Conference fixtures: Guiseley and FC Halifax Town

Mark Bower’s squad are set to travel to London on Saturday, August 8 for a meeting with a club who narrowly avoided relegation from the division last season.

The match kicks off an intense start to the 2015-16 term with Guiseley set to host Altrincham four days later before facing Kidderminster Harriers at Nethermoor on August 15.

They will contest a total of seven matches in the first month of the campaign, rounding off August with a trip to Chester.

The fixtures for the new season were unveiled by the National League yesterday afternoon.

Bower’s players are due to contest a Yorkshire derby with Halifax Town at Nethermoor on September 15 and they will clash with pre-season title favourites Tranmere Rovers for the first time at Preston Park midway through November.

Tranmere dropped out of the Football League after finishing bottom of League Two in May but they are widely tipped to bounce back at the first attempt.

Another of the National League’s leading promotion candidates, Grimsby Town, will provide the opposition for Guiseley’s Boxing Day match at Nethermoor.

Guiseley are then due travel to Blundell Park for the return clash with Grimsby just six days later on January 2. Those games fall either side of a visit to Gateshead on December 28.

The Yorkshire club’s season ends with a home match against Torquay United on April 30.

Guiseley secured a place in England’s fifth tier for the first time in May with a dramatic victory over Chorley in the Conference North play-off final.

Halifax, meanwhile, made a bid for the Conference play-offs but fell short of the top five, finishing ninth in the table.

The Shaymen start the new campaign away to Boreham Wood on August 8 and face a tough opening month with fixtures against Chester, Torquay United, Tranmere Rovers and Wrexham also scheduled.

Boxing Day takes Neil Aspin’s side to Lincoln City and they will round off their season with a home clash against Macclesfield Town.