Cats set to face two new foes, and the old enemy

AS Sunderland head back to the Premier League, the club have released some statistics relating to some fixtures as the excitement mounts.

- By CLIVE YOULTON Football writer

The Black Cats couldn’t really have been handed a kinder first six games back in the top flight, for the first time in eight years.

West Ham, Burnley, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest make up the opening six fixtures and it will be vital the team capitalises on those games prior to meeting the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.

Aside from marking the dates in the calendar, here are some facts and figures fans may not have known heading into the new season.

The last time Sunderland faced Nottingham Forest was 28 years and six months ago.

Forest were initially one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, but suffered relegation in the 1998/99 season.

Following a 22-year hiatus from the top-flight, Forest were promoted via the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs and have survived relegation in each of their last three campaigns.