Hughton hails hat-trick hero Nolan

01 November 2010 08:18

Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan grabbed the derby headlines with a hat-trick as Sunderland suffered a horror show on Tyneside.

The 28-year-old fired the home side into a 2-0 lead within 34 minutes, and after Shola Ameobi had helped himself to a brace either side of Titus Bramble's 53rd-minute dismissal, the former Bolton midfielder completed his hat-trick 15 minutes from time on a dream day for the Magpies, with Darren Bent's goal little consolation for the Black Cats.

Manager Chris Hughton said: "It is pretty decent and he will certainly enjoy that. He was immense breaking from midfield."

He added: "Not only to get the three goals but to get them from a deeper midfield position against anybody is outstanding.

"He is our captain and he is a big player, but he is part of a team and everybody to a man was outstanding.

"It was a difficult first 20 minutes, but you expect that and if they had scored the first goal, then maybe it would have been a little bit different. But we did and we had enough to drive on from there."

For Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, who was Geordie-born and raised, the defeat was among the most painful of his managerial career to date.

He said: "Probably, with the occasion, it has to be up there.

"It will be the most difficult 24, 48 hours to take, but we have to recover as a group and come out fighting against Stoke next weekend.

"We conceded more today than we have all season probably. I don't think anybody could see it coming. But I'm not going to try and make excuses, we were well and truly beaten. But we have to take it on the chin and take our medicine."

Source: PA