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HAT-TRICK HEROES

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Funnily enough on the Fingerpost coach to Notts County a couple of weeks ago at the height of the goal drought, conversation came round to the last time a County player notched a hat-trick. After considerable thought Kevin’s effort against Hartlepool in a 5-0 victory came to mind but the more pressing thought was when, if ever, the next one would be.  Just to prove all the pessimists wrong a mere four days later the next one arrived and, in Jeff Eckhardt, from a pretty unlikely source. All this set me wondering about the number of hat-tricks we’ve seen over the years – who got them and how significant they were.

We will all remember the Francis efforts and probably Preecey’s as well. Those with longer memories will fondly recall Quinny’s in more troubled times and of course the fabled trio by Les Bradd at Barnsley. A little more research, courtesy of Peter Freeman’s book, over the last 25 years uncovered in total 21 hat-tricks contributed by 12 players ranging from Eckhardt’s back to the threesome notched by Ian Lawther against Crewe in 1971. I don’t pretend to remember the latter being safely ensconced at college enjoying the delights of regular fortnightly trips to St James Park, Exeter and, for those with a recollection of the 4th division in those days, seeing a legendary goal scorer in Fred Binney.  But I have seen all the other 21.  They bring back some memories.

The first League one I actually witnessed was Bradd’s. It’s a sign that the dire days of the 70s that Bradd’s was the first League hat-trick after Lawther’s but came over 7 years later.  Just 15 months after this truly memorable effort at Barnsley came another one by Eddie Prudham in an end of season game against Halifax.  This was notable not for its contribution to a victory but that it came from a player who only hours earlier had been told he would not be retained and was therefore making his last appearance for the club.

Next came Quinny –  in his 2 years at the Park he managed three hat-tricks and showed a distinct liking for Crewe. His last for us was in a 3-0 win at Gresty Rd when I remember that as a third went in he scaled the fence in front of the travelling hordes and stood on the top like some all conquering war hero returning from battle. 11 years ago John Kerr notched one against Chester, which, if memory serves me right, all came in the first 20 minutes or so of the game. It took another two years, encompassing the Melia era, before another pretty unlikely source, Vernon Allatt, gave us a trio against Peterborough in a Christmas fixture and probably increased County’s total goals for the season to that point by 20%.

It was another three years before we witnessed Angell’s four against Hartlepool – in the four he scored a penalty and then gave up the chance for another by letting Oghani get on the score sheet in a 6-0l victory. Barely two months later Angell got another against Scunthorpe. We’ve now reached the modern era when excluding Eckhardt’s there have been nine in the last four years. Amazingly, five of those came in a three month spell with two apiece from Gannon and Francis and another from Preece, who thern added another two prior to Kevin’s efforts against Hartlepool. My personal favourite was at Plymouth –  a Francis threesome which capped one of the best games I’ve seen in recent years and made the 600 mile round trip more than worthwhile.

Just for the record then here’s the 21, over a 25 year period, and covering somewhere around 1,300 matches.

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November 1995