The Magpies' iconic stadium was voted into second place in the www.footballgroundguide.com Best of the 92 poll, behind Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

Thousands of football fans voted, with United's cathedral on the hill winning praise for its city centre location, imposing structure and famous atmosphere.

One voter summed up a matchday at St James' Park as: "Passionate fans generating a fantastic atmosphere in a great looking stadium."

Another described the stadium as a "traditional ground but sensibly modernised with great views from the top of the stands."

The country's biggest stadium, Manchester United's Old Trafford, was in third place.

The top ten included three representatives from the Championship, including Fulham's unique Craven Cottage.

Duncan Adams, founder of www.footballgroundguide.com, said: "It is great to see some great traditional grounds such as Hillsborough, Goodison Park and Craven Cottage feature in the top 10. It shows that not always 'modern is best' and that fans still look to grounds with character."

The Best of the 92 top ten is as follows:

1 Emirates Stadium, Arsenal2 St. James' Park, Newcastle United3 Old Trafford, Manchester United4 Craven Cottage, Fulham5 Villa Park, Aston Villa6 Anfield, Liverpool7 Goodison Park, Everton8 Amex Stadium, Brighton & Hove Albion9 Etihad Stadium, Manchester City10 Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday

For an extended feature on the survey results and divisional winners visit www.footballgroundguide.com or see the December issue of Football Weekends magazine, on sale in newsagents now.