Manchester United completed a domestic double in the previous season, leading to the FA voting on 14 May 1996 to invite Newcastle to play them in the FA Charity Shield at Wembley, rather than FA Cup runners up Liverpool F.C. The invitation was accepted on 22 May, with Newcastle defender Steve Watson telling the press: "It's brilliant news...It's not the way we wanted to qualify for the Charity Shield – we wanted to get there by winning the League. But it will be a great day for our fans and gives us a real lift before the start of the season."