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In any dream-like scenario, there is a point when you need to check if what you are seeing is really happening – the ‘pinch yourself’ moment, if you like.

On Saturday, the forearms of Worcester Warriors’ fans may well be feeling the squeeze of thumb and forefinger.

Their dream first took reality’s form two weeks ago with Warriors’ friendly against treble-winning Bath – with the former Premiership club celebrating its rebirth after administration and more than 1,000 days fighting off the threat of extinction.

Sixways was a sell-out then and will be again for Coventry’s visit as the newly rebranded Champ season begins, marking the long-awaited return of competitive rugby to the stadium.

Incredibly, head coach Matt Everard has Warriors ready. In just 12 weeks. From scratch.

“I’ve never seen a group spend so much time together away from the training ground – coffee, golf, beers, Fifa,” he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

Since taking on the job in July, Everard has fostered a brotherhood of 34 players, many of whom hang out constantly and live in the same apartment block in the city.

“I love rugby but I’m definitely a people person first,” Everard said.

“I enjoy watching a game but I much more enjoy a coffee and chat with someone and so do the coaches.”

This dedicated man-management is the bedrock of Everard’s desire to build a squad that is “blended” and “cares”.

It has worked too, convincing former England international and Gloucester legend Billy Twelvetrees to come out of retirement to take on a player-coach role.

“Matt showed me around Sixways as a mate really but then we spoke about what it could possibly be,” Twelvetrees said.

“I was genuinely excited driving home, thinking ‘what a cool project he’s got there’.

“What intrigued me was what this project could be – it was an easy decision and I’m glad I did it.”

Light-hearted moments also play a key role.

Every backs meeting starts with a game of ‘Guess Who?’ where players’ social media posts and pictures are anonymised and thrown up on screen to the general amusement of all.

Then there is the goldfish.

Assistant coach Tom Cruse uses the fish, in its tanks in a suite at Sixways, as a psychological device to help with match mentality.

“We use different analogies and one is ‘have the memory of a goldfish’,” Everard said.

Warriors have had two pre-season games to get up to speed for the serious stuff.

Hartpury were beaten comfortably before last Friday’s party hosting Bath, with Worcester leading 14-12 at half-time before the visitors took control after the break to win 33-19.

Everard said playing last season’s Premiership champions gave him great feedback about where his side is at.

“I thought we were really physical, we took it to them,” he said.

“The ruck is the most frequent episode of the game and I thought we had a good ding-dong there, we properly went at them.

“I was really proud of the lads’ effort and physicality – I thought it was superb.

“Bath are one of the best teams in Europe and playing a team like that, they’re going to highlight some bits we need to work on.

With preparations over, the opening-day derby with Coventry now takes centre stage and Everard is aware Worcester have to take a measured view of the future – despite the expectation levels.

“Our progression isn’t going to be a straight line, we’re not just going to fly,” he said.

“It’s a long-term project and I think everyone, including the fans, is aware of that.

“As long as we keep improving, and showing the effort we have so far, that will keep building. It’s a tough league and it will be a full-squad effort.”

Everard is also aware Saturday’s visitors will be well up for spoiling Warriors’ moment.

“They’ll be excited about coming to Sixways – they’re really well coached. I know Alex Rae and he’ll definitely get them emotional,” he said.

As for Coventry, head coach Rae says they make the short trip down the M42 and M5 mindful of the attention surrounding this fixture.

“Obviously it’s been at the back of our minds,” he told BBC CWR.

“It’s already a sell-out. It’s a fantastic set-up and, by their own admission, it’s a Premiership ground with Premiership squad and Premiership coaching staff.

“So, listening to all that, we’ve got no chance – so that’s a really good place to be.

“It’ll be really interesting to see how we cope and I’m quietly confident the boys will be in a really good place.”

Under this season’s refresh, the Champ has increased to 14 teams following the addition of Worcester and National League 1 winners Richmond, and there is now the prospect of relegation and promotion play-offs.

“I think this is the most competitive the league’s been in years,” Rae said.

