TERRY Venables has criticised the FA and Premier League for forcing clubs into an agonising two-week wait to discover their fate at the end of the season.

There is an unprecedented 14-day break between the final two Premiership games in May, with the FA Cup final staged on the intervening weekend.

The Premiership programme is normally completed before the Cup final but the order has been changed this year for the first time.

And Venables, coach of relegation-threatened Middlesbrough, rapped: "We have got a situation which I think is wrong. It will be a dreadful wait.

"Not just for Middlesbrough, all the teams involved will have to go through it for those two weeks from the penultimate game to the last one, with the Cup final in the middle.

"I don't see why they just could not have fitted the fixtures in before the final, there would have been time to do it.

"It's bad enough having to wait one week to find out what is going to happen to you. I think this delay is just not practical for football clubs."

Middlesbrough go to Bradford City on May 5 and the final fixture of their season is against West Ham, who could also be involved in the relegation issue, on May 19 at the Riverside.

An FA spokesman claimed yesterday the change in the fixtures was introduced for this season only, because of possible congestion.

"It has been done this year to allow clubs to fit in fixtures that have been postponed. There were particular problems this season.

"Teams involved in Europe, for instance, might need the extra week to play postponed league games. They will be able to do that and the Premiership season will still finish on the same day.

"The fixtures are compiled by the FA, the Premier League and the Football League and it was done just for this season because it was anticipated there could be problems."

l Leeds striker Alan Smith yesterday pledged his long-term future to the club by signing a new contract and then vowed: ''I would never want to leave.''

Smith has signed a new five-year deal picking up a four-fold increase on his previous £4,000-per-week salary and so is due to earn £4.2million as a result.

The lucrative contract comes as a reward for the part the 20-year-old has played in Leeds' on-field success this season.

It was Smith's goals in both legs of the Champions League qualifying matches against 1860 Munich which propelled

Leeds into the riches of the group stages.

But his most important strike was the winner in the 1-0 victory over Italian champions Lazio in Rome, providing the spur for United to reach the last eight.

Smith is currently enjoying his most successful season since breaking into the Leeds side in November 1998 and now has 13 goals to his name.

Smith's decision to finally put pen to paper ends months of negotiations and speculation and he said: ''I'm delighted to have signed.

''It's my home-town club and I would never want to leave. I am really pleased this has now all been sorted out.''

Chairman Peter Ridsdale, said ''We are delighted Alan has committed his long-term future to the club.

"Alan has a vital part to play in that future."