LEYTON ORIENT will play in some of the grandest stadia to ever grace League One this season, as well as others which look like they belong in the era of black and white television.
Among the seven new clubs are Charlton Athletic, Norwich City and Southampton.
All three of these teams tumbled out of the Championship last season, while they were all playing in the Premier League five years ago.
And as recently as 2007, Charlton’s derby rivals were Chelsea and Arsenal.
But now, Orient have the chance to claim a new scalp with an extra Battle of the Capital clash on the fixture list.
Promoted Brentford offer a second new derby match. They come into the fold as the champions of League Two.
Wycombe Wanderers, Exeter City and Gillingham join them.
The new cohort is good news for O’s fans who will take to the road to attend away games.
They should rack up fewer miles following the team this season, with Scunthorpe, Hereford and Crewe Alexandra gone and replaced by the likes of Wanderers, Brentford and Charlton.
If only Carlisle United on the Scottish border had not had an indifferent season last time, then the petrol bill and the train ticket costs would have been even lower!
Here is the Guardian’s own guide to each new team that Orient will line up against this season.
BRENTFORD:
THE League Two champions are back after a two-year absence.
The Bees released nine players during the summer and have recruited a trio from League Two’s Dagenham & Redbridge.
Sam Saunders and Ben Strevens should create and score goals from the midfield and up front, while Danny Foster should buoy things up at the back.
Brentford have brought in striker Myles Weston from Notts County to deputise for the injured Charlie McDonald, top scorer for the club last year.
In the boardroom, the fans run things through a Trust. But they may decide to sell to a prospective buyer who has vowed to pump £5m into the club over five years.
PREDICTION: Could be strong. Some expect a promotion challenge.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC:
FANS fear the club could still have further to fall after they were relegated from the Championship.
Saddled with debts of up to £40m, boss Phil Parkinson has precious little cash to spend.
Ex-Hammer Christian Dailly is one of just two new recruits, along with Frazer Richardson, while 17-year-old Jonjo Shelvey is predicted to shine in League One.
On-going discussions between chairman Richard Murray and Peter Varney mean Parkinson can do little in the transfer market.
Will fans give him a chance? Or will they try to unseat a boss with ties to the doomed reign of Alan Pardew, who took the club down from the Premier League?
PREDICTION: As long as the very worst does not happen, whatever does happen will be a success.
EXETER CITY:
THE Grecians have won promotion two seasons on the trot, but this summer has not gone exactly to plan.
Four pre-season defeats in a row and the loss of two key players mean that a third straight promotion looks unlikely.
One of the departures was midfielder Matthew Gill to Norwich City. However, selling Dean Moxley to Derby County has swollen the coffers by £350,000.
Exeter have brought in six new signings, and now await results.
Holding midfielder Rob Edwards is crucial and will have an important role to play.
Just like Brentford, Exeter City are run by the fans. They rescued the club from £4.5m debts and secured its future with help from a FA Cup third round replayed tie against Manchester Utd, in 2005.
PREDICTION: Prime candidates for the drop.
GILLINGHAM:
BOSS Mark Stimson is the only man to win the FA Trophy three times in a row.
He guided The Gills into League One via the play-offs after finishing fifth.
Key to their success last season was striker Simeon Jackson, who netted 21 times in total, although there has been a clearout of players this summer.
Meanwhile, O’s fans should pray for sunshine when Orient take on The Gills next February. The away stand is without a roof.
PREDICTION: Relegation material if Jackson leaves.
NORWICH CITY:
THE Canaries may be headed by TV cook Delia Smith and her husband, but the matchday spread for fans at Carrow Road is reported to be mediocre at best.
On the pitch, Orient’s James Scowcroft is sure to be booed by Norwich fans for his Ipswich past.
In the transfer market, Bryan Gunn has recruited journeyman striker Grant Holt for a rumoured £500,000 from Shrewsbury Town.
Gunn has signed 12 new players this summer, maybe a response to the chirrups by fans who hated ex-boss Glenn Roeder’s extensive use of loan players during his reign.
Around £1m has been injected into the club from the sale of up to four players.
Norwich enjoyed a fruitful pre-season campaign, as they went undefeated in friendlies.
Orient fans should watch out for Irish midfielder Wes Hoolahan. He is a creative force who can score goals.
PREDICTION: Strong promotion candidates, but Gunn has no record to speak of.
SOUTHAMPTON:
HOW low can the club sink, fans may cry in anguish.
Not much further, may be the answer. There are reasons to be cheerful for the Saints now, despite the fact they start the season on minus ten points.
The club survived two severe scraps with liquidation this summer and now they are owned by the fourth richest man in English football, Swiss billionaire Markus Liebherr.
The business baron has paid off a large chunk of the club’s debts, which reportedly stood at £30m.
But all is not as rosy on the field. New boss Alan Pardew has said the team are not prepared for the season ahead, and he has a threadbare squad to pick from.
The star man at St Mary’s is keeper Kelvin Davis. He stayed loyal as the club nose-dived and even rejected a move to the Premier League with West Ham.
Midfielder Simon Gillet is one to watch, too.
PREDICTION: Could be strong after Christmas if the new owner starts to pour money into the transfer kitty.
WYCOMBE WANDERERS:
WANDERERS were the nearly-men of League Two for so long, until they struck gold last season.
Orient fans will remember the goals Scott McGleish scored during his loan spell from Wanderers, which helped to save the O’s last season. Otherwise, the clubs may have passed each other moving between divisions this summer.
McGleish was a popular figure at Adams Park but he fell out of favour with boss Peter Taylor, who is famous for his spell with the England team.
All-action central midfielder Tommy Doherty is one to watch. Elsewhere, Stuart Green is an exciting signing from Championship side Blackpool.
Whatever the standard of football, the food is one thing at Adams Park which is five star. The tuck on sale to fans won a league award last season.
The club currently shares its home with rugby union side London Wasps.
However, that arrangement may end soon and there are plans to expand the ground after Wasps leave.
PREDICTION: Beat the drop back down to League Two.
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