“We’ve kind of always separated it into a top four but I think now you’re looking at six, seven or eight teams who fancy getting into that top six.

“I think there’s some jeopardy thrown in there now and there’s a lot more to think about.”

Rae said he thinks Cov can go “under the radar” after their summer rebuild as they hope to improve on their sixth-placed finish last season.

“This year, Worcester’s on everyone lips and [reigning champions] Ealing are a top, top team – they’re going to be the proven ones who’ve been there and done it,” he said.

“We’ll have a game plan. There’ll be quite a lot of emotion for them with it being their first league game. It was probably their cup final against Bath.

Rae’s party-pooper strategy will inevitably be used by all visitors to Sixways this season.

Everard knows everyone will be gunning for his side but says it is important they use that positively.

“I recognise we may have a target on our backs and I think we should take that as a compliment,” he said.

“We can use it to our advantage – as long as we’re aware of it.

“We are so internally focused and if we start focusing on X, Y and Z we’ll drift away from what we want to be.”

Worcester wanted to be back. They are. So too, for the first time in 1,105 days, is competitive rugby at Sixways and if Bath felt too good to be true, Coventry’s visit will confirm the glorious reality.

October is here. A month of tricks, treats, nerve-jangling fear and upsetting your neighbours.

Oh, and it’s also Halloween soon, too.

This weekend’s English Football League (EFL) programme is sure to have all of the above and more, with a tightly packed field in the top half of the Championship and featuring a couple of the marquee fixtures of the season, all kicking off with the ‘Hollywood derby’ between Wrexham and Birmingham on Friday night.

In League One most of the pre-season promotion favourites are floundering while several of the division’s lesser lights are shining the brightest – and if you thought last season’s League Two promotion race was right, well things are already shaping up to be even more chaotic this season.

High noon on Sunday sees one of the biggest games of any EFL campaign as Norwich head to Ipswich for the East Anglian derby.

The last time the Tractor Boys got one over on the Canaries was April 2009 when Gordon Brown was prime minister and Oasis were weeks away from a 16-year split. Might their recent reunion be a good omen for Town this weekend?

The Canaries have taken 26 points from the dozen Championship meetings since then, and also enjoyed a famous 4-2 aggregate win in the play-off semi-finals in 2015.

This match might be as big on the pitch as it is off it. Ipswich have yet to find their feet after relegation from the Premier League, winning just two of their opening seven games to lie 13th, while Norwich are floundering in 19th with eight points from eight games.

Perhaps the best news for Norwich-born Canaries boss Liam Manning, who represented both these clubs in his youth, is that the game is at Portman Road – City have now lost all five matches at Carrow Road this season after Wednesday’s 1-0 reverse to West Brom.

They are also unbeaten in seven in enemy territory, winning three times, though three of the past four meetings in Suffolk have ended all square.

Fierce local rivals, both in patchy form, and as if we needed another subplot we have one – midfielder Marcelino Nunez became the first City player to make the switch to Town in 24 years in a £10m deal in August.

The Chilean has made two cameos off the bench after an ankle injury but made his first Ipswich start in the 1-1 draw at Bristol City on Tuesday.

Oh, did I mention he scored the winner for Norwich the last time these two met?

Oli McBurnie, appropriately enough, is on fire.

The 29-year-old Scotland international was picked up by Hull City after his departure from La Liga side Las Palmas in the summer and is in the form of his life, scoring seven goals in his first nine appearances in all competitions.

His six goals and four assists in eight Championship games lead the way in terms of goal contributions in the second tier and he’s made the EFL team of the week in half of his appearances to date.

Two goals against Preston salvaged a 2-2 draw at MKM Stadium on Tuesday and saw him score in a fourth consecutive game for the first time in his 360-match career.

The Tigers welcome basement boys Sheffield United to Humberside on Saturday (12:30 BST), the club McBurnie spent five seasons at before his Spanish adventure.

McBurnie scored only 13 goals across 66 Championship appearances for the Blades, with another 13 in 96 games in the Premier League across three other seasons with them and one with previous club Swansea.

Just 12 miles separate Luton and Stevenage, but it’s been more than seven years since they last met in the league and there has seldom been more at stake than this Saturday (15:00).

