BLUSHING bride Lynn Carroll made it a game of two halves when she said 'I do.'

The football fanatic, from Preston, couldn't help but shed a tear when she walked out of the St Andrew's Church as Mrs Anthony Lynch - and under a soccer-style arch, pictured.

The surprise, dreamed up by her teammates at Phoenix Ladies Football Club, acknowledged Lynn's dedication to the game.

The fully kitted-out Phoenix squad lined up in a football arch outside the Blackpool Road church, waiting for the bride and groom to appear.

And for Lynn, who prefers shin pads to garters, the marriage was all in preparation for her next big match - at home in Ashton Park the following afternoon.

Squad member Alison Hitchen said: "We decided to surprise Lynn with the football arch - and give her a ball signed by all of us instead of a card.

"She's football crazy and told her husband-to-be Anthony that she would be playing for Phoenix Ladies the day after the wedding. It was an important game!"

But Alison revealed that the couple were still going on a romantic honeymoon!

She said: "All the team are dedicated because we have been going for more than 10 years and are a well-established club.

"I think we're one of just two proper ladies teams in the area."

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