Last five Championship opening games from Lampard's joy to six-goal thriller

The new Championship season gets underway on Friday night with the earliest-ever start for the competition.

That's due to the World Cup taking place in winter which means the second tier takes a three-week hiatus over November and December. Huddersfield Town, beaten play-off finalists last year, get the new season underway with a visit from relegated Burnley. Both sides have different looks with new men at the helm in Danny Schofield and Vincent Kompany respectively.

Each will be hoping to plot a successful path to the Premier League over the course of the next nine months and a good start is therefore crucial.

Here, Mirror Football looks at the last five curtain-raisers in the second tier and how the sides have fared in the end.

Sunderland 1-1 Derby (2017)

The Black Cats' first taste of Championship football in a decade saw them muster a share of the spoils against Derby.

Under new boss Simon Grayson and with almost an entirely new team, they came from behind to earn a creditable draw. Bradley Johnson had fired the Rams in front early on into the contest, heightening anxiety around the Stadium of Light. But Lewis Grabban fired home from the penalty spot just before the interval and that's how it stayed.

Of course the season would end in more misery for Sunderland, who suffered a second successive relegation.

Reading 1-2 Derby (2018)

Frank Lampard's debut in the dugout saw him take his Derby County side to Reading for the first clash of the 2018-19 Championship season. The Chelsea legend had expectation piled on him given his hugely successful playing career and he was able to cap his first game with a dramatic comeback win over the Royals.

After a drab first half the hosts went in front via Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. Derby quickly levelled matters through Chelsea loanee Mason Mount. And then with almost the final touch of the game Tom Lawrence snatched all three points for the Rams to give Lampard a perfect start.

The campaign would end in heartache for Derby and Lampard, beaten by Aston Villa in the play-off final. Reading would finish 20th, just avoiding the drop.

Luton 3-3 Middlesbrough (2019)

Arguably the most entertaining opening night game in recent years, this clash to start the 2019-20 campaign was a firecracker.

It was a topsy-turvy affair that saw both sides lead throughout before spoils were ultimately shared. Ashley Fletcher fired Boro, under new boss Jonathan Woodgate, into an early lead. But the newly-promoted Hatters roared back and goals from Sonny Bradley and Martin Crainie soon had them 2-1 up. Britt Assombalonga restored parity before half-time and as the game wore on Lewis Wing fired the visitors back in front for a second time.

But Luton had the last laugh with James Collins' striking late to seal a worthy point and cap off an excellent opening clash.

The campaign, of course, would be elongated due to the outbreak of Covid-19 but upon its restart Boro finished 17th while Luton pulled off a great escape and ultimately finished 19th.

Which three sides will be toasting promotion this season? Let us know in the comments

Watford 1-0 Middlesbrough (2020)

The Hornets marked their return to the Championship with a slender home win over Middlesbrough.

Under new boss Vladimir Ivic and with a host of new faces after relegation, it took the hosts time to gel in a game that marked the start of a full campaign behind closed doors. Craig Cathcart's header early on gave Ivic's side the lead through what then Boro boss Neil Warnock labelled 'Sunday League defending'.

Boro piled on the pressure but couldn't create anything tangible to ensure the points stayed at Vicarage Road. The Hornets went on to win automatic promotion while Boro finished tenth.

Bournemouth 2-2 West Brom (2021)

The welcome return of full stadiums was met with a thoroughly entertaining affair between two of the promotion contenders on night one. Both sides began new eras with Scott Parker in the home dugout and Valerien Ismael overseeing the Baggies for the first time.

Emiliano Marcondes achieved the feat of scoring the first goal of the new season when he fired Bournemouth in front early on. He had also scored the final goal of the previous season for Brentford at Wembley.

Dara O'Shea levelled up for Albion before the hosts re-took the lead via Phillip Billing's effort. But Callum Robinson struck midway through the second half to ensure spoils were shared on a fabulous opener. The Cherries sealed automatic promotion at the end of the season whilst Albion finished a disappointing tenth.