Since that League Two meeting in February 2018 the Hatters have been promoted three times and relegated twice, while Stevenage have stepped up to League One and they meet as equals.

The local derby has been evenly matched, with both sides claiming 11 points from their eight previous EFL meetings, though Town have picked up just two points from their past three visits to the Lamex.

Their last meeting, a League Cup first-round tie at Stevenage in August 2021, ended 2-2, with Stevenage winning 3-0 on penalties – and how the home fans would love to be celebrating again this weekend.

Stevenage go into the game sat in the automatic promotion places after collecting 22 points from their opening nine games, losing only once at Huddersfield back in August, and winning three of their past four games.

This week we saw Jose Mourinho stroll back into Stamford Bridge as though he owns the place, with custard creams laid on for good measure.

Not every manager receives such red carpet treatment when they return to a former club, especially when they might have left under acrimonious circumstances.

Speaking of which, former Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe will return to Home Park with new club Wigan in League One on Saturday (15:00).

After joining Argyle in 2019 Lowe guided the Pilgrims to promotion from League Two and had them flying high in the promotion race in League One before leaving in December 2021 to join Championship club Preston.

Tom Cleverley is the fifth man to lead Argyle on a permanent basis since then.

Lowe had the last laugh when he first returned to Devon with the Lilywhites in the Championship in March 2024, picking up a 1-0 win over his former side, but things did not pan out at Deepdale and after a spell out of the dugout he took over at the Latics in March.

The League Two promotion race in 2024-25 was like one of those horse racing games you find at a seaside amusement arcade.

You pick your colour and urge it out of the gate, feel despair as its fast start fades, others pick up momentum which then peters out, eventually 10 runners are within striking distance going into the final furlong before the fast-finishing red-and-white colours take the win while the long-time leader in red and black ends up empty-handed.

Well, I don’t wish to alarm you, but the early stages of this season have all the hallmarks of another epic race to the finish.

The top 16 sides are separated by just eight points, 14 of them have a positive goal difference and we’ll be roughly a quarter of the way through the season this weekend.

Walsall, who were the footballing equivalent of Devon Loch last season, find themselves back on top for the visit of seventh-placed Bristol Rovers.

Gillingham’s unbeaten start was ended last weekend to drop to third, but they will seek to bounce back at MK Dons, sitting ninth, while fourth plays fifth with Salford hosting Grimsby.

Saddle up…

You can follow the entire weekend as it happens on the BBC Sport website and app, starting with live text coverage of Wrexham v Birmingham City on Friday, 3 October.

October is here. A month of tricks, treats, nerve-jangling fear and upsetting your neighbours.

Oh, and it’s also Halloween soon, too.

This weekend’s English Football League (EFL) programme is sure to have all of the above and more, with a tightly packed field in the top half of the Championship and featuring a couple of the marquee fixtures of the season, all kicking off with the ‘Hollywood derby’ between Wrexham and Birmingham on Friday night.

In League One most of the pre-season promotion favourites are floundering while several of the division’s lesser lights are shining the brightest – and if you thought last season’s League Two promotion race was right, well things are already shaping up to be even more chaotic this season.

High noon on Sunday sees one of the biggest games of any EFL campaign as Norwich head to Ipswich for the East Anglian derby.

The last time the Tractor Boys got one over on the Canaries was April 2009 when Gordon Brown was prime minister and Oasis were weeks away from a 16-year split. Might their recent reunion be a good omen for Town this weekend?

The Canaries have taken 26 points from the dozen Championship meetings since then, and also enjoyed a famous 4-2 aggregate win in the play-off semi-finals in 2015.

This match might be as big on the pitch as it is off it. Ipswich have yet to find their feet after relegation from the Premier League, winning just two of their opening seven games to lie 13th, while Norwich are floundering in 19th with eight points from eight games.

Perhaps the best news for Norwich-born Canaries boss Liam Manning, who represented both these clubs in his youth, is that the game is at Portman Road – City have now lost all five matches at Carrow Road this season after Wednesday’s 1-0 reverse to West Brom.

