Shrewsbury Town 2022/23 fixtures: Salop start at Morecambe

Steve Cotterill’s men follow up the earlier-than-usual opening day trip with a home contest against Accrington Stanley at Montgomery Waters Meadow seven days later.

Fixtures for the new 2022/23 season, released this morning, see Town’s month of August contains clashes against Wycombe away, on August 13, at home to relegated Derby on Tuesday August 16, before Ipswich at home and newly-promoted Bristol Rovers away on August 20 and 27 respectively.

It is uncommon for Town to start a league season on the road, due to the Shrewsbury Flower Show generally falling on the second weekend of the season. It has happened just once – in the Covid-delayed 2020/21 campaign – since 2014.

November – where Premier League and Championship football pauses due to the winter World Cup in Qatar – sees just two League One fixtures due to FA Cup first and second round ties at the beginning and end of the month.

Town fans will sure to be drawn towards the festival schedule, which includes a Boxing Day trip to Cambridge before home double-headers against Cheltenham and Fleetwood on December 29 and New Year's Day.

Port Vale's promotion via the play-offs from League Two sees a short trip to Staffordshire on September 17 with the return home clash on February 11.

Shrews will also cast a keen eye over a first league trip to face Derby, managed by England leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney, since 1987. Cotterill's men head to Pride Park on Saturday, March 4.

There is another new stadium to visit for Salop this season. They head to The New Lawn to face Forest Green Rovers, champions in League Two last season under Rob Edwards who has since departed for Watford, on September 3.

Town have only faced Forest Green twice before, in their Conference season of 2003/04, at their former Lawn Ground home.

Shrewsbury draw their league campaign to a close on the weekend of May 6 with a trip to Lincoln City's Sincil Bank. The run-in also sees tough contests against Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton and Plymouth in the final four fixtures.

A challenging seven-game April includes a tricky Easter Bank Holiday double-header against Peterborough at home and Barnsley away, both relegated from the second tier last term, on April 7 and 10. Indeed the entire month of April looks particularly daunting.

Other dates that stand out are demanding long Tuesday night trips to Devon duo Plymouth and newly-promoted Exeter, on October 25 and February 14.

July

30 - Morecambe (a)

August

6 - Accrington (h)

13 - Wycombe (a)

16 - Derby (h)

20 - Ipswich (h)

27 - Bristol Rovers (a)

September

3 - Forest Green (a)

10 - Oxford (h)

13 - Exeter (h)

17 - Port Vale (a)

24 - Burton Albion (h)

October

1 - Cheltenham (a)

8 - MK Dons (h)

15 - Fleetwood (a)

22 - Charlton (h)

25 - Plymouth (a)

29 - Portsmouth (a)

November

12 - Barnsley (a)

19 - Sheffield Wednesday (a)

December

3 - Lincoln (h)

10 - Bolton (h)

17 - Peterborough (a)

26 - Cambridge (a)

29 - Cheltenham (h)

January

1 - Fleetwood (h)

7 - MK Dons (a)

14 - Burton Albion (a)

21 - Cambridge (h)

28 - Forest Green (h)

February

4 - Oxford (a)

11 - Port Vale (h)

14 - Exeter (a)

18 - Accrington (a)

25 - Wycombe (h)

March

4 - Derby (a)

11 - Morecambe (h)

18 - Ipswich (a)

25 - Bristol Rovers (h)

April

1 - Charlton (a)

7 - Peterborough (h)

10 - Barnsley (a)

15 - Portsmouth (h)

18 - Plymouth (h)

22 - Bolton (a)

29 - Sheffield Wednesday (h)

May

6 - Lincoln (a)