Bernard Dennis Park wrote: largehat wrote:I don't believe there was such an agreement, Sluffy. I don't think a Wanderers player has scored an away hat-trick of any kind in my lifetime (though I could be wrong), so I'm happy about that. If you personally aren't, well, I respect that opinion too.
Didn't Blake get one somewhere? Might've been a cup game.
He did indeed - all three against Hartlepool away in the League Cup in 1998.
WANDERERS: Captain Fantastic fires a Nat-trick...Hartlepool Utd 0, Bolton Wanderers 3 (Wanderers win 4-0 on aggregate) CUP hero Nathan Blake offered a word of warning to Wanderers' promotion rivals and a word of re-assurance to their supporters last night.
The Welsh Dragon's first hat-trick in Bolton colours ensured a safe passage into the second round of the Worthington Cup and gave hard-working Hartlepool a lesson in finishing.
But cup matters were far from his mind when he declared: "We've got a lot more to offer!"
Reflecting on a modest start in the Nationwide League, which has seen valuable points dropped at Crystal Palace and Bradford, Blake acknowledged: "It's not been fantastic, not explosive, but it's been pretty good. We could have done better but we haven't lost and there is more to come.
"People are getting a little bit carried away with Birmingham and Watford getting good starts. But we've been in this position before and we know what it takes to win the league. It's going to be a long season.
"We don't need to be looking over our shoulders at anyone else. It's the others who are going to be worried about us because we are as good as anyone on our day."
Blake, who is hoping to put one over on his former club Sheffield United at the Reebok on Saturday before joining up with the Wales squad for their tough Euro qualifier against Italy, overdosed on pride as stand-in captain and destroyer-in-chief with the third hat-trick of his career.
"I was really proud to be given the armband," he said with genuine sincerity, "but to get a hat-trick as well was fantastic.
"This was a very important game for us. You can go to places like that and very easily get turned over if you're not careful."
Wanderers' single goal lead from the first leg seemed a far from comfortable cushion until Blake opened his triple gold account 12 minutes into the second half. Sixteen minutes later, he had completed his hat-trick and Colin Todd's all-stars were coasting to an aggregate win that seemed an unfair reflection on the Third Division side's contribution.
As they had done at the Reebok, they hustled and harried, making up in honest endeavour what they lacked in quality.
They even went within a whisker of squaring the tie when Michael Barron headed Ian Clark's free kick just wide of Jussi Jaaskelainen's left hand post.
Barron had an unforgettable, if unfortunate night. It was a deflection off his hand that sent Blake's tame shot looping over Martin Hollund for the third and least impressive of his goals that made it four in two days for the No 9.
But the tie was already over by then and the Pool defender had nothing but praise for the striker whose first half display gave no indication of the ruthless finishing that would break the minnows' resistance.
"I was disappointed because I know I should have scored with that first half header," Barron admitted. "That could have changed everything.
"But Blake is a world class striker and he showed his quality in the second half. I thought we'd handled him pretty well in the first!" Pool boss Mick Tait was philosophical. "We had them rattled," he insisted. "They can say we didn't but we did. We should have scored when we had the possession. But when you don't take your chances, you can see what happens..."
Make no mistake, if Hartlepool had possessed the craft to match their industry, this might have been a different story. But, if that was the case, they wouldn't be in the Third Division.
And for all their effort and energy, that Barron header and a late first half chance squandered by Craig Midgley - at £10,000, the only member of Tait's men who actually cost a fee - were the only occasions they posed a serious threat.
Everything else was dealt with by the Wanderers' defence, although not altogether convincingly.
Once again, the team that has built it's reputation as a good passing side, struggled to find any fluency, constantly wasted possession and, until Blake collected Arnar Gunnlaugsson's left-wing cross and hit a right-footer past Hollund, they struggled to make their superiority count.
A two-goal aggregate lead, including an away goal would have been enough to see Wanderers home and dry but they took full advantage of the opportunity to rack up a few confidence points.
Two minutes later they produced the move of the match. Neil Cox switched the ball from right to left with Dean Holdsworth cleverly helping it on its way to Mike Whitlow whose measured cross was met by Blake, mid-air and at full speed, with another of his trademark headers.
Todd substituted Holdsworth to save him from further punishment from the over-zealous Pool centre-backs and gave the travelling Bolton fans their first glimpse of Ricardo Gardner, who won a string of cheers for his fancy footwork.
Then, with a minute remaining and having seen three of his players booked, the manager took the unusual step of reducing Wanderers to ten men when he called his son, Andy, to the dugout to prevent anything untoward resulting from an earlier flare-up with Clark.
For all his reservations, Todd Snr delighted in the win and saluted Blake, who took the captaincy when Gudni Bergsson was ruled out injured.
"I wanted a leader out there," he explained, "and I felt he was the right one to ask.
"He responded magnificently."
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