IPSWICH: Golden boy Blues striker Connor Wickham is the talk of the town today – after his three goal-haul propelled him into the limelight.

The 17-year-old wonderkid bagged his first senior hat-trick in the 6-0 rout of Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.

But his fans have been left scratching their heads wondering what the front-man’s Oriental tattoo – which runs down the inside of his arm – actually means.

Having bagged five goals in his last six games, the teenager’s arms have regularly been raised in celebration – meaning supporters have been given plenty of chances to see the Chinese writing.

Today though, The Evening Star can solve the mystery.

Thanks to a little help from the town’s Chinese community, we can reveal that Connor’s tattoo roughly translates as ‘being close with family and friends’.

The body art represents a symbol of love for people close by, with the phrase relating to pals and relatives in particular.

He’s hardly the first sportsman to boast a notable tattoo – former England captain David Beckham has faced the needle on a number of occasions.

But Wickham’s reputation is soaring – and the striker has been keeping in touch with his growing army of admirers on social networking site, Twitter.

He wrote: “First pro hat trick... Thanks for all messages and support... Support from fans was great and team performance was great too!”

His other previous messages told of his excitement about the game and the “great support” from fans at last week’s match against Barnsley.

His mother, Nicky, also revealed on her Twitter page that she had agreed to quit smoking when Connor bagged his first goal of the season – a feat he achieved when he buried the ball in the back of the net against Doncaster on January 22.

Earlier this week, Wickham’s skills proved almost enough to rival Dean Bowditch, who remains Ipswich Town’s youngest-ever hat-trick hero.

The whizz-kid netted three in a 4-1 victory over Watford at Portman Road in March, 2004.

He was 17 years and almost ten months at the time. Wickham, who notched three goals on Tuesday, is also 17 but will be 18 on March 31.

What did you think about Connor’s first hat-trick? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or you can send an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk