Whilst we're all ready and waiting for the new season to kick-off and celebrating an immediate return to the Premier League. I'll talk you through, in a two-part special, all thirteen of Newcastle's hat-tricks that have been scored at Premier League level.
An interesting stat is that six of those hat-tricks came in the 1993/94 and 2010/11 seasons put together. Those two seasons were Newcastle's first season back in the top flight. Let's hope we can produce more of the same in the near future.
2010/11
Andy Carroll v Aston Villa (home) (6-0) - 22nd August
With the season already underway the previous weekend, the stage was set for St. James' Park to see Premier League football for the first time in just over a year. The first home game of the season was celebrated in style with six goals past Aston Villa to avenge the sad day Newcastle fans had at Villa Park in May 2009. A great bonus was that local lad, Andy Carroll, who had just received the legendary no.9 shirt, scored his first Premier League hat-trick.
The score was already at 2-0 just after the half hour mark when Carroll added his first goal of the match. A Joey Barton corner was floated in at the back post which was nodded down by Mike Williamson. The ball fell kindly on Carroll's stronger left foot and struck along the floor into the bottom corner. Carroll got his second and Newcastle fourth halfway through the second half. A good piece of battling from Williamson looped the ball up to the waiting Carroll who volleyed the ball home.
Carroll scored his hat-trick goal in added time. Carroll launched a long ball across the pitch to Xisco and he wasn't hanging around to admire it as he continued his dangerous run into the box. Xisco picked him out the man from Gateshead side-footed home his hat-trick to round off a perfect day for the Toon.
Kevin Nolan v Sunderland (home) (5-1) - 31st October
Kevin Nolan wrote himself into the history books as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Tyne/Wear derby since Peter Beardsley in January 1985. In my opinion, this match is my favourite Newcastle match since I started playing football and supporting Newcastle when I was about four years of age.
Newcastle were arguably the better side while the score was still goalless. The deadlock was broken by Nolan as a Joey Barton corner was knocked down by Mike Williamson. Nolan, with his back to goal showed great improvisation and produced an overhead kick from just inside the six-yard box to get the black and side of the north east off to a flyer. The second came soon after, Jonas Gutierrez's cross picked out Andy Carroll whose attempted bicycle kick fell at Nolan's feet and in on goal. Nolan made the most of the lack of an offside flag to double the lead. This goal was Newcastle's 900th Premier League goal.
The hat-trick goal made the score 5-0. Another Joey Barton corner found the head of Shola Ameobi to guide the ball across the goal. Nolan who, in the process, broke clear from his marker was given a free header from close range to give the fans a game which they'll never forget.
Leon Best v West Ham (home) (5-0) - 5th January
After rarely featuring for the side since his move from Coventry in January 2010, it may have come as a surprise to some when Leon Best grabbed his first goals for Newcastle with a hat-trick against a struggling West Ham side.
His first goal for the club also broke the deadlock in the match. A lobbed pass from fellow striker, Peter Lovenkrands looped over West Ham's defensive line and Best's left foot half volley nestled into the bottom corner. Best doubled the lead five minutes before half time. Not the cleanest of goals but they all count. A Joey Barton free set Lovenkrands up to play the ball across goal and Best was on the far side of the six-yard box to score.
Kevin Nolan added a third before half time. Best got his hat-trick right on the hour mark. Nolan's pass allowed Best to make the most of shoddy West Ham defending. One touch to control it and he struck it home with his left from just inside the box. Best's three goals in this game all came from his weaker left foot.
2011/12
Demba Ba v Blackburn (home) (3-0) - 24th September
Similar to Leon Best, Demba Ba got his first goals for the club in the form of a hat-trick. After his move from West Ham, the fans needed to be patient with him and the patience paid off. The hat-tricks against Blackburn and Stoke looking to be something of a catalyst to inspire a great run of goalscoring form.
Ba got things rolling just before the half hour mark. A Leon Best cross came at his feet and, after the first touch, Ba had his back to goal but it only took one other touch to take the ball away from his marker and hit the shot on the swivel. It was exactly on the half hour mark when Ba added his second to double the lead. Danny Simpson's long ball into the area was met by the head of Steven Taylor and then helped on by Blackburn's Steven Nzonzi to Ba waiting at the far post to head home from close range.
Blackburn had pulled one back before half time but Ba wrapped up the three points with his hat-trick goal. Cheick Tiote's cross to the far post was met by Ba's header which looped into the air over the helpless Paul Robinson. There was a suspicion of a foul by Leon Best inside the six-yard box but the goal was given to give the Senegalese international his first hat-trick for the club.
Demba Ba v Stoke (away) (3-1) - 31st October
Ba nearly joined Stoke back in January 2011 but the move fell through after failing a medical prompting him to move to West Ham instead. This seemed to provoke unjust booing from the Stoke City supporters when Ba went away to celebrate the three goals he scored as Newcastle came away with the points at the Brittania Stadium.
There seemed to be an element of surprise when Newcastle took the lead against the in-form Stoke after just 12 minutes. Gabriel Obertan's first-time cross perfectly picked out Ba who pulled off a fancy diving header from close range. The lead was doubled in the run in before half time. Fabricio Coloccini's long ball into the box was not dealt with well by the defence. Leon Best attempted to strike a volley but skewed his shot which fell at Ba's feet and with only the keeper to beat so the Senegalese kept his impressive run of form going as this goal was his seventh in the previous five games.
Stoke's John Walters gave Stoke some hope of getting back into the match after converting from the penalty spot. However, minutes later, Newcastle were given their own penalty after a shove in the box by Robert Huth which left Demba Ba duly converted to take the club up to third in the table at the end of October and maintain the club's impressive unbeaten run which came to an end in the second half of November.
2015/16
Georginio Wijnaldum v Norwich (home) (6-2) - 18th October
A below par start to the season suddenly burst into life when Alex Neil's Norwich side appeared on Tyneside. Without a win under the belt going into the October international break, Newcastle racked up six goals in a high-scoring and end to end encounter. New signing, Gini Wijnaldum scored four on the afternoon as he then became the club's highest goalscorer of the season and it stayed that way when the season concluded.
It only took a quarter of an hour for the Norwich defence to be breached as Wijnaldum made the most of the space he was given inside the box as the received the ball from Moussa Sissoko and he struck it into the bottom left corner. Wijnaldum brought the lead back again soon after Norwich's equaliser by heading home from about 10-yards out - Sissoko, yet again, the provider.
The scoreline became 4-2 by the time Wijnaldum took the chance to grab his hat-trick. Full back, Daryl Janmaat, who received the ball from Wijnaldum, played in a great cross to find Wijnaldum who was unmarked and close to goal to make the sco
re 5-2. He saved the best till last as he finished the rout five minutes from time. Not for the first time in the match, he was given plenty of space to work with by the Norwich defence which enabled him to take a shot on from long range and, despite a slight deflection, the ball still ended up in the back of the net to give Newcastle their first win of the season.
