Gloves off for Carew

Hat-trick hero John Carew revealed he may ditch his trademark black gloves after scoring his first Villa treble without them on Saturday.

Carew was at the heart of Villa’s comeback as he bagged three goals in the second-half after Martin O’Neill’s side trailed 1-0 at half-time against Newcastle before winning 4-1.

He joked: “I was doing a high five with Freddie Bouma at half-time and he had warming cream on his hands and then I rubbed my eye.

“I realised if I did it again, I might not be able to see so I took the gloves off.

“I felt it was better to do that than risk another accident out there. I’ve been wearing gloves for two months now and I’m just used to them.

“I wear gloves in training too and maybe I should try to take them off every week!”

Carew was even more delighted because his feat was achieved on the day when 80 Norwegian Villa fans made a special trip to the game.

“It was a great day and in front of 80 members of the Norwegian supporters club,” he said.

“That made it even more fun – the fact they were here. In the end it was a perfect day – a great feeling.

“To score a hat-trick for Villa and in front of the Holte End was an absolutely fantastic feeling.”