beamish scored 159 goals, including 81 goals in 278 appearances for Rovers, playing for the Prenton Park club between 1965-1971 and then 1979-1980.
Leaving Tranmere for Swindon in 1980 after his second spell at the club, Beamish, now 33, spent time as a player at Swindon before taking over as manager at the club towards the end of the 1982-83 season.
However, he last just one full season with the club, as after leading the Robins to their worst ever finish in Division Four (17th place), his contract expired and he was released.
Now nearly 61, Beamish, is the Commercial Manager at Blackburn Rovers.
One To Watch: Lilian Nalis
Possibly one of the most surprising signings of pre-season was Swindon's capture of 36-year old midfielder Lilian Nalis, who played for Leicester City in the Premier League.
The long-haired Frenchman started his career in his home country, with spells at Caen, Laval, Guingamp, Le Harve and Bastia before a move to Italy with Chievo in 2002.
A year after joining Chievo, Nalis joined Leicester City in England on a free-transfer where he would stay for two-years, including one season when the club were in the Premier League, making nearly 60 appearances in his two years at the Walkers Stadium.
A brief spell at Sheffield United, which included a loan spell at Coventry, soon followed, before Nalis joined Plymouth in January 2006. He would stay with the Pilgrims for two and a half years, making 111 appearances before being released in July 2008.
After a brief trial, Nalis signed for Swindon Town on July 31st 2008 and he is expected to make his debut for the club this Saturday.
Standing at just over six foot tall, Nalis is an industrious, hard-working play-maker in midfield, and although he will not score too many goals, the ageing Frenchman will create plenty of chances himself, as well as firing in the odd stunner.
Around League One:
What promises to be an exciting new season for everybody starts for all of the Coca-Cola League Teams this weekend, and there is a full compliment of twelve 3:00pm kick offs in League One this Saturday afternoon - probably the first and last time such a thing will happen this season.
Whilst Tranmere have a difficult start to the campaign at Swindon, few would begrudge the start Stockport have to life back in League One, as they have a tough local derby against a Huddersfield Town side who have strengthened tremendously this summer and who many are tipping to go up.
Leicester City's first ever game in League One is at home to MK Dons, whilst Scunthorpe host Leeds on their return to League One after a season in the Championship.
Another dark horse for promotion in Brighton are away to Crewe, whilst two teams who some are tipping to struggle, Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town, meet at Sixfields.
Other interesting fixtures include Peterborough travelling to Southend, whilst the other team from last seasons play-offs, Carlisle, are away to Bristol Rovers. The other promoted side, Hereford United, travel to Brisbane Road to take on Leyton Orient.
Team News:
Tranmere Rovers have a number of absentee's for this game, down to both injury and suspension. Ian Goodison's sending off on the final day of last season against Northampton and Paul Henry's pre-season dismissal against Morecambe means that both players will miss the game, whilst Danny Coyne will almost certainly miss out due to a strain picked up in pre-season, meaning John Achterberg should start.
Elsewhere, Rovers have several other doubts. Danny Holmes could start at right-back for the first time due to doubts hanging over the heads of Gareth Edds and loan signing Godwin Antwi, whilst both Ian Moore and Chris Greenacre missed Saturday's win over Blackpool due to injury. Chris Shuker will definately miss the game after he had a reaction to the knee injury he picked up last season.
Jones' Prediction: Swindon Town 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
Pre-season games are, of course, very difficult to predict. It is only now when we will begin to see how new signings have slotted in to their new teams, and more importantly, how squads have gelled together over pre-season.
With Rovers starting away, it won't be easy, but the signs from pre-season are that they've built a strong enough team to be in with a shout of the play-offs this season, and picking up at least a point at Swindon this weekend would be a terrific start to the campaign.
Therefore, I'll sit on the fence and predict a draw. Both sides really will just be getting to grips with new faces whilst Rovers are starting afresh with a new formation, so lets just see what happens and hope for the best!