TBF this could be a great opening game for Wigan as well!

Let's face it Celtic are a team that we should turn over! It's would be an excellent start for Maguire and Wigan if they routed Nobles Celtic in the first game of the season!

Or maybe they could have given them an easier game, against one of the four clubs just above them in last years league table who didn't make the play offs.

You're just opening yourself up for the Challenge Cup comments Rogues

Has anyone thought we may be away on the opening day to celtic at their new newport home.

I didn't underestimate the Wakefield opener last season and look how many turned up. The Crusaders is even less of a draw.

Last year is whole different ball game compared to the optimism and expectation many have for this coming season.

Are Wakey really more of a draw than a Noble led Celtic team? I don’t think they are really. We’ve got a grudge factor with Celtic with the defeat last season and the Noble factor as well.

Just short of 14.5k turned up last year on a miserable snowy day with no ticket offers, no hype and no real personal grudges on show.

I think your really playing down the support we have. A lot of people will turn up for this game if it’s marketed correctly (£10 tickets for example would add another 1-2k on the gate). If they hype up the Noble situation and offer a good ticket price and will attract many of the undecided 50/50 fans.

I think we should be aiming for about 16k for this one as a minimum which would be a fantastic start to the season.

Tbh there are positives and negatives from playing Celtic at home.

Positives - they are a new team players wise, should be an easy win so a good start to the season. Playing them first game means a much bigger crowd than we would expect against them and this will up our average more than playing Wakey at home last year. Nobby coming back could create extra spice to the game and what will be a boring home game for everyone else could be an extra exciting fxiture to the year.

Negatives - no away support, it was great playing wire at home first game and I would of love Hull KR with 3,000 away fans and probably a crowd of around 18k. Nobby coming back could play in Crusaders favour as he will be desperate to beat us.

Personally I am not sure this will be our first fixture, I think it's more likely we will have them away so they can market their first game at their new home and get a huge crowd that will dwarf their previous ones, because lets be honest we will take more than 2000 for our first game of the season.

Just had a look on sky sports and latics are away that weekend but i think it said home the weekend after. Cant imagine us having to away games back to back therefore you would assume we would be at home. Having said that every year for the last few we have had a lot of away fixtures early on so the first 2 being away is possible

Just had a text from a mate who plays in the Catalan league saying we're playing Catalans in Montpellier Saturday June 19th.

Even though i have no idea why this isn't a seperate thread fixtures are hardly signings. Anyway according to the League weekly Leeds travel to Newport first, now though i understand that doesn't meen just because its Crusaders first game doesn't meen Crusaders won't be our first game it does state Nobles men face an EARLY return to his old club which could well be our first game but almsot certainly our 1st home game.