IT was a case of love at first byte for newly-weds Graham Peacock and Jelena Pasic, who tied the knot after falling in love over the 'Net.

Romance blossomed when Graham, from Fulwood, starting to chat to Serbian Jelena via the worldwide web during the Kosovo conflict last year.

Graham, 50, first made contact with Jelena when she started sending messages to an unofficial Blackburn Rovers website.

At the time, she was appealing to Blackburn Rovers fans to look at both sides of the conflict before passing judgement on the Serbs.

He said: "I sent a message of support, and we just took it from there."

As the allied forces destroyed Belgrade with nightly aerial assaults, Jelena and Graham remained in contact, dreaming of the day when they would meet.

Sales manager Graham said: "After I sent her a few messages, I began to realise that this could become something more than friendship. "She became special to me in a very short time. When I saw I photograph of her, I was bowled over."

Their on-line relationship was sealed last September, when Jelena travelled to Preston.

The duo realised their true feelings for each other, over a half-time pie watching Blackburn Rovers play North West rivals Tranmere.

Graham travelled to Belgrade for Jelena's 30th birthday in December, when they decided the marry.

And the loving couple finally tied the knot at the weekend, and held their wedding reception at Blackburn Rovers, where staff even rolled out the red carpet!

Jelena, who wore her grandmother's antique wedding dress for the ceremony, said: "To me it is not important where we are or where we come from.

"Our feelings are most important, and I feel fantastic. I am so happy to be with Graham.

And how does she like Preston? "It is much quieter here than in Belgrade!"

The couple spent their wedding night at the The Black Bull Inn in Haworth.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.