The 44-year-old, originally from Hebburn, tied the knot with Scottish sweetheart Jennifer Baxter in Largs, Ayrshire, where he now lives.

And crane driver Mr Foster was over the moon when his wife handed him a Newcastle United shirt signed by his all-time hero, former skipper Alan Shearer.

The new Mrs Foster, 37, said: "Steve has always been football crazy, so I decided to write to Alan Shearer and ask him to sign the shirt, as I knew it would mean so much to Steve."

Although hopeful, she admitted she never expected to hear anything back.
Mrs Foster said: "I wrote 'Steve's blood runs black and white through his veins'.

"I was shocked it came back so soon."

Mrs Foster, a mortgage centre worker, had the shirt framed and presented it to her new husband on the big day last month.

It read: "To Steve, congratulations on your wedding day, Alan Shearer."

But not everyone was impressed with the surprise, as some of Steve's relatives are die-hard Sunderland fans and they let out a big boo when the shirt was unveiled.

As far as Mr Foster is concerned, the gift was certainly no own goal and is now framed and occupying pride of place in the hallway of the couple's home.

In fact, the groom had already played on the same pitch as his hero, not to mention a young Paul Gascoigne, while captaining Hebburn Argyle AFC in the late 1970s.

He subsequently made the Guinness Book Of Records for captaining the team to 178 games without defeat.

Although the couple now live in Scotland, Mr Foster still avidly follows the trials and tribulations of Newcastle United, and still holds his Geordie roots close to his heart.

Mrs Foster said: "Whenever we visit Tyneside, Steve always stocks up on his favourite Geordie delicacies – stottie cakes and pease pudding."