New grounds, new opponents, and plenty of miles are what lie in wait for Rovers in 2020/21.

With the Championship line-up now complete, there’s some rivalries to renew, and other ones to make, as Tony Mowbray and his side gear up for the new season which gets underway in five weeks’ time.

Travelling will be a little different in these socially distanced times, with Rovers having got the train down to Millwall for their match last month, and were then taken to the ground on three separate coaches to adhere to the guidelines.

In all, Rovers racked up 6,435 across last season, up from 5,896 in their first season back in the Championship. Those numbers will rise again in 2020/21, with 7,097 in all.

Rovers managed seven away wins last season, one more than 2018/19, as they left Hull City, Reading, Stoke City, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City with maximum points.  Added to their tally were draws at Swansea City, Middlesbrough and Brentford.

Interestingly, of the teams that will be in the Championship next season, and have in Rovers’ two since promotion, Preston North End is the only ground they are yet to collect at least a point.

Of the teams coming down from the Premier League, they will be reunited with Norwich City where they travelled on the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season, the day the Canaries clinched promotion.

Rovers are winless in their previous six visits to Carrow Road since Egil Ostenstad’s double game them victory in August 1999.

Relegated alongside them were Watford after five consecutive years in the top flight.  Rovers are without a win in their previous four trips to Vicarage Road, but had won the two before that, including a 1-0 victory en route to promotion to the Premier League courtesy of a Marcus Bent goal in February 2001.

Also relegated after five years in the Premier League were Bournemouth. Rovers have been to the Vitality Stadium under Mowbray’s tenure, beaten 3-2 in the Carabao Cup in August 2018 via a last minute Callum Wilson goal after Derrick Williams had been sent off for deliberate handball.

Rovers did however take four points from their last two Championship meetings.

The Bournemouth trip represents Rovers’ furthest away match next season, a 550 mile round trip from Ewood.

Watford and Norwich represent 406 and 450 mile round-trips respectively, while Championship new boys Wycombe also represents a long trek for Rovers for what will be their first ever visit to Adams Park.

Rotherham United were promoted again to the Championship, with Rovers having taken five points from their five visits to the New York Stadium since its opening.

Mowbray will come up against another of his former clubs next season in Coventry City, after they won promotion as League One champions.

However, there will be no Ricoh Arena reunion for Mowbray, with the Sky Blues set to play their home matches next season at Birmingham City’s St Andrews Stadium where Rovers lost both their Championship fixture, and FA Cup tie, to the Blues last season.

Another new ground is on the horizon for Rovers, with Brentford’s defeat in the play-off final to Fulham meaning their new ground will be home to Championship football.

The Bees bid farewell to Griffin Park after 166 years to move in to a new 17,250 capacity stadium.

There is no news yet on when fans will be allowed to return to grounds, with away fans likely to be in for a longer wait than home supporters, so how many of these trips Rovers fans will be able to make, remains to be seen.

Rovers’ 2020/21 mileage:

Barnsley 18 miles,  Birmingham City: 226, AFC Bournemouth: 550, Brentford 460, Bristol City: 398, Cardiff City: 430, Coventry City: 226, Derby County: 222, Huddersfield Town: 88, Luton Town: 386, Middlesbrough: 200, Millwall: 496, Norwich City: 450, Nottingham Forest: 244, Preston North End: 21, Queens Park Rangers: 458, Reading: 448, Rotherham United:148, Sheffield Wednesday: 126, Stoke City: 142, Swansea City: 401, Watford: 419, Wycombe Wanderers: 410