THEY will kick off with an awkward game at Aston Villa but Wanderers can look forward to one of the most comfortable starts they have ever had to a Premiership campaign.

Next season's fixtures, which were released on Thursday, keep the Whites away from the Premiership's big guns until they meet the champions, Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge on October 15.

In fact they will face just two of the teams who finished above them last season - Everton will be the first visitors to the Reebok on August 20 - in the first 14 games.

Newly-promoted Wigan Athletic will be delighted with their first ever top flight fixture at home to champions Chelsea on August 13 and a trip to Manchester United 10 days later.

Sam Allardyce would have preferred to have kicked off at home, but the Bolton boss described the first phase of his fifth successive Premiership campaign as "pretty reasonable".

Wanderers, who finished sixth last season, will fancy their chances of a respectable points haul in the first couple of months with home games against Everton, Newcastle, Blackburn and Portsmouth, although European commitments and a round of international fixtures will test the squad to its limits.

"For me, every game in the Premiership is difficult," Allardyce said, " but with our UEFA Cup campaign and the international fixtures to cope with, it is vitally important we get our season off to a good start.

"Looking at the first three games - one away and two at home - it appears to be pretty reasonable. It's going to be a demanding start, not because of the league games but because of the amount of fixtures we have to cope with.

"It's going to be about trying to get our team in peak form as early as possible."