They are also unbeaten in seven in enemy territory, winning three times, though three of the past four meetings in Suffolk have ended all square.

Fierce local rivals, both in patchy form, and as if we needed another subplot we have one – midfielder Marcelino Nunez became the first City player to make the switch to Town in 24 years in a £10m deal in August.

The Chilean has made two cameos off the bench after an ankle injury but made his first Ipswich start in the 1-1 draw at Bristol City on Tuesday.

Oh, did I mention he scored the winner for Norwich the last time these two met?

Oli McBurnie, appropriately enough, is on fire.

The 29-year-old Scotland international was picked up by Hull City after his departure from La Liga side Las Palmas in the summer and is in the form of his life, scoring seven goals in his first nine appearances in all competitions.

His six goals and four assists in eight Championship games lead the way in terms of goal contributions in the second tier and he’s made the EFL team of the week in half of his appearances to date.

Two goals against Preston salvaged a 2-2 draw at MKM Stadium on Tuesday and saw him score in a fourth consecutive game for the first time in his 360-match career.

The Tigers welcome basement boys Sheffield United to Humberside on Saturday (12:30 BST), the club McBurnie spent five seasons at before his Spanish adventure.

McBurnie scored only 13 goals across 66 Championship appearances for the Blades, with another 13 in 96 games in the Premier League across three other seasons with them and one with previous club Swansea.

Just 12 miles separate Luton and Stevenage, but it’s been more than seven years since they last met in the league and there has seldom been more at stake than this Saturday (15:00).

Since that League Two meeting in February 2018 the Hatters have been promoted three times and relegated twice, while Stevenage have stepped up to League One and they meet as equals.

The local derby has been evenly matched, with both sides claiming 11 points from their eight previous EFL meetings, though Town have picked up just two points from their past three visits to the Lamex.

Their last meeting, a League Cup first-round tie at Stevenage in August 2021, ended 2-2, with Stevenage winning 3-0 on penalties – and how the home fans would love to be celebrating again this weekend.

Stevenage go into the game sat in the automatic promotion places after collecting 22 points from their opening nine games, losing only once at Huddersfield back in August, and winning three of their past four games.

This week we saw Jose Mourinho stroll back into Stamford Bridge as though he owns the place, with custard creams laid on for good measure.

Not every manager receives such red carpet treatment when they return to a former club, especially when they might have left under acrimonious circumstances.

Speaking of which, former Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe will return to Home Park with new club Wigan in League One on Saturday (15:00).

After joining Argyle in 2019 Lowe guided the Pilgrims to promotion from League Two and had them flying high in the promotion race in League One before leaving in December 2021 to join Championship club Preston.

Tom Cleverley is the fifth man to lead Argyle on a permanent basis since then.

Lowe had the last laugh when he first returned to Devon with the Lilywhites in the Championship in March 2024, picking up a 1-0 win over his former side, but things did not pan out at Deepdale and after a spell out of the dugout he took over at the Latics in March.

The League Two promotion race in 2024-25 was like one of those horse racing games you find at a seaside amusement arcade.

You pick your colour and urge it out of the gate, feel despair as its fast start fades, others pick up momentum which then peters out, eventually 10 runners are within striking distance going into the final furlong before the fast-finishing red-and-white colours take the win while the long-time leader in red and black ends up empty-handed.

Well, I don’t wish to alarm you, but the early stages of this season have all the hallmarks of another epic race to the finish.

The top 16 sides are separated by just eight points, 14 of them have a positive goal difference and we’ll be roughly a quarter of the way through the season this weekend.

Walsall, who were the footballing equivalent of Devon Loch last season, find themselves back on top for the visit of seventh-placed Bristol Rovers.

Gillingham’s unbeaten start was ended last weekend to drop to third, but they will seek to bounce back at MK Dons, sitting ninth, while fourth plays fifth with Salford hosting Grimsby.

Saddle up…

You can follow the entire weekend as it happens on the BBC Sport website and app, starting with live text coverage of Wrexham v Birmingham City on Friday, 3 October.