If Danny Cowley needed proof that League One will be tough in 2021-22, he got it when he glanced at who Pompey's final opponents of the season will be: Sheffield Wednesday - at Hillsborough.

The Blues boss says the publication of the fixture list and details of when his team will play Sunderland, Ipswich, Charlton, Rotherham, Wednesday and the rest makes it all seem real.

Pompey begin the campaign at Fleetwood and have three long trips north in the first month. They host Oxford on Boxing Day and the season ends in South Yorkshire on April 30.

Cowley told the Pompey website: 'It’s always one of the most exciting days when the fixtures come out because it all becomes real. League One is an incredibly tough division this season and there are so many big clubs, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.

'In an ideal world we’d be at Fratton Park for the opening game because the people of Portsmouth have been starved of football for far too long. That’s not the case, although after going to Fleetwood, we immediately have two good home fixtures.

'It’s nice to be on our own ground on Boxing Day, although there’s a couple of tough away games off the back of that, which is usually how it happens. We finish at Sheffield Wednesday, which just shows what a strong league it is. There are loads of exciting games and we can’t wait to get started.'

Meanwhile Pompey will go to Millwall in the first round of the Carabao Cup and face AFC Wimbledon and newly promoted Sutton in the EFL Trophy - with one u21 team still to be drawn for their group.

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