The winter World Cup in Qatar has forced the FA to tweak the traditional football schedule this season meaning the first Championship round of fixtures has been pushed forward.
That will also have a knock-on effect on when players return from their pre-season break, the pre-season fixtures and of course, the urgency on getting transfer deals over the line sooner rather than later so managers can get to introducing new signings to their team-mates and tactics.
City manager Nigel Pearson has already moved quickly to secure the signings of Mark Sykes and Kal Naismith who will join the club once their contracts expire at their respective clubs at the end of this month.
