Toshack wants Cardiff City Stadium for England clash

The Cardiff City Stadium is felt to offer a more intimidating option

Manager John Toshack wants Wales to host England in their Euro 2012 qualifier in March at Cardiff City Stadium, not the Millennium Stadium.

The £50m, 26,000-capacity venue is thought to offer a more intimidating atmosphere than the 74,000-seat Welsh Rugby Union-owned Millennium.

"Maybe it's not so much of a foregone conclusion as in the past that we play in the Millennium," said Toshack.

The first home game, against Bulgaria on 8 October, is at the City Stadium.

Wales open their campaign in Montenegro on Friday, 3 September, with Switzerland also in the group.

We've only been there the once and we were very, very happy with both the result and the way we were treated throughout Toshack on the Cardiff City Stadium

It was widely expected that the Switzerland and Montenegro games would - like the Bulgaria match - be at the City Stadium, but that the England showdown would be taken to the Millennium where an almost-certain sell-out would provide a significant boost to the Football Association of Wales' coffers.

Wales' first match at the Cardiff City Stadium was last November's 3-0 friendly win over Scotland, their two home matches since having been at Swansea's Liberty Stadium and Llanelli's Parc y Scarlets.

"We've only been there the once and we were very, very happy with both the result and the way we were treated throughout," said Toshack, a former Cardiff City player.

Wales once averaged crowds of 73,000 and were the best-supported nation in Europe when ex-manager Mark Hughes' men narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2004 European Championships.

But the side have been in transition since the retirements of star players such as Gary Speed and Ryan Giggs, and Wales' youngsters under Toshack have produced inconsistent performances.

Both Toshack and his players have been publicly critical of the Millennium.

"We'd be quite happy if the Millennium Stadium was two-thirds empty as it is normally more empty than that," said Toshack last year.

"The problem is if we get over 26,000 fans there is no other ground in Wales we can use.

"There is no doubt that players or us generally feel more comfortable at [grounds like the City Stadium] than we do at the Millennium Stadium. That's not a criticism of anyone or an excuse - we just do."