By Bob Cass

PUBLISHED: 17:01 EST, 16 June 2012 | UPDATED: 05:19 EST, 17 June 2012

England will restart football relations with Scotland next year in a revival of the game's oldest international fixture.

The Football Association announced on Saturday that the two countries, who first played each other at the West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Partick, Glasgow, in 1872, will meet in a friendly at Wembley to mark the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations.

Euro '96 victory: Paul Gascoigne and the infamous dentist's chair celebration as England beat Scotland 2-0

Euro '96 victory: Paul Gascoigne and the infamous dentist's chair celebration as England beat Scotland 2-0

The game - on Wednesday August 14, 2013 - will be the 111th time the two countries have faced each other.

They used to square up annually in the home championship but withdrew from that competition after 1984, citing waning spectator interest, crowded fixture lists and hooliganism.

Since then they have met five times in the short-lived Rous Cup and three times in the European Championship, the most recent being in 1999 when Scotland won 1-0 in the second leg of a Euro 2000 qualifying play-off at Wembley.

Great Scot: Don Hutchinson rises above the England defence to head the only goal in the last Wembley clash

Great Scot: Don Hutchinson rises above the England defence to head the only goal in the last Wembley clash

England manager Roy Hodgson said: 'I am privileged to be manager of England at UEFA Euro 2012 and it will be another huge honour to lead our nation out against our oldest rivals. England versus Scotland is one of the finest fixtures in international football and I know what this game means to both sets of supporters.

'It will be a fitting part of The FA's 150th anniversary celebrations and the supporters, the team and my coaching staff all look forward to welcoming Scotland to Wembley Stadium next year.'

When it meant something: Gordon Banks, George Cohen and Bobby Moore can't stop Denis Law from scoring

When it meant something: Gordon Banks, George Cohen and Bobby Moore can't stop Denis Law from scoring

Scotland coach Craig Levein believes his squad will relish the challenge of this historic fixture.

He said: 'For any Scotland supporter, player or coach, Scotland versus England is the ultimate contest: it really is as good as it gets.'

England will resume their international programme following Euro 2012 with a friendly against Italy in Berne, Switzerland, on August 15.

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I guess it will need to be played in 2013 because after 2014 The scottish fans will need passports to enter England and the rest of the UK hopefully - jon, yorks, 17/06/2012 19:44 Another anti Scottish comment......not that it makes sense, as most scots are happy as things are, so things won't change. That said, if they did, the use of a passport is hardly a hardship.....although maybe your a typical 'Engurland'' fan who had his passport taken away and is ignorant to normal travel ease............I think there could be a few of these types on this forum, either that or your 12. Hard to tell really.

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I guess it will need to be played in 2013 because after 2014 The scottish fans will need passports to enter England and the rest of the UK hopefully

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Yeay! I used to love the home nations tournament. I think it was a good annual fixture. :)

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Can we play some other team who are decent like Ireland, Northern Ireland or even the Faroes, better competition required.

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Scotland are a punchbag in footballing terms, why not go for a decent side instead. - pete, sheffield, 17/06/2012 18:27 Funny - last game we played, Scotland won at Wembley........if I recall it was planned as the last ever game at the old Wembley, but you couldn't have Scotland winning the last ever game. So you arranged to play Germany......and they beat you too. If only you realised, you ain't they great, you just think you are.

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Difference is we can handle it! - Scotland For Ever, Edinburgh, 17/6/2012 18:10 ........ A good job too, must be hard following a football team that until very recently was ranked lower than those powerhouses of world football such as Mali and Gabon.

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Can the Scots please return the goal posts.

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What's the time? Ten past Haffey. And the reason we mention 1966 is because we know it gets right up their noses. In the words of the great PG Wodehouse - it is never difficult to distinguish between a scotchman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine. Seriously, it's about time the fixture was revived and I am looking forward to it.

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Once again the sheer arrogance of us English fans beggars belief. Consider the inequality in size of the two nations then man for man I would venture to suggest that Scotland has produced far more WORLD CLASS players over the years. Law, Baxter, Dalglish, McKay, Hanson, Johnston, Gemmil the list goes on and on. Anyone old enough to remember the tremendous games our two nations produced should be 100% behind the idea. They would be the ONLY fixtures where, with nothing at stake in terms of points, trophies etc, the intense rivalry will more than compensate. BRING IT ON.

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Scotland are a punchbag in footballing terms, why not go for a decent side instead.

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