Excitement under Keane and Bennett's debut - your opening day memories

[BBC] [Getty Images] With the countdown to the 2026-27 Premier League fixture release well and truly on, we asked for your stories of opening-day games - both good and bad - that have stuck in your minds most. And you delivered. Here are some of your replies: Dave: Last season's opening day win over West Ham will live long in the memory. The sun was shining, we played good football and we got a win after promotion - but that is really recent. The best overall memory for me is when we played Tottenham at the start of 2007-08. We had gone from bottom of the league to Championship winners under Roy Keane. There was a level of excitement around the stadium that he brought with him, a fearless approach to any game. It was tense and, after winning, the whole stadium had a party atmosphere. Chris: The best opening day was in 1984. It was Gary Bennett's debut and he made it against Southampton at Roker Park. We won 3-1 and Benno scored early. Andy: I remember Chelsea away on 7 August 1999, our first game back in the Premier League after two seasons out. I was invited by a kind friend who was a Chelsea fan, so I stuck out like a sore thumb among the blue shirts. We got beaten 4-0 and we were lucky to get nil. Keith: Sunderland v Arsenal in 2001. A new football season and an almost new stadium. I remember Stanislav Varga's amazing cross-field passes early in the game, along with his elegance and great positional play. He was injured not long after and he was never the same again, but that's football. We won... I think. Steve: The best has to be the 3-0 win over West Ham last season on our return to the Premier League. The worst was probably losing 4-0 at Chelsea also on our return in 1999 under Peter Reid - although he turned things around quickly to finish seventh that season. Come back to this page at 10:00 BST to see how the Black Cat's 2026-27 Premier League fixtures have fallen.