It would have been me or Latics, says bride to be

TRUE blue . . . Dean Hutchings, Gemma Oakes and their two-year-old son Zach, who are looking forward to their wedding day, honeymoon... and the Latics v Everton game

BRIDE-TO-BE Gemma Oakes has a lot to thank her Latics stars for.

Having planned her wedding to lifelong Athletic fan Dean Hutchings over a year ago, everything was firmly booked - from the venue to the Venice honeymoon.

But Gemma (27) didn’t bank on Latics getting into the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 16. As the giant killers felled Liverpool, Gemma had an anxious wait to see if her dream Italian getaway would be sidelined.

The wedding is on February 15 and the honeymoon arranged for Sunday, Feb17 — and Dean (28) vowed to hunt down a bar in one of the world’s most romantic cities if the Everton game fell on a Sunday.

Gemma had other ideas: “It was a big relief when the match was announced for the Saturday,” said Gemma from Shaw.

“If they had played on Sunday there would be no way I’d be watching them in a bar, it’s a chance to get away, not be reminded of where you’ve left.

“It’s not that I don’t like football. I just think you need to get your priorities right. It would have been me or Latics.”

Around 50 of the guests at the wedding are Athletic fans, and many will be at the game with Dean and his family.

“Dean is a massive Latics fan,” said Gemma. “He’s got programmes going back decades. I do understand his passion though; Latics has always been a part of my life too.”