A long trip to Lancashire awaits QPR’s players and fans on the opening day of the 2018-19 season, after the Football League fixtures were released on Thursday morning.

Preston North End is the destination on August 4 as Steve McClaren looks to kick-start his QPR reign with three points.

Rangers fans will get their first taste of new season action on home soil seven days later, when Sheffield United visit west London.

A typically busy festive period is punctuated by Ipswich Town at Loftus Road on Boxing Day before a visit to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day.

Local rivals Brentford are in town on November 10 before the Hoops make the short return trip to Griffin Park on March 2.

The final match of the season, scheduled for May 5, is an away clash in the Steel City with a match at Sheffield Wednesday.

August

4: Preston (a)

11: Sheffield United (h)

18: West Brom (a)

21: Bristol City (h)

25: Wigan (h)

September

1: Birmingham (a)

15: Bolton (a)

19: Millwall (h)

22: Norwich (h)

29: Swansea (a)

October

2: Reading (a)

6: Derby (h)

20: Ipswich (a)

23: Sheffield Wednesday (h)

27: Aston Villa (h)

November

3: Blackburn (a)

10: Brentford (h)

24: Stoke (a)

27: Rotherham (a)

December

1: Hull City (h)

8: Leeds (a)

15: Middlesbrough (h)

22: Nottingham Forest (a)

26: Ipswich (h)

29: Reading (h)

January

1: Aston Villa (a)

12: Sheffield United (a)

19: Preston (h)

30: West Brom (h)

February

2: Wigan (a)

9: Birmingham (h)

13: Bristol City (a)

16: Leeds (h)

23: Middlesbrough (a)

March

2: Brentford (a)

9: Stoke (h)

13: Rotherham (h)

16: Hull (a)

30: Bolton (h)

April

6: Norwich (a)

10: Millwall (a)

13: Swansea (h)

19: Blackburn (h)

22: Derby (a)

27: Nottingham Forest (h)

May

5: Sheffield Wednesday (a)