Had Carlos Smith been the legendary Zorro, he might have left his signature X stamped all over the Den yesterday.

Adding to an ever-growing list of memorable achievements on the pitch, the veteran striker notched a clinical hat-trick that earned ten-men Hornets three valuable points and thrust them back into contention for the league championship.

The only blot on Town?s copybook was the 90th-minute sending off of deputising captain Seyoum Tuzo for handling Mark Steede?s goal-bound header, and Smith?s booking for removing his shirt in celebration after completing a fine treble that silenced Cougars.

But other than these incidents, Town ? in particular Smith ? had things all their way.

Playing before a jammed house in overcast conditions, Smith?s revered right boot erupted in the first, 16th and 46th minutes, each goal outdoing the other and cutting into a Cougars? side like a heated knife running through butter.

Both of Cougars goals came via the penalty spot, Shawn Smith and Aljame Zuill converting either side of the half.

From the outset Town ran at their hosts as if their lives depended on it. And it wasn?t long ? 53 seconds to be exact ? before the newly crowned Martonmere Cup champions took a deserved lead when ?keeper Ricardo Brangman hesitated to come off his line to collect Lashun Dill?s cross, leaving the opportunistic Smith the simple task of caressing the ball across the line.

Town never looked back.

Shortly after going close with a header, Smith received another bite at the cherry. And this time the Town striker made no mistake, tucking Tuzo?s cross inside the far post to put Hornets firmly in command ? and their chiming bells on the eastern embankment into overdrive.

All the while the Cougars drummers played on.

Clearly outclassed in every department and looking anything but a championship team, Cougars managed to claw their way back into the match when Chris Caisey was sent crashing in the box, leaving referee George O?Brien no choice but to point to the spot.

With much hinging on this spot-kick, Shawn Smith wrong-footed Antoine Lightbourne in the Hornets goal to finally give Cougars something to work with.

However, this did little to derail a Hornets side firing on all cylinders as Jared Peniston carved his way through the Cougars defence only to be denied by Brangman while Dill and Seion Darrell had wicked drives turned around the post.

Brangman?s afternoon then took a turn for the worse when he injured his left shoulder in his attempt to thwart Peniston at the near post. Making matters worse was the fact Cougars had no back-up ?keeper on the bench, forcing Brangman to hobble on.

Shawn Smith would also limp off injured after the break.

The second half of this top-of-the-table clash started just as the first, with Smith cashing in on a flat-footed Cougars defence. This time Smith was given acres of space to rise and powerfully head home Peniston?s corner kick to complete a superb treble and restore Hornets two-goal cushion.

It was the third time Cougars paid a heavy price for their lethargic approach to the game ? perhaps a sign of fatigue following back-to-back FA Cup clashes with Trojans.

And they were fortunate not to have shot themselves further in the foot when Peniston was clearly shoved in the box. But instead of awarding a penalty, O?Brien waved play on.

Smith then nearly scored a fourth, curling a gem of a shot with the outside of the boot onto the upright with Brangman back-peddling.

But it would be Cougars who would be next to hit the target in the last minute of play via Zuill?s spot kick that ignited two nerve-wrecking minutes of added time which saw Hornets hang on for the all-important win.

R.Brangman, S.Smith (M.Steede, 75 mins), D.Cox, J.DeShields, J.Butterfield, O.Butterfield, K.Steede (capt), C.Caisey (I.Mallory, 45 mins), H.Wolfe (N.Webb, 60 mins), D.Coddington, A.Zuill

: A.Lightbourne, E.Signor, L.Simmons (M.Lowe, 45 mins), K,Mundy, D.Zuill, O.Steede, S.Darrell, S.Tuzo (capt), L.Dill (M.Parsons, 77 mins), J.Peniston (A.Thomas, 68 mins), C.Smith.: D.Cox (Cougars); C.Smith (Town): S.Tuzo (Town): K.Steede (Cougars); C.Smith (Town)George O?Brien