RUPERT LOWE has spoken of his ambition to bring more England internationals to Southampton.

The Saints chairman said he was proud and delighted that St Mary's had been selected to host this Wednesday's Euro 2004 fixture between England and Macedonia.

And he added that he was confident Southampton would prove itself the perfect base for England.

Lowe said: "It is not in my gift to decide on internationals, but if we prove we can deliver an international and it is a success we would be delighted to be selected for another international.

"We are very excited about the England game and looking forward to showing the FA what we can do.

"It is great news for everyone concerned.

"We have a huge catchment area in the south and I'm sure that many millions will be watching the match, giving St Mary's and Southampton FC an even higher profile."

He added: "Wembley is not scheduled to be built until 2006 and hopefully we will get another chance before then."

Sven Goran Eriksson's men flew into Southampton Airport yesterday lunchtime amid pouring rain as England fever began to sweep the city.

The team then completed an afternoon training session at Saints' Staplewood training ground at Marchwood.

Wednesday will be the first home international at Southampton since 1901 when England beat Ireland 30 at The Dell.

The award of the international just 16 months after the opening of St Mary's is a major coup for Saints and confirms Lowe's reputation as one of the most proactive chairmen in the Premiership.

He added: "The primary reason for moving to St Mary's was for Saints, but we were always keen to get a friendly or competitive international.

"We are tremendously proud and it is a testament to the staff and the set-up we have here. We have enjoyed fantastic support at the stadium and there should be another terrific atmosphere and we are looking forward to it enormously.

"Now we just have to hope that England get the right result!"

The eagerly-awaited match sparked a feverish scramble for tickets and they were all sold out within two hours of going on sale.

Paul Barber, the FA's director of marketing and communications, added that he felt Southampton was the ideal host for Wednesday's clash.

"This is the first time the England team have played in the region since we began taking matches on the road," he said. "This is a very important match for Sven and the players and we believe St Mary's is the perfect venue."

Lowe has responded to calls for Saints to clarify the standing issue in the Northam Stand by pointing out that the club have already hosted a meeting with fans and the Football Licensing Authority.

"We don't make the law and have done everything we can to encourage people to understand the issue," he said.

Lowe said he was unaware of comments made by Agustin Delgado's brother, Marcos, suggesting Gordon Strachan would have been sacked had Saints not beaten Manchester City.

"I don't know if his comments are true," he said. "If the comments are true, they are not even worth responding to."