Shrewsbury Town EFL fixtures 2016/17 - EFL season starts at home to MK Dons
Shrewsbury Town will take on two of the relegated Championship clubs in their first three games of the newly-branded EFL League One 2016-17 season.
In a repeat of last season's opener against Millwall, Town will kick off at home against a relegated second-tier side, with Milton Keynes Dons the visitors on August 6.
New signings Gary Deegan and Jim O'Brien have an early reunion with former club Coventry City.
Micky Mellon's side go to the Ricoh Arena for their first Midlands derby the following Saturday August 13.
Hotly-tipped Charlton complete a trio of big games for Town to start with, when they go to the Valley three days later for the first time in over three decades.
Mellon told the club's website: "It's quick coming around again but it's good that we start again with a home game against MK Dons.
"In the first few games we play two of the relegated teams so it will be a very challenging start but you have to play these teams at some stage during the season.
"It will give us a quick indication of where we are as a group early on in the season.
"I think there are a lot of games in there where people will have their preferences for certain dates and can see where they will be.
"It's the thing that is so exciting about today and getting the fixtures so we can plot our path through the season.
"I'm not looking at the first game of the season yet, if I'm honest, it's more about day to day now and making sure the players are looked after to get them through training sessions.
"We gauge those training levels to make sure we are knocking at their fitness levels but also to make sure we aren't getting people injured.
"We will then move into the pre-season games and have a practice at a few things to make sure we are ready for that first game of the season."
Town will travel to the North-West in two out of the three games over the festive period.
They go to relegated Bolton on Boxing Day and are at Rochdale on New Year's Eve, before hosting Mellon's old club Fleetwood on January 2.
Salop's first local derby is a trip to Walsall on October 15, with the return on April 15.
Both dates could be a reunion for new Town signings Olly Lancashire and Ryan McGivern, who had loan spells with the Saddlers.
The short journey to the Banks's Stadium is followed by a visit of big guns Sheffield United on October 18.
Shrewsbury don't have long to wait for the return trip to Bramall Lane, with the Blades away on November 19.
Town fans will be eagerly awaiting that one as it was the scene of a 4-2 away win last season.
Three days later comes a reunion for Mellon with a trip to his former club Fleetwood.
The month is completed with the visit of Port Vale on November 26, one which recent Salop signings from Burslem Louis Dodds, Ryan McGivern and AJ Leitch-Smith will be looking forward to.
February 28 sees Charlton make their first league trip to the Greenhous Meadow before Coventry come to Shropshire on March 4.
There are more local and high profile games in March, with Millwall at home on the 14th, a trip to Port Vale the 18th and the visit of Bolton a week later.
Town's last home game of the season is against Southend on April 22 and they finish the campaign away to Oxford on the 30th.
