Soccer: Newcastle to stage England World Cup clash

England will play their crucial World Cup qualifier against Albania at Newcastle's St James' Park.

The Football Association have announced that the 52,000-seater stadium will host the game on Wednesday, September 5.

It will be the first peace-time England international to be staged on Tyneside in almost 63 years as work to redevelop Wembley continues.

St James' - one of the venues for Euro 96 - has been used by England four times for full internationals, and also three times for wartime fixtures.

A 6-0 victory over Wales in 1901 was followed by a 1-1 draw with Scotland six years later and, although Wales won 2-1 in the north east in 1933, Norway left the banks of the Tyne on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline five years later.

During the war, England defeated Scotland and the Army, but also lost to the Scots.

Newcastle have spent in the region of £70million on developing the ground they moved into in 1886 in the last decade.

Only Manchester United boast a bigger capacity than the Magpies.