Surridge wants his NEXT hat-trick to be up in the Premier League NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Christie og 22, Surridge 48, 52, 69, Mighten 84 SWANSEA

Obafemi 28

BY

SAM SURRIDGE’S last hat-trick was for Poole Town in National League South. He hopes his next one is in the Premier League.

His three-goal blitz came after Michael Obafemi briefly gave Swansea hope by cancelling out a Cyrus Christie own goal that had put Nottingham Forest ahead.

“It was about six years ago in nonleague,” said Surridge, a £2.2million buy from Stoke in January. Since then he has contributed eight goals, five in his last four games, to get his team to within two wins of automatic promotion.

For the first of those, he goes home to Bournemouth tomorrow where three points would put Forest second at the expense of their hosts before a final-day trip to Hull.

Surridge’s family moved to Dorset when he was seven and he joined the Cherries academy seven years later. It was while on loan from them that he got that hat-trick for Poole.

The 23-year-old is crucial for Forest with first-choice strikers Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis injured, and boss Steve Cooper said: “I signed him because I’d had him on loan at Swansea. I knew what he could do and what he can become”.

Surridge headed his first, skilfully put the second in the top corner, and blasted home the third. Forest are in the play-offs but still have a chance of storming straight into the Premier League after 23 years.

“The next game against Bournemouth is massive,” said Surridge. “We just need to do what we’re doing, keep believing. It’s a different dynamic now because Bournemouth have been favourites to go up all season. Now we’ve sneaked up on them.

“From where Forest were at the start of the season to where we are now, the club has gone to new levels”

Their worst start to a season in a century had seen Forest bottom of the Championship in September, and Chris Hughton sacked.

Cooper (below) replaced him and has collected 22 wins in 36 league games with only six defeats in a dream run. “We just need to keep doing what Steve Cooper wants us to do,” added Surridge. “All of us are excited to see what’s ahead. “It’s at the back of our minds what the history of Nottingham Forest is, how big the club is, and it would be a big achievement to pull this off.” The opener saw Christie initially sent off for pulling back the ball with a hand as he lay on the ground and a penalty awarded. But the goalline system indicated the ball had crossed the line, referee Graham Scott rescinded the red card and penalty and Forest were 1-0 up.

The home side then wasted a string of chances, Swans keeper Andy Fisher was kept busy and Obafemi claimed an unlikely equaliser. But Surridge blew away City with three goals in 21 minutes and Alex Mighten made it 5-1.

Embarrassed Swansea boss Russell Martin said: “It was really humbling. We learned a bit about a few guys.”