"This is up there with some great memories for me," he said. "It's the first senior hat-trick of my career and it's something I will always remember.

"It's a good night to get it, but the main thing is we've got a victory and we are in the next round. That's what we came to do."

'Smudger' also praised manager Terry Venables for his stunning performance in Italy, saying: "I enjoyed it. Since the gaffer has come in he has told me to go out and enjoy my football - and tonight I did that."

The other factor that inspired Smith was some of the jibs aimed at him by the opposition after the first leg.

"I knew their players had been having a go at me, I went and saw the chairman because if something did happen then I wanted to know I would have their full backing," revealed Smith.

"Everybody came out of it pleased. It put my mind at ease. I knew I had to keep a cool head and I did that - I responded in the right way."

Premiership and international defenders - a mental note - don't give Smith and more motivation than he already has...