Career
A large and robust centre forward from Greasbrough near Rotherham, Yorkshire, Lambert was turned down by Sheffield Wednesday after a trial, so started his career playing for Rotherham County in 1922. He soon made a move to Leeds United, but spent three years there with little success. He finally came to prominence after becoming a regular goalscorer for Doncaster Rovers, joining the side in January 1925.
Playing in Yorkshire, he had attracted the attention of Herbert Chapman when the latter was manager of Huddersfield Town.
When Chapman became Arsenal manager, needing a quality centre-forward, he signed Lambert for £2,000 in June 1926. He made 16 appearances in his first season with the club, but only scored one goal.
He also made 16 appearances in the 1927-1928 season, but managed to score three times. He became a regular for the club towards the end of the 1929-1930 season.
Scoring 18 times in only 20 league appearances.
By now Lambert was over 30 and only a bit-part player (Ernie Coleman having led the front line through most of 1932-1933), and the signing of Jimmy Dunne in September 1933 forced Lambert out of the side. His last game came on 13 September 1933 against West Bromwich Albion and he was sold in October 1933 to Fulham. In all he scored 109 goals in 161 games for the Gunners, a quite high ratio, but it wasn"t enough for him ever to be selected for England.
Lambert played for two seasons for Fulham before retiring from playing in 1935.
The following year he became coach of Margate (who at the time were Arsenal"s "nursery" club) and returned to Arsenal in 1938 as a coach of the club"s reserve side. He died at the age of 38, killed in a car accident in Enfield, Middlesex, on 7 December 1940.