Lawrence hopes Bristol Rovers can home in on a good start

Lennie Lawrence is hoping the fact Bristol Rovers will play their two opening games of the season at home will help them make a winning start to the new campaign.

The Pirates will entertain Leyton Orient in the curtain-raiser to the 2009-10 season on Saturday, August 8, and then face Aldershot in the Carling Cup – a match expected to take place on August 11.

Paul Trollope's side have then been handed away games at Stockport (August 15) and another Tuesday night trip to Hartlepool (August 18).

"I believe the first three league games of the season can be important, because if you can get off to a good start, it can give you some early momentum," said Lawrence, Bristol Rovers' director of football.

"You'd look to get two out of three of them at home. We've got two out of three of them away instead.

"But the fact we start at home to Leyton Orient and then play Aldershot at the Memorial Stadium in the Carling Cup gives us a chance to get a couple of decent results on the board.

"Our first away game is at Stockport – and you don't know what sort of side they are going to have after they went into administration late last season."

Rovers will face two of the three clubs relegated from the Championship last season in successive games when they travel to Southampton (September 29) and Norwich City (October 3) before facing Leeds United at home on October 10.

Their Christmas fixtures see them facing Walsall on Boxing Day before travelling to Millwall on December 28. They kick off 2010 at Huddersfield (January 2).

Rovers' final home game of the season is against Norwich on May 1 and they finish off at Leeds a week later.

"What a finish that is!" said Lawrence. "It would be a great end to the season if all three clubs have something to play for. One thing you can say about our fixture list for next season is that it's certainly going to be interesting."