JOSHUA King plundered his maiden Premier League hat-trick – and said he hoped it would provide the perfect tonic to cheer son Noah.

The striker had been planning a party to celebrate Noah’s first birthday, only for the star attraction to fall ill.

And King, who has now bagged eight goals in his past seven appearances, was quick to dedicate the treble which downed Slaven Bilic’s team to his boy.

King told the Daily Echo: “All my goals are dedicated to Noah. We had planned a party for him last week but he was ill.

“My partner was home in Norway with Noah the week before so she had a big celebration with him then.When he actually had his birthday, he was too ill to do anything so we just stayed at home.”

King revealed he had been aiming to plunder four goals in Cherries’ games against the Hammers and Swansea, who visit Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

And had he converted a ninth-minute penalty against West Ham, he would have completed his haul on one heady afternoon.

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old is in no mood to rest on his laurels after recovering from that miss to lift his season’s Premier League goals tally to 11 – five more than he hit in the entirety of the last campaign.

“I said to Benik before the game, ‘I am going to get four in the next two matches’,” he said. “I’m one away and, hopefully, I’ll get more than four now! I just have to keep my head down and work hard.

“The 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last week gave us the boost in confidence we needed and, hopefully, from now, we can kick on, keep improving even more and climb the table.

King has shouldered his team’s scoring burden in fine style since fellow striker Callum Wilson suffered a season-ending knee injury early last month.

He has struck six goals in the five matches Wilson has missed so far, a rich vein of form he puts down to the fact he is operating in his preferred striking position.

“When the gaffer tells me to play deeper, I will do whatever he asks,” continued the striker. “He is the gaffer, he has helped me and I have learned so much from him.

“If he puts me in a position, it is because he believes I can play in that position. But every player has a favourite position and centre-forward is mine.”

King also revealed his team-mates’ reaction to his failure from the spot inspired his scoring feats against the Hammers, even though he apologised for his earlier miss after his first goal.

“When I missed, I looked at my team-mates and everyone was saying ‘keep your head up’,” said King. “That gives you the confidence to go again.

“The fans pay money to watch us play good football and score goals, so I was apologising to them. But, luckily, they had something to cheer at the end!”

King insisted he had been happy for Afobe to take Cherries’ second penalty when it was 1-1.

“Benik needed a goal and I’d already scored,” he added. “Unluckily for us he missed, but that’s the way it goes.

“If we’d got a third one I don’t know who would have taken it!”