MIDDLESBROUGH will kick-off the new Championship season by welcoming Portsmouth to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, August 6.
Boro fans will have to wait until October 18 to lock horns with former manager Steve McClaren though, when Tony Mowbray takes his side to the City Ground.
It will be a romantic return for McClaren to Teesside, when he brings his new team to the Riverside on Valentines Day in the return fixture.
Boro's second game of the season takes Mowbray's men to Elland Road to face their nearest rivals Leeds United on August 13, with the return fixture on March 10.
Newly relegated Birmingham City travel to the Riverside on August 20, while West Ham United and Blackpool both make the trip to the North-East in November.
The Teessiders welcome newly promoted Peterborough to the Riverside on New Year's Eve, before travelling to Bloomfield Road on January 2 to face Ian Holloway's men.
Other notable dates see Boro at home to Hull City on Boxing Day, with a trip to newly promoted Brighton on March 31.
The other promoted side, Southampton, make the long trip to the North-East for the penultimate game of the season, before a trip to Watford brings the curtain down on the 2011/12.
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For a full list of Newcastle United, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool's fixtures for the new season see Saturday's The Northern Echo for a full page poster of all the dates for your diary.
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