Burton Albion's opening-day clash with Rochdale could set up a few reunions.
The Brewers signed midfield duo Matty Lund and Jamie Allen from the Dale last summer ahead of their second Championship campaign - and the pair will both likely relish the chance to play against their former side when the League One season kicks off at the Pirelli Stadium on August 4.
With Albion's midfield options depleted following the departures of loanees Luke Murphy and Jacob Davenport, as well as Tom Naylor's move to Portsmouth, Lund and Allen could both be important central operators for Burton in 2018-19, and will hope to prove that from the first kick of the campaign against the side for whom both impressed over recent years.
But the opening game of Albion and Rochdale's League One season should also throw up a 'welcome back' moment at the Pirelli for a former Burton defender.
Ryan Delaney never played a first-team game for the Brewers in his 18 months with the club after signing from Wexford Youths in the summer of 2016.
The Republic of Ireland under-21 international was acquired as a versatile defensive option, having played at centre-half and full-back early in his career.
With the Brewers also adding the defensive experience of Ben Turner, Kyle McFadzean and John Brayford that summer, and Lloyd Dyer and Lucas Akins regularly featuring at wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation, Delaney's inclusion in 2016-17 was always a doubt, and he appeared to be a signing with the long-term in mind.
Burton Albion catch-up
He played in Albion's reserves during the early months of 2016-17, before heading out on loan to Cork City in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
There, he produced a string of performances that showed exactly what first led Nigel Clough to sign him at the Pirelli.
Delaney would go on to make 30 appearances and score six goals in the League as Cork claimed the title at a canter.
He also starred in their FAI Cup triumph and was named in the team of the season, before returning to the Brewers at the end of 2017.
Clough said he was "looking forward to seeing him back in training" as they considered the role he could play, with the 21-year-old ineligible to play until January after returning in November.
But it seemingly did not take Delaney long after meeting back up with his parent club to realise that a move was what he needed, and he was not included in the matchday squads for the trip to Sheffield Wednesday or the FA Cup meeting with Birmingham City, with Clough favouring a settled side following a fine run of form.
It was only in the weeks and months after Delaney's departure that Burton would go on to suffer a defensive injury crisis, with Brayford, Turner, Akins and Damien McCrory all ruled out for spells.
"It was in my head going back that I'd see how the first week or 10 days went," Delaney told the Irish Sun in February, a month after his January transfer to Rochdale on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
"I'd see how I felt about the situation, whether I thought I'd get an opportunity.
"It was probably after that first 10 days that I was saying, 'this isn't going to be for me - I'm going to need to get out and play regularly somewhere, take a chance of getting a move'."
In search of regular game-time in English football, Delaney made that move to Spotland and set about helping the Dale avoid relegation to League Two.
They eventually finished one point clear of the drop, with the ex-Brewers defender starting their crucial final-day win over Charlton Athletic, which clinched safety, as well as 15 other League games.
He also got the added experience of an FA Cup run, earning a fifth-round replay at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur after a dramatic 2-2 draw at Spotland.
Heading into the new campaign, Delaney will be keen to enjoy his first full season in English football and make it a breakthrough one.
Now the fixture list has thrown up an opening-day meeting with his former side, against whom he will be keen to show what they let go.
