Happy 10th wedding anniversary to James and Ella Wootten on April 19, 2013!

A YEOVIL Town football fan is asking for forgiveness from his brother and sister-in-law ten years after he missed their wedding in preference to watch the Glovers in action.

While James and Ella Wootten (pictured above) were tying the knot in a ceremony at Dillington House on the outskirts of Ilminster, the groom’s brother, Steve Sowden, was at Huish Park watching Yeovil beat Burton Albion 6-1 in the Nationwide Conference with Kevin Gall netting four and the others coming from Gavin Williams and Chris Giles.

James, also a Yeovil fan, would normally have been at the game himself – but he obviously had more important duties to attend to come 3pm on Saturday, April 19, 2003.

Steve said: ‘’The wedding date of April 19, had been set several months beforehand, but even then I was looking at the fixtures and thinking that that could have been the day when Yeovil clinched the Nationwide Conference title.

‘’I couldn’t have missed that for anything; but at the same time could I really miss my brother’s wedding? All was sorted when James came and spoke to me and said he gave me ‘permission’ to go to the Burton game because he too thought the title may have been decided on that day.’’

PHOTOS: While James and Ella Wootten were getting married at Dillington House, James' brother Steve Sowden was at Yeovil Town's Huish Park stadium on April 19, 2003.

As the history books show Yeovil actually clinched the Conference title and with it a place in the Football League the previous week at Doncaster Rovers – but Steve still decided to go to the Burton game on April 19.

‘’With hindsight that was possibly the wrong decision to make,’’ said Steve. ‘’I was so wrapped up in the football that I didn’t realise that the rest of the family thought I would attend the wedding instead with the championship having already been won, but I was just going by what James had said that it was fine for me to go to the footie!

‘’I went to the reception straight after the game and got there for the pudding – I didn’t even stay for a celebratory drink in the bar after the match! When I got to the reception I was given a round of applause when I walked in – rather sarcastic I thought!

‘’I got asked by someone rather scornfully as to whether the football had been ‘worth it.’ Quick as a flash I said – of course it was, Yeovil won 6-1!’’

But over the past ten years the subject of James and Ella’s wedding day being brought up at family get-together’s is still a bit of an uncomfortable experience for Steve – especially as his mother still gives him ‘that look’ which only mums can give.

‘’I hope I am forgiven after all this time,’’ said Steve. ‘’I really hope they have a great tenth wedding anniversary – they really do deserve it.’’

But when asked if he would have done things differently if he could turn the clock back ten years…..he said: ‘’It was a really good game and I’d have been gutted to have missed it.’’

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