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Opening Saturday of Championship season Six matches kicking off at 15: 00 after three early games Windass penalty gives Championship new boys Wrexham lead at St Mary's But Saints level with brilliant Manning free-kick and Stephens wins it in stoppage time Charlton snatch late winner against Watford, Coventry held by Hull Sheff Utd host Bristol City in repeat of play-off semi-final at 17: 30 Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Alex Hoad, Gideon Brooks, Ian Woodcock & Deepak Mahay Oxford v Portsmouth (15: 00 BST) Dan George BBC Sport at Kassam Stadium Good afternoon from Oxford United's Kassam Stadium where both sets of fans are drumming up a decent noise. Football is back and we're happy to have it, the sun is out and everyone here is pretty much ready to go. Colby Bishop starting will be a welcome boost for Portsmouth although no Josh Murphy in the squad is a worry. I'm also looking forward to getting a first look at Will Lankshear who joined Oxford just a few days ago on loan from Tottenham and comes straight into the team. It is great to be back! West Brom v Blackburn (15: 00 BST) Former Tottenham Hotspur coach Ryan Mason will lead West Bromwich Albion out in the Championship for the first time as his new side host Valerien Ismael's Blackburn Rovers. Mason was appointed in June for his first permanent managerial role, having previously been caretaker for Spurs during his seven-year coaching career at the Premier League club. His first game might be a tricky one, with Rovers boss Ismael all too familiar with the Hawthorns' patrons after a seven month spell with the club during the 2021-22 season. Rovers won 2-0 at Albion last season and have lost just one of the past seven meetings between the sides while the visitors are seeking a fifth straight victory in their opening game of a season. Stoke v Derby (15: 00 BST) These pair faced one another on the final day of last season at Pride Park. A dull 0-0 draw was enough to see both clubs retain their Championship status amid contrasting ends to the campaign. A five-match unbeaten run through the end of March and into April looked like it would be enough to mean a comfortable final few weeks but the Potters failed to score in their final three matches, including a 6-0 drubbing at title winners Leeds to leave themselves in a precarious position at the start of the last day. Meanwhile, things had looked pretty dire for the Rams before six wins from their final 11 games secured safety. Both of these teams will hope there'll be no need for such concerns come May next year. QPR v Preston (15: 00 BST) These pair know a thing or two about false starts in recent years. The R's are looking to avoid some unwanted club history today. Should they fall to defeat then for the first time in their history they'll have lost their season-opener four years on the trot. That said, Preston haven't won their opening league match of the season since August 2018. Their opponent that day? QPR. Oxford United v Portsmouth (15: 00 BST) Oxford United manager Gary Rowett Is it too early to label this a relegation six-pointer. Absolutely…. and disrespectful to boot. But bookies do believe Oxford United and Portsmouth will spend most of the season looking down rather than up. Gary Rowett ensured a second season in the Championship for the Us with a 17th placed finish in their first second tier campaign since 1998-99 which was a triumph of sorts. But he will be looking to push on this campaign having established a firm foothold despite admitting this week that they are not operating on the sort of budget available to some of the bigger guns. Portsmouth, who finished a point ahead of today’s rivals in 16th, are familiar foes having been in the same division for 11 of the last 12 seasons and given John Mousinho was Rowett’s captain at Burton Albion. They will be physical as usual and if Oxford are to claim maximum points in their league opener, they will have to beat Pompey for the first time since recording a 3-2 victory in February 2022. Middlesbrough v Swansea (15: 00 BST) A great deal has changed since Middlesbrough beat Swansea 1-0 at

The Riverside on the opening day of last season. Emmanuel Latte Lath’s first-half penalty separated the sides 364 days ago and while the Ivorian striker now plies his trade in the MLS, Michael Carrick and Luke Williams, the

respective coaches that day, have also moved on after disappointing campaigns. Former Luton boss Rob Edwards will lead Boro out for the first time, aiming to

guide his side to a sixth straight home win over the Swans and make it

back-to-back wins on opening day for the first time since 1994, a season when Boro ended

up as Champions, I'll have you know. Alan Sheehan has been handed the Swans job on a permanent

