For Steve McClaren it marks his competitive return to English football and the real beginning of his task to take the Reds back into the Premier League.
‘I will be nervous when we face Barnsley on Saturday. I always am. It’s going into the unknown as well,” said the City Ground boss, quoted in the Daily Mail.
‘There’s anticipation and excitement too. I don’t know a lot about the Championship, having been away for a few years.
‘I watched Barnsley the other night and they played very good football. But I’ve been surprised by the players here too – it’s a terrific young squad.’
Barnsley will have a new manager at the helm as well with the appointment of Keith Hill to replace Mark Robins over the summer. They have recorded comfortable pre-season wins over the likes of Hartlepool, Sheffield Wednesday and Scunthorpe, putting five goals past the latter at Glanford Park on Saturday.