DAVID Beckham will use tomorrow night's friendly with Ukraine to exorcise the demons that continue to plague him following England's summer surrender in the European Championships.

The England skipper will lead his side out at St James' Park still smarting from the personal disappointment of events in Portugal.

For the first time since 1998's ill-fated World Cup clash with Argentina, Beckham found his on-field displays being called into question after a campaign dogged by penalty misses and fitness doubts.

The Real Madrid star admits to slipping below his usual high standards this summer, but is adamant that any decline was nothing more than a temporary blip.

Tomorrow evening's game offers an early chance of redemption as Sven Goran Eriksson's side prepares for next month's crucial World Cup qualifiers in Austria and Poland.

And England's leading light is confident of righting a few wrongs in front of an expectant Tyneside public.

"I know I didn't play as well as I can do in the four games in Portugal, and I want to put it right," said Beckham, who confirmed that he would remain his side's number one penalty taker despite missing his last three spot-kicks in an England shirt.

"I've spent the summer thinking about how I felt in the tournament because I know what I've got and what gift I've been given. I know I have a talent and I know that can't disappear just like that.

"I've set high standards and I know when I've dipped below that. I don't think I had a terrible championships, but I have played a lot better. I know I can perform a lot better and I will."

Beckham entered the European Championships after a difficult first season in the Spanish capital and, while he maintains he felt fine at the time, he has subsequently admitted that an over-reliance on weights work had left him a stone overweight in Portugal.

His form was also affected by the wave of publicity that surrounded his private life, with constant speculation over the future of his marriage ultimately affecting his performances on the pitch.

He has spent the summer ridding himself of his excess baggage and arranging for his wife and two sons to join him in Spain, and looked far sharper on his seasonal reappearance for Real Madrid last week.

Beckham played an integral role in Fernando Morientes' opener during the Spanish giants' 2-0 Champions League win in Wizla Krakow and insists his mind is now fully focused on football.

"I'd done too many weights at the end of last season," admitted Beckham. "And I didn't realise it had affected me in the way it had.

"The media attention that surrounded me after Christmas also affected me - I think it would have affected anyone. That's the first time something like that has ever affected me on the pitch.

"My form dipped after Christmas. Things were being said about me on and off the pitch and that affected me.

"But I've taken some time out over the summer and I feel really good. Last week was probably the best that I've played for four or five months."

The media attention has, of course, switched to Eriksson and the forthcoming World Cup campaign almost certainly represents the Swede's final chance of winning a trophy with England.

His short-term future is secure after the tumultuous events of the last three weeks, but his long-term prospects appear to hinge on England qualifying for the World Cup and finally fulfilling their potential in Germany.

Tomorrow night's game is the first step along that road, and Beckham admits that the knives will be out again should England fall flat on their faces against an unfancied Ukraine.

"You've got to accept that you will get criticism if things don't go well," he said.

"Because, if you play well, then you enjoy what people are saying about you.

"So you have to accept what's said when things aren't going so well. You have to be strong enough to take that and I know I am. I also know the manager is as well.

"I haven't said anything to him in the last month because I haven't had to. I think he realises the respect that he has from the rest of the team.

"We only care what he does when we meet up with England. That's what we respect him for and that's the way it's always going to be."

* Newcastle United star Kieron Dyer trained with the England squad yesterday as he looked to prove his fitness to Sven Goran Eriksson following reports of an alleged row with Sir Bobby Robson.

Dyer was on the bench for Newcastle's weekend draw at Middlesbrough, with some reports claiming he had refused to play on the right flank.

Robson responded by insisting he had only used Dyer as a substitute because of lingering concerns over a hamstring complaint.

Dyer has another training sessions today to prove he is fully fit ahead of tomorrow night's game.