NEWPORT County AFC fans would have been forgiven for looking at last Sunday’s League Two play-off final as a decider for whether they would get stuck on the M25 or M6 next season.
As it turns out, Crewe’s Gresty Road will be on the destination list for the Exiles while the jeopardy provided by Gatwick traffic on the way to Crawley can be put on hold for at least a season.
Graham Coughlan’s side are once again faced by a number of long trips in League Two – with the return of the longest.
Carlisle’s relegation from the third tier means that Brunton Park – a 562-mile round trip – will be put in the satnav again.
That is balanced out by Cheltenham also dropping down to take over from relegated Forest Green Rovers as the shortest trip of 112 miles, just pipping Swindon.
If, as is expected, the Dragons’ Boxing Day derby with Cardiff is a reversal of this season’s game at the Arms Park, will County head to Whaddon Road on December 26?
County will travel 8,045 miles for league away games, the equivalent of a return trip to Kansas City.
It is once again a very northern division with 14 clubs above the midlands while Bromley and Wimbledon involve London travel issues and Gillingham and Colchester are long drives to Kent and Essex.
There are three safe non-stop drives – Cheltenham, Swindon and Walsall (Milton Keynes would be pushing it).
County’s fixture list will be revealed at 9am on Wednesday, June 26 with the season kicking off on the weekend of August 8 and the final round taking place on the weekend of May 3.
The schedule will be impacted by the new Sky Sports broadcast deal, which will mean some disruption to the usual 3pm on Saturday slots.
The broadcaster has pledged that within seven days of fixture release day all TV pics will be made for matches in August and September.
By the start of the season they will make their selections up to the end of the third round of the FA Cup while the games from that January date to the first weekend of March will be made by Sky before November 1.
LEAGUE TWO RETURN DISTANCES
(Calculated on Google maps, quickest suggested route)
Cheltenham – 112
Swindon – 119
Walsall – 196
MK Dons – 252
Port Vale - 274
AFC Wimbledon – 274
Crewe – 288
Notts County – 290
Tranmere – 310
Bromley – 330
Chesterfield – 338
Salford – 362
Gillingham – 364
Doncaster – 376
Accrington – 414
Colchester – 422
Bradford – 432
Fleetwood – 436
Morecambe – 444
Harrogate – 454
Grimsby – 474
Barrow – 522
Carlisle – 562
TOTAL: 8,045
OUT: Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield, Crawley, Sutton, Forest Green.
IN: Chesterfield, Bromley, Carlisle, Fleetwood, Port Vale, Cheltenham.
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