NORTH-East rivals Newcastle and Middlesbrough stand to share an extra £1m windfall - despite being denied the chance to settle a potential FA Cup semi-final on their own doorstep.
Manchester United's Old Trafford was last night revealed as host for one of next month's last four showdowns.
And that tie will be a mouthwatering Tyne-Tees clash if Bobby Robson's side overcome Arsenal in next Saturday's sixth round replay, which has been confirmed as a high noon kick-off following lengthy discussions between Newcastle and the Gunners.
Sunderland's 48,000 capacity Stadium of Light emerged as an early front runner to host a potential all North-East semi-final.
But the five-year-old Monkwearmouth venue lost out in the race to stage the April 14 clash which will kick-off at 4pm and be screened live by Sky - largely because their is a Premiership match there less than 24 hours earlier.
Football Association spokesman Paul Newman said: "There were too many logistical issues at Sunderland which were impossible to overcome.
"For a start, Sunderland are playing Liverpool on April 13 in a match which kicks off at 5.35pm for pay-per-view purposes.
"It would have been impossible to change the segregation system around at the Stadium in time for 10.30 the following morning."
It also means there are 20,000 extra seats housed inside United's imposing base to be split between the two semi-finalists.
With ticket prices around the £40 mark, it means the semi-finalists will share an extra £1m in gate receipts than had the tie been held on the banks of the Wear.
Despite the inconvenience of a 250-mile round trip as some 60,000 people make the trans-Pennine pilgrimage, supporters have generally welcomed an FA decision.
It is an outcome which means the vast majority of fans will have the opportunity to attend the potential derby tie at the Theatre of Dreams, where Boro battled out their thrilling 3-3 semi-final draw with Chesterfield in 1997.
Leeds United's Elland Road was also in the running to hold the tie - but chairman Peter Ridsdale was forced to say 'no' after West Yorkshire Police refused to cover the match.
Leeds originally agreed to act as hosts but within hours of the meeting's conclusion an embarrassed Ridsdale was forced into a u-turn, despite standing to generate around £250,000 for the club.
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