THE FA Cup Final was being keenly contested at Cardiff on Saturday but the match of the day was at Turf Moor as Ian Neary and Deborah Burkhill were married in the home dressing room.

And superintendent registrar Peter Loftus joked during the main event that it was an excellent signing for the Clarets.

As the ceremony began he said: "Burnley are getting a new signing today and all the signing is being done in the changing room. It's certainly handy if they get sent for an early bath."

In a room more commonly known for team talks and tactics 39-year-old Ian, a lifelong Clarets fan, and 38-year-old Deborah tied the knot.

The bride wore an ivory coloured full-length dress with a side split and two brooches either side. And she carried claret and blue flowers as she made her way from the referee's room into the home dressing room to the sound of the wedding march followed by her bridesmaid niece Kirsty Maddock, 14.

Deborah said: "Once I started getting ready I was fine, I think I was less nervous than everyone else.

"It's been brilliant it was different and will be remembered for a long time."

Meanwhile Clarets-mad Ian and the couple's 10-year-old son Kyle Burnley Neary were both decked out in suits and Burnley FC ties with claret and blue flowers in their buttonholes.

He wrote a poem dedicated to his new wife which was read out by Kyle during the ceremony. And afterwards he said: "I was marrying the woman of my dreams in the venue of my dreams. It's been a great day."

It was the first time the home dressing room brightly lit, with 20 chairs set out for family and friends and home and away shirts hung on the walls was used for such a ceremony.

Burnley FC received its civil wedding licence last December for ceremonies to be held in two areas of the ground in the James Hargreaves Suite and in the home dressing room.

Chris Gibson, business manager at Burnley FC said: "It's gone very well and we're all very pleased.

"They were an ideal couple for the first wedding because Ian is a completely devoted fan. It was nice to offer the facilities to them."