If you ignore the efforts of the incomparable Matt Le Tissier, you have to go back 23 years for the last Saints hat-trick from midfield.

Le Tissier scored six Saints hat-tricks in the Premiership from a variety of positions.

But Andrew Surman was not even born when Danny Wallace scored a treble in an 8-2 win against Coventry at The Dell in April 1984.

But against Barnsley on Saturday, he more than doubled his career tally for his hometown club with two excellent strikes, before keeping his nerve to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot.

Surman became the first midfielder to score a St Mary's hat-trick in only his second game back from a knee injury.

Only two other Saints - James Beattie against Fulham in October 2002, and Dexter Blackstock against Colchester two years later - had scored hat-tricks at St Mary's before Surman did so from midfield against Barnsley.

There was little doubt as to which was the most important of his goals. After cutting in from the right flank, his sweetly struck 11th-minute equaliser becalmed the hosts after the shock of conceding inside the first two minutes.

Surman was in no doubt as to what was his best goal - the thunderous half volley from Bradley Wright Phillips' pass ensured there would be no way back for Barnsley at 4-2.

But the goal that said most about his character was the third.

To show the determination to score his hat-trick goal, despite the attempts of top scorer and designated penalty taker Grzegorz Rasiak to grab the ball, was the attitude of a player confident in his own ability amongst players with international and Premiership experience.

Rasiak, having only come off the bench two minutes earlier, should have known better than to try and deny a young player the chance to cap an outstanding all round performance with a hat-trick for the club he supported as a boy.

His histrionics did him no favours but Surman kept his head to complete a treble that Le Tissier would have been proud of.

Surman's performance, and the return of Djamel Belmadi, have provided George Burley with extra competition on the flanks for what is becoming an increasingly exciting run in.

At this rate, it may not be too long before Burley gives Surman a more central role.

But the recent performances of Jhon Viafara and Jermaine Wright are another sign that Saints are hitting their best form at just the right time.

The win could have been even more emphatic.

There were plenty of chances and Marek Saganowski should have done better from close range.

He missed the target with a diving header from a pinpoint Gareth Bale cross and was also denied from six yards by Nick Colgan's finger tips.

But Kenwyne Jones missed the best of them.

The Trinidadian is in the form of his life and has 14 for the season and six in four games following his second-half brace.

But, like Surman, he would have had a hat-trick if he had converted from three yards out, and not struck the base of the post from Alexander Ostlund's cross.

He more than made up for that with an all-round performance and brace that helped ensure that Saints' two losses of concentration at the back did not prove costly.

After being caught square by Brian Howard's through ball for Daniel Nardiello to slot past Kelvin Davis after just 99 seconds, Saints were again caught napping midway through the second half.

That was after Jones had given thm the lead with a header from Rudi Skacel's cross just after the interval.

Istvan Ferenczi, hitherto anonynmous, was free to head in a right-wing cross from Sam Togwell in the 68th minute.

Five minutes later Ferenczi was adjudged to have handled inside the Barnsley penalty area.

The Tykes were unhappy with the linesman but if it was fortuitous it would be hard to begrudge Saints a spot-kick after what happened at West Brom a week earlier.

It is said that luck evens itself out over a season and Jones did not waste the chance to restore Saints' lead in the 73rd minute.

The sending off of Nardiello two minutes later was for an alleged stamp on Chris Baird and all but ensured that Saints would be registering their tenth home win of the season.

Surman capitalised on the numerical advantage to put the gloss on the performance with two goals in front of the Northam End.

His hat-trick ensured the best day of a nascent career for the local boy done good.