Albion have been handed a tough start in the Championship with an opening day trip to Derby County.

They also face relegated Newcastle United away in the first month of the season but otherwise have a kind set of fixtures in the early stages of their sixth campaign at the Amex.

The first home game is against Nottingham Forest, a repeat of last season's opening match which Albion won 1-0.

Forest are among four teams who finished in the bottom nine last season that Albion will tackle in their first nine outings, which also include back-to-back games against promoted Burton Albion and Barnsley.

Derby and Newcastle stand out as the big tests in August and September.

Derby, like Albion were knocked out in the semi-finals of the play-offs last season after damaging the Seagulls' automatic promotion near-miss with a 1-1 draw in the last game at the Amex.

That left Chris Hughton's team requiring a win, rather than only a draw, in their final day showdown at Middlesbrough and another 1-1 stalemate sneaked Boro up.

The opener against Derby at the iPro Stadium will revive painful memories for winger Solly March.

He was stretchered off in the corresponding 2-2 draw last December with knee damage which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

Newcastle, with Rafa Benitez retained as manager, are the hot favourites to bounce straight back to the Premier League.

The other relegated giants, Aston Villa, with ex-Albion defender Tommy Elphick the first signing made by new boss Roberto Di Matteo, host Albion on the last day after coming to the Amex in November.

Hughton's former club Norwich, the other side demoted, visit in October. They are Albion's penultimate away hosts in April in a severe run-in for the Seagulls which also includes trips to QPR and Wolves in the same month.

Sheffield Wednesday, Albion's conquerors in the play-offs before losing in the final to Hull, entertain Hughton's troops at Hillsborough on October 1, with the Amex return in January.

The Seagulls have home games over Christmas, against QPR on Boxing Day and Cardiff on New Year's Eve. They begin 2017 with a short journey to Fulham on January 2.