IT might not have been the scoreline he was hoping for, but a Blackburn man ensured it was a match made in heaven when he proposed to his girlfriend in front of a 13,000-strong Ewood crowd.

Colin Parkinson, 39, popped the question at half-time after telling his girlfriend that they were going on to the pitch to draw the raffle. Mum-of-two Lindsey Simpson, 27, was attending her first Rovers match and said that she ‘wouldn’t be forgetting it in a hurry’.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Colin admitted he was a ‘bag of nerves’ during the first 45 minutes at Ewood Park on Wednesday night ahead of the proposal.

Afterwards the life-long Rovers fan breathed a sigh of relief, despite the disappointing 3-2 defeat to promotion-chasing Derby. However, the evening lost some of its gloss when Lindsey slipped on the way home and broke her wrist in two places, earning her a trip to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Colin, a security officer, said: “I think she had some inkling of what I was planning but she didn’t believe it until it happened.

“I’m absolutely delighted and we are both very much looking forward to the big day. We haven’t set a date yet but we are maybe thinking about having a summer wedding. It just seemed like the perfect time in the perfect place for me.”

Lindsey said: “I thought that we were going to draw the raffle tickets. I said yes instantly and I’m so happy.

“I never thought that he would do something as public as this.” The last proposal at Ewood Park is believed to have taken place in the stands during a Valentine’s Day fixture some years ago, but on that occasion the woman said no to marriage.

A club spokesman said: “We were delighted to play our part and were thrilled it went without a hitch. On behalf of everyone at Blackburn Rovers, we wish them all the best for the future.”