ON any argument, it was flying a kite at the Stadium of Light - "outrageously audacious" admitted the letter that landed on Sunderland chairman Bob Murray's desk.

Now, however, the Premiership giants have agreed to roll out the red and white carpet for two village teams left homeless by foot-and-mouth disease.

Wearhead United v. Stanhope Town, an end of season fixture in the Crook and District League, will kick off on May Bank Holiday Monday at the 50,000 capacity stadium where a potential European decider between Sunderland and Charlton Athletic takes place only 48 hours earlier.

In the depressed Durham dale, Light fantastic doesn't begin to describe the reaction - and for the first time in both clubs' near-100 year history, they will arrive at a match by team coach.

A police escort is presently considered unnecessary.

"We were just about to kick off against Byers Green on Monday night when someone from Sunderland rang to say they'd agreed," said Stanhope secretary David Bee.

"It's unbelievable. Usually, we don't even get two men and a dog, just the dog. No one really thought that Sunderland would agree."

Both teams have been playing away after their grounds were closed as a foot-and-mouth precaution. Stanhope chairman Clem O'Donovan, who contacted his counterpart 40 miles down river, admitted that they couldn't afford to pay.

"It would raise the morale of people playing and living in the Weardale area and would be seen as a magnificent gesture to teams affected directly and indirectly by the outbreak," he wrote.

The alternatives, said Clem yesterday, had been an unmarked pitch at Eastgate Cement Works ("some other time maybe") or a waterlogged field at Tow Law.

"It was a bit of a toss-up between Tow Law and the Stadium of Light, but in the end Sunderland just edged it."

First, however, they had to persuade the league to re-arrange the Albert Vickers cup final, due on the Monday morning, in which Stanhope are already finalists and Wearhead semi-finalists. Secretary Trevor Hudspeth happily agreed.

Wearhead, technically the home team, heard the news after Monday's match at Billy Row. "Clem came bursting into the pub, but he's a bit of a joker and we thought it was another of his wind-ups," said United player Kevin Peart.

"In the Crook and District League you don't even dream of playing at the Stadium of Light."

Clem O'Donovan, for whom the adage about shy bairns and sweets might have been written, insists on just one condition. "Though we're officially away, we're having the home dressing room - and I want to be Kevin Phillips."