Matt Smith is targeting his best league career goal return after his recent hat-trick against Nottingham Forest.

The 30-year-old's treble at the City Ground took him to 11 Championship goals for the season and 12 all competitions after netting in the FA Cup third-round tie against Newport County.

Smith's best total was when he bagged 12 for Leeds United in 2013/2014, meaning he needs just two goals in Millwall's final eight league outings to beat his own personal record.

Having started less than half of the Lions' Championship matches this term, Smith's three goals against Forest means that only the league's top goalscorer Aleksander Mitrovic has a better minutes-per-goal record than the frontman this season.

Smith told South London Press: "I’ve been in the Championship for a long time – to keep the goals flowing now I’m past 30 is where I want to be.

“Hopefully I can keep using my experience in this division to my advantage and keep scoring goals. Scoring a hat-trick in the Championship is not the easiest of feats, so it was a proud moment for me.

“It’s an opportunity for me to reach my best league total in this division. As long as I’m contributing, that’s what I base my performances on really.

“The most pleasing thing out of this season, rather than that Leeds season, is that most of my goals have contributed to the points total. They have been winners or equalisers.

“I like to think I bring more to my game than goals but ultimately that’s what you’re judged on as a centre-forward. Any of us will be able to tell you their stats inside out.

“If you were to ask me about any of the 53 [scored] in the league, I’d have a good memory of what happened.”

The Verdict

Given his impressive minutes-per-goal ratio in the Championship this season, if Smith is continued to be given opportunities from the start, you'd be surprised if he doesn't finish around the 15-goal mark in the league go past his previous best return in a single campaign.

His three at Forest, which was his first ever league hat-trick, showed his importance to this Millwall and it makes you wonder why he's started just 18 league matches this term, especially with Lions strikers Tom Bradshaw and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson miserably out of goalscoring form.