The FA today announced that Middlesbrough F.C. will host England's European...
The FA today announced that Middlesbrough F.C. will host England's European Championship Qualifier with Slovakia...
England's penultimate home fixture in their qualifying programme will take place at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday June 11th, (8.00pm kick off).
The Riverside has already proved itself at international level, successfully hosting three Under-21 games and two UEFA Under-16 international matches since opening in 1995.
However the senior team has not played on Teesside for almost 70 years. In 1937 they defeated Wales 2-1 at Ayresome Park with a certain Stanley Matthews scoring for England.
Back in October, England overcame a terrible surface and tough competition in Slovakia to win 2-1, with goals from David Beckham and Michael Owen snatching a late win.
However, it was Boro's Slovakian striker Szilard Nemeth who opened the scoring in Bratislava, while Gareth Southgate was making his 51st England appearance and Ugo Ehiogu was on the subs bench.
The FA's Director of Marketing and Communications Paul Barber said: "We're delighted to be staging a senior international at the Riverside Stadium.
"Boro have already showed their commitment to and support for The FA and our national teams by hosting a number of games at youth and under-21 level. In fact I was among a fantastic crowd of 24,000 against Albania two seasons ago.
"Additionally, the club have been extremely supportive to us, not least with Steve McClaren's involvement as assistant to Sven-Goran Eriksson. "The Riverside is a terrific stage for international football and I'm sure we can look forward to a tremendous atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd in June."
Middlesbrough Chief Executive Keith Lamb added: "We are very much looking forward to hosting England for such a prestigious fixture. We actively encourage The FA to choose the Riverside because we believe have one of the country's best stadia. As we have international players of both countries in our first team squad, it is particularly appropriate that we should host a game between England and Slovakia. June 11th promises to be a proud day for Middlesbrough FC and its supporters."
Ticket details to be confirmed.
England's record at Middlesbrough:
25th February 1905 England 1 (Bloomer) Ireland 1 (Williamson og)
14th February 1914 England 0 Ireland 3 (Gillespie , Lacey 2)
17th November 1937 England 2 (Hall, Matthews) Wales 1 (Perry)