HAT TRICKS GALORE

Arouna Kone of Everton put three past Sunderland today to thrash the Black Cats 6-2. It must be hat trick season?

Jimmy Scarth will not be known to many of you, but he played for Gillingham and on the 1st November 1952, he scored a hat trick in the Division 3 South league game against Leyton Orient at Priestfield in 2' 30".
The Gills were lying 17th out of 24 in the division, Orient were one lower, so the result was crucial. Scarth had been at Spurs in their First Division Championship winning season in 1951, playing only a handful of games.

The Guinness Book of Records tells us that Tommy Ross, who coincidently played for Ross County in Scotland scored three in 90 seconds on 24th November 1964. Only18 years old, his record was based on timing done by the goalkeeper,however the Guinness recorders credited him with the effort.

On 1st November 1961, the much travelled Harry Middleton notched 4 for Portsmouth in their league game with Derby at Fratton Park. Middleton had played previously and scored regularly, for Walsall, Mansfield, Shrewsbury and later for Scunthorpe and Wolves.

Here are three more triple occasions, just for fun.

In February 2004, James Hayter's parents left the ground early, during Bournemouth's league game aganst Wrexham, with minutes to go.
Brought on as a sub, in the next 140 seconds, James scored three and changed the game. His family never saw it.

Robert Lewandowski recently saved German embarrassment when his team was struggling only 1-0 up, in the Euro 2016 qualifying match against Georgia; he scored 3 in the final 4 minutes of the match (3'59") to help with goal difference.

Arif Erden of Turkey, beat this with a 3 minute trio, starting at 89 minutes into the match v Northern Ireland in 1999 Euro Qualifier.