Summer signing Paul Connolly is set to make a quick appearance for Leeds United against his old club Derby County, who are the first opponents of the season for Simon Grayson’s promoted side, at Elland Road on Saturday, August 7.

Connolly voiced his desire to complete two wins over the Rams next season and he receives an early opportunity to chalk up the first of those victories.

United face three successive league derbies in September, travelling to Barnsley on Tuesday, September 14, and Doncaster on Saturday, September 18, before Kevin Blackwell’s Sheffield United visit Elland Road on Saturday, September 25.

Grayson said: “It is good that we start with a home game. It will be a capacity crowd against a Derby team who are looking to do things this year.” Obviously it will be special for Paul Connolly as well, so soon after joining us from Derby.

“Our first away game is at Nottingham Forest and I can see them being big contenders for automatic promotion. There are no easy games in the Championship but we will enjoy the experience and will be looking to get off to a really positive start.

“We will be playing teams from this area on a regular basis and the three successive Yorkshire derbies in September are something we are looking forward to. We have four games in eight days over the Christmas and New Year period, which is a really testing time.

“A lot of clubs in the Championship will be looking forward to Leeds coming to town with our passionate fans and there are some tasty games ahead. It’s hard to pick out any favourites for promotion. Nobody has spent a lot of money, which makes it interesting. Forest and Middlesbrough will fancy their chances of being up there, and there will quite a few others who think they can achieve promotion, but we are certainly not frightened of this division.

“We respect the teams who are in it because we are newly promoted, but hopefully it will be a successful season for us. I genuinely believe we have a good group of players who can make the step up to this division and compete against clubs who have been in the Championship for a few years.”