After the release of the Premier League fixtures yesterday, Tony Mowbray can’t wait to start planning Rovers’ schedule for 2019/20.

However, the Rovers boss admits the recent internationals, as well as English involvement in both the Champions League and Europa League finals, has meant football hasn’t been away for long.

Mowbray is a scholar of the game, taking in matches wherever possible, including a bit of beach football during his recent family holiday. But with Rovers back in pre-season on June 24, before jetting out to Austria for a week-long training camp two days later, preparations for next season are drawing ever closer.

Jayson Leutwiler and Ryan Nyambe are currently away on international duty with Canada and Namibia respectively, while Charlie Mulgrew and Corry Evans were in action for Scotland and Northern Ireland earlier this week.

But of the upcoming fixture release, Mowbray said: “I’ve been in football a long, long time – since I left school at 16.

“It’s exciting when the fixtures come out.

“The 20th of June is etched there. You’re looking forward to them already.

“Football is the major sport in our country, it’s a very emotive sport and it’s been an amazing summer, what with the Champions League and Europa League finals, with four English teams.

“It doesn’t seem to stop. England have been playing over in Portugal and you think about those Liverpool and Tottenham players and their season hasn’t stopped.

“We love football, the country loves football, the emotion of football is there for everybody.

“It drives the economy as well I think, so we shouldn’t be wanting to be without it for too long and it’s not – it’s just around the corner.”

Rovers may have to wait a week to learn their Championship fixtures but a few things can be taken from the released Premier League schedule, given they don’t play home games on the same day as East Lancashire rivals Burnley.

With Burnley at home on the Premier League opening day, August 10, that will see Rovers likely be at home on the Championship opener seven days earlier.

By the same theory, it would see Rovers at home on Boxing Day and away on New Year’s Day.