basis and is seeking to end his side’s four-match winless run in season

openers. Who will hit the ground running? Norwich v Millwall (15: 00 BST) Norwich City boss Liam Manning takes the reins against Millwall Disappointing was the word as Norwich finished their 2024-25 in the bottom half of the table and jettisoned their manager, Johannes Hoff Thorup, in April. The Canaries worked hard to bring in Liam Manning, fresh from hitting the bar with Bristol City in the play offs, and his new broom is charged with restarting the yoyo for a club that had four promotions and four relegations between 2011-23. Manning has been allowed to refresh with 11 new faces through the door but it remains to be seen how badly they will miss the departed Borja Sainz, who top scored for the Canaries with 19 goals. Alex Neil’s Millwall fell two points short of the playoffs last term – a familiar feeling for a club which has finished ninth or above in three of the last four campaigns. An extra push to get to the post-season for the first time since 2001-02 is the aim but it is worth noting they have not beaten Norwich away since 1968. #bbcefl Here's the remainder of today's opening day line-up in the second tier. All games kick off at 15: 00 BST unless stated. #bbcefl A lot of early excitement from our three games so far. Let's turn our attention to the remainder of today's Championship line-up. . FT: Southampton 2-1 Wrexham Barry Horne Former Wales and Wrexham midfielder on BBC Radio Wales Southampton dominated the last half hour and they would have been desperate to win. Phil Parkinson and his players will have learnt a lot from that. FT: Southampton 2-1 Wrexham Southampton have won as many home games this season as they did in the entirely of last season. Drink it in, Saints fans. .. Charlton 1-0 Watford Charlton's late strike takes the three points on their return to the Championship. There are a few flashpoints being calmed down in the centre circle but that was probably a justifiable win for Nathan Jones's men. It was a frenetic final few minutes with Watford feeling they should have had a penalty when Thomas Kaminski crumpled Nestory Irankunda. And it is hard to see why that was not given. But on balance, Charlton carved out the better of the chances and could have won by a larger margin had the cards fallen more kindly. Both managers will no doubt have words to say about penalty shouts with Charlton's Josh Edwards having a big shout when coming together with Jeremy Ngakia earlier in the second half. FT: Southampton 2-1 Wrexham Jo Tessem Ex-Southampton midfielder on BBC Radio Solent Fantastic. When that first goal went in from Ryan Manning you knew we could win it, you could see it in the Wrexham players. It was a fantastic free-kick. They got tired and we worked and worked. You need that fitness. Coventry 0-0 Hull City Honours even in this game between a team beaten in the play-offs and one who stayed up on goal difference last season. Harvey Knibbs (90+5 mins) And Charlton have nicked it. .. A corner on the left is slung to the back post by Conor Coventry and Lloyd Jones does enough to get the ball back into the mixer where Harvey Knibbs hammers home from six yards out. Southampton 2-1 Wrexham Extraordinary. How we have missed this mayhem. Wrexham were so good in that first half, they deserved their lead, given to them by Josh Windass' penalty after Kieffer Moore was shoved over in the box. They might have had more goals too, with Windass hitting the bar and a couple of other chances going close. Saints woke up late in the first half, with Jay Robinson hitting the post, but although they dominated the ball and territory in the second half, Wrexham still had the better chances, Lewis O'Brien unable to convert when racing clear and Ryan Hardie being denied by a crucial fingertip save by Gavin Bazunu. In the end it was Ryan Manning who changed the tide for Will Still, sent on with 18 minutes to go, curling a gorgeous 25-yard free-kick in to equalise with seconds of normal time to play and then rolling across the box for Jack Stephens to slam home the winner in the 96th minute. If this is anything to go by, this might well turn out to be the best Championship season of all time. Southampton 2-1 Wrexham Jo Tessem Ex-Southampton midfielder on BBC Radio Solent It's that ball over the top and we win it. This goes back to that Bazunu save. What an impact Ryan Manning has had. Charlton 0-0 Watford Big shout for a penalty and it looks as though Thomas Kaminski has got away with one there. The Charlton keeper and Nestory Irankunda are in a footrace for a ball on the right side of the Addicks area and the striker wins it and crosses. Kaminski is committed to the challenge and brings him down. Jack Stephens (90+6 mins) Welcome back to the Championship. .. .. Absolute mayhem in the Wrexham box as a long diagonal beats Ryan Longman and drops to Ryan Manning who fires across the six yard box from the left of the area where Jack Stephens slides in at the far post to slam home via the underside of the crossbar. What a comeback. What a match. What an impact Ryan Manning has made. Southampton 1-1 Wrexham It's all Saints now. They have won a couple of corners, but can they make them count? Cameron Archer can't quite stretch his neck muscles enough to get a decisive touch on a looping header in the box and the ball drifts wide for a goal-kick. Last Updated 9th August 2025 at 14: 29 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.