​HULL City legend Dean Windass made a fairytale return to his roots with a hat-trick yesterday.

The 41-year-old ace put the ‘Old Boys’ back into Barton Town’s title as he more than trebled the normal gate at the Euronics Stadium in one-off guest appearance for the Swans.

He was back in the Northern Counties East League – the competition where he first started as a young man with North Ferriby before embarking on a pro. career with Hull City.

“I told the chairman before the game I was on £1,000 a goal – but I can’t seem to find him now,” quipped Windass.

“Did I expect to get a hat-trick? Well, some things never change do they?

“I’d like to thank Barton for giving me this chance to remember what it is like to score goals.

“And full credit to the opposition, Yorkshire Amateur, they did not try to kick me.

Deano down the years: 20 pictures from the career of a legend.

“I really enjoyed it. But this was a one-off game for me as a favour for the Barton manager Dave Anderson who I have known for a long time.

“He did not have any of his strikers available for this game, so I said I would help out.

“My playing days are over now.

“This is the bread and butter for these players here at Barton.

“They are trying to win the league and from what I have seen from some of their players, they will have a chance.

“But it would not be fair for me to come down here and play when I would not be doing any training and take one of their places.

It was little more than two years ago that Windass scored the goal at Wembley to send Hull City into the Premier League.

In front of 320 people yesterday, he took just six minutes in the number nine shirt to open his scoring account for Barton.

A ball into the box was handled by Yorkshire Amateur’s full-back Craig Maynard as he tried to clear.

And the Barton players stepped aside to allow Windass to take centre stage.

He sent keeper Jordan Yorath the wrong way from the spot to put the Swans 1-0 in front.

Playing alongside the youthful Ryan Morton, Windass showed he had lost little of his class – it was just the mobility that had gone.

But Barton, who crashed out of the FA Cup 4-1 on Saturday, were clearly lifted by his presence.

Windass made it 2-0 in the 31st minute with a finish of the highest quality.

As a ball from Chris Gray came into the box, Windass lifted a delicate right foot shot over Yorath and into the net.

Four minutes later, he was threatened to be upstaged when Justin Bowler pulled one back for the visitors with a 25-yard screamer into the roof of the net.

But this was very much the Dean Windass show.

He should have done better with a free header from a corner just before the break and in the second half was denied by Yorath as he attempted another deft chip.

His hat-trick finally arrived in the 82nd minute with the visitors appealing for offside.

No one had obviously told them he was not quick enough to get caught offside these days, as he shrugged off a challenge from centre-back Jamie Hainsworth and finally forced his shot past Yorath at the second attempt.

A minute from time he was substituted, job well done, so the fans could show their appreciation of a special moment in the history of Barton Town FC.

Deano down the years: 20 pictures from the career of a legend.