Freddy Shepherd yesterday blasted the FA for waiting 63 years before bringing an international match back to Tyneside.

The Newcastle chairman launched his astonishing attack within minutes of the announcement that St James' Park would host England's World Cup qualifier with Albania on September 5.

Shepherd stormed: "It's a disgrace that England have not been here before now. The last time was in 1938 and we must have really impressed them!

"Really it's not before time, but I'm glad they have seen sense at last. We have to be thankful for small mercies."

Shepherd, while delighted by the coup, said he was disappointed that Newcastle had not been chosen as a venue for the home qualifying games against Finland or Greece. And he expressed his annoyance that the FA Cup final, staged this year in Cardiff, had been taken out of the country.

But he promised that England would get a huge lift from Geordie fans in their bid to qualify for the World Cup finals.

He said: "England will get more backing from this crowd than any other crowd in the country.

"If the players have their backs to the wall I can't think of a crowd that will get behind them more. They'll frighten Alabania to death!"

Shepherd insisted that the England team should have gone on the road even when Wembley was operational. "Fans feel detached when they are 300 miles away but we are all English after all," he added.

"I think we should have been a candidate for the FA Cup final as well, instead of taking it to Wales."

But just in case he lined himself up for an Anne Robinson-style backlash, he added hastily: "I think Wales is a marvellous place. I simply believe that the FA Cup should stay in England."

Newcastle pipped local rivals Sunderland for the right to stage the game, one of the considerations being that St James' Park has a larger capacity of more than 52,000.

FA spokesman Paul Barber said that coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had been "amazed" by the strength of support and the volume of noise generated inside the stadium on his recent visits to watch Newcastle.

"He has been a couple of times and he's looking forward to coming back. He's very pleased," added Barber, the FA Director of Marketing.

"This is a traditional hotbed of football. The last time England played here they beat Norway 4-0. I hope that's a good omen."

The FA know they cannot satisfy local demand for the game, and have decided to put up 5000 cut-price tickets for local schoolchildren.

Sunderland will be disappointed at failing to pip their local rivals for the prestigious international but Barber hinted that the Stadium of Light would be in the frame for future games. "Sunderland staged an international in 1999 and we felt it was right to come to Newcastle.

"Our decision was the result of a combination of facts and it wasn't easy because there are a number of top-class stadia in this country.

"Sunderland is a fantastic club and as we are on the road for three years it's not impossible that we will be coming back to the North-East."

Newcastle's director of football administration Russell Cushing said: "It will put the club and the city on the world stage.

"Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer will be particularly delighted that the match is here."

l Tickets will go on general sale to the public via the England ticket hotline - 0870 9020005 - at 9am on Thursday, March 22