England are currently on a high after winning the Four Nations Tournament in May, overcoming the challenge of Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. Key to England's success in that tournament was striker Kirk Jackson, the former Darlington centre-forward who is now leading the line for Darlington's Third Division rivals Yeovil Town.

Jackson eventually departed Feethams for Stevenage Borough in a £10,000 deal, where he joined Manager Paul Fairclough, now Manager of the England National Game XI.

For Fairclough, November's international will bring him back to the North-East in a managerial capacity for the first time since he nearly masterminded one of the biggest FA Cup shocks in history.

In 1998 after wins over Cambridge United and Swindon Town, Conference club Stevenage Borough were drawn in The FA Cup Fourth Round at home to Newcastle United. After a pulsating 1-1 draw, Fairclough took his part-timers to St James' Park where they nearly pulled off a huge shock, before eventually losing 2-1 in the replay.

Looking ahead to the game in a months time, Paul said:

"The FA and myself are very passionate about developing and promoting some of the best aspects of our national game, and this team provides a showcase for some of the most talented footballers outside the Football League.

"The game against Belgium will be a tough test as their players will mainly be selected from the Premier League in Belgium, including possibly Jonathan Blondel from Tottenham Hotspur, and Racing Genk striker Kevin Vandenbergh who played in the Champions League last year against Real Madrid and Roma.

"My squad will feature some extremely talented young players who I believe could go on to play in the Premier League - as Barry Hayles, Lee Hughes and Alan Smith have already proved - and I really hope that the fervent football supporters from Darlington and the North-East, as well as non-league football fans from across the country will really come out and get behind this England team."   

The venue of the new Reynolds Arena will prove a fitting platform for the team, and Paul Barber, FA Director of Marketing and Communications said:

"The FA wanted a prestige venue for this game, and knew all about the ambitions of the Chairman and his team at Darlington Football Club. The quality and size of the stadium is ideal for staging international football, and The FA will be looking to see how local football supporters get behind this game, with a view to staging more international games at the club in the future."

The history of this England team goes back to 1979, and now forms part of The FA's roster of international squads at all levels.

Last season, five players from Yeovil Town's promotion winning side formed the core of the England National Game XI, along with striker Junior Agogo, whose 19 goals for Barnet earned him a £110,000 summer move to Bristol Rovers.

Another recent success story has been Steve Jones, a little-known winger for Leigh RMI. After being capped by the England National Game XI, Jones earned a move to Crewe Alexandra, where he has now broken into the Northern Ireland first team over the last twelve months.

The squad is selected from the top players performing within the Nationwide Conference League and its Feeder Leagues, and Fairclough will name his squad for this fixture on Monday 20th October.

Admission to the fixture on 4th November is free for adults and children, with kick-off at 7.45pm.