When Jermain Defoe scored his third goal against Leeds, he became the first Tottenham player to have scored three hat-tricks in a season for over twenty years.
Defoe’s hat-trick against Hull, his five against Wigan and then the three against Leeds on Wednesday, saw him equal a feat not seen at Tottenham since Clive Allen scored three hat-tricks in 1986/87. Other Spurs legends to have scored a hat-trick of hat-tricks include Frank Osbourne in 1925/26, as well as both Cliff Jones and Bobby Smith in 1959/60.
With the season still only in February, Defoe has a chance to etch his name even deeper into the history books. Bobby Smith scored four hat-tricks in 1957/58 and the legendary Jimmy Greaves did the same in 1962/63, 1963/64 and 1968/69. You can see why all the old timers still go on about him, can’t you?
There are also three Spurs players who have hit five hat-tricks in a season. Step forward Ted Harper in 1930/31, George Hunt in 1933/34 and Johnny Morrison in 1936/37.
In the all time list of Tottenham hat-trick scorers, Defoe is equal with Gary LIneker on four, with Jimmy Greaves well out in front with fifteen. With all the best will in the world, Jermain might struggle to catch up with Jim, though we’ll enjoy seeing him try.
Many thanks go out to Nick Hawkins, author of the soon to be published Superfan: The Amazing Life Of Morris Keston
