It was a day of Shearer delight for bridegroom Paul Appleby when a cardboard cut-out of his soccer idol was guest of honour at his wedding.

Paul and Justina Appleby's picture album is like no other with the grinning face of the Newcastle United skipper appearing on most of the photographs.

And the real Big Al made Paul's big day complete when he sent him a hand-written congratulations card.

Paul, 28, who moved to Leicester from Tyneside twenty years ago, even tied the knot in a signed Shearer shirt.

His twin brother John wrote to the Newcastle skipper weeks before the wedding and didn't expect to hear anything back.

But the card, addressed only to 'Shearer, Geordieland', amazingly made its way back to the Midlands in time for John to give his speech on the big day.

John, who also lives in Leicester, said: "My brother's a huge Newcastle fan and is obsessed with Alan Shearer so it seemed like a nice idea to try and get the card signed.

"I didn't have a proper address and so just sent it up with a return envelope and hoped for the best.

"I sent it just after Patrick Kluivert signed so I reckon Alan must have got off a plane from their tour in Thailand, met up with Patrick, then signed the card and popped it in the post all in the same day."

Paul married partner Justina on August 14 and they have just returned from their honeymoon in the Maldives and Dubai.

But a mix-up in the build-up to the big day meant the had to officially register the marriage the day before - Shearer's birthday.

And Paul didn't have to think twice about what his outfit would be. He said: "Obviously we couldn't wear the same clothes as we were going to on the big day, so I decided to wear my Shearer shirt.

"I've got it framed in my toilet and had to take it out of the frame to wear it. Justina didn't mind really, she just tells me that I'm obsessed with him.

"On the actual wedding day I took a cardboard cut out of Shearer along and put a scarf round him so it looked like he was one of the guests."

Paul's card will now take pride of place in the 'Toon Room' in his house. He said: "I've got a room that's full of memorabilia.

"I've got models of Shearer, a black and white tiled floor, and signed photos of Kevin Keegan and so on.

"It was a brilliant idea for John to do what he did and I didn't know anything about it until he was going to give his speech.

"I moved down here when I was lad but grew up in spitting distance of St James' Park and there was no way my dad was going to let me support anyone else."