Best scored his first Newcastle goals with a hat-trick in the 5-0 defeat of West Ham United

Newcastle United striker Leon Best says his hat-trick in the 5-0 win against West Ham United will provide boss Alan Pardew with a selection dilemma.

Strikers Best, Andy Carroll, Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi have all now hit the net for the Magpies in the club's last four games.

"It's good competition and every manager would like a headache like that," Best told BBC Newcastle.

"All the strikers are doing well and scoring, it's good for the team."

The Republic of Ireland striker, who has played seven times for his country, continued: "That's the thing at Newcastle, all the strikers can play with each other well."

Best had failed to score in a Newcastle shirt in his previous 14 appearances for the club, following a transfer deadline day move from Coventry in February 2010.

And first-team opportunities have been scarce this season, with just one appearance as a substitute to his name before his start against the Hammers.

"I found I was playing this morning, I woke up with a message from the gaffer, I rang him back and he told me I was playing," Best added. "It was a bit of a shock but I was delighted.

"I tried to just relax and think of goals during the day, I tried to keep calm and it worked out for me."

Nottingham-born Best began his career with Southampton as a trainee, and following loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday, QPR, Bournemouth and Yeovil, moved to Coventry where he scored 23 goals in 104 appearances.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version