Leicester City, the 2015-16 Premier League champions, have fallen on hard times: successive relegations have landed them in League One, where they now face the indignity of being examined by Notts County at Meadow Lane. Fortunately for the Foxes, Jayden Joseph has given them the lead, but let's be honest - ten years after a miracle, this is not the fairytale anyone envisioned. Russell Martin is at the helm, and things have to bottom out at some point, right? Right?

Meanwhile, at the Madejski Stadium, Reading and Luton Town are serving up a proper humdinger. Reading led 3-1 at the break thanks to a Jack Marriott hat-trick, with Jake Richards having given Luton an early lead. But since the restart, the Hatters have clawed back with two goals in as many minutes from Kasey Palmer, making it 3-3 with over half an hour still to play. Plans to watch the Preston-Bolton game have been scrapped; the M4-M1 showdown is where it's at.

Speaking of Preston-Bolton, that Victorian-adjacent malarkey kicked off an hour ago, and it's not going well for Preston. Sam Dalby (14) and Thierry Gale (25) have put Bolton ahead, and as it stands, Steven Schumacher's newly-promoted side are top of the Championship. Too early to consult the table? Ah, let's start as we mean to go on - with premature celebrations and arbitrary standings.

The 2026-27 Championship race started dramatically last night, but now it really gets going. The 3pm card includes Bristol City v Millwall, Charlton Athletic v Derby County, Middlesbrough v Lincoln City, Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers, and Stoke City v Swansea City. Other important news from elsewhere will be mentioned* as a new season opens out before us, to a world of possibilities. It's on!