A hat-trick is a special achievement in football, experienced by the very few.
And a hat-trick from a defender? Rarer still.
And a hat-trick comprised of three absolute screamers from a full-back? Well, that's once-in-a-lifetime stuff.
So you'll be very interested in watching the incredible clip below, which show Pollock Juniors defender Tam Hanlon playing in the Scottish Junior West Premier League. Not content with nailing one free-kick, he then blasts in a long-range effort in play because walloping a second free-kick in to take home the match ball.
Just take a look at these beauties:
He seems so nonchalant about it, doesn't he? He must be some defender if they're playing him there and not up front, that's all we can say.
Spurred on by Hanlon's efforts, we had a quick search for defender hat-tricks - as far as we can tell, the solitary Premier League hat-trick from a 'defender' came from Everton's Steve Watson, who netted three times against Leeds in a 4-0 win in 2003. However, he was playing in midfield for the Toffees at the time.
The last hat-trick in the top flight, by a genuine defender, playing in defence, was from Liverpool's Gary Gillespie against Birmingham in 1986, during a 5-0 win:
Meanwhile, lower down the leagues, Leyton Orient's left-back Matt Lockwood scored a Division Three hat-trick back in 2006, netting three times in the last 13 minutes of the game to earn a remarkable 3-3 draw against Gillingham:
Glorious, glorious stuff.
