_(6).jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Lambert[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1902-05-22)22 May 1902[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Greasbrough,Yorkshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 December 1940(1940-12-07) (aged 38) | ||
| Place of death | Enfield, Middlesex, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Methley Perseverance | |||
| Greasbrough W.M.C. | |||
| 1922–1923 | Leeds United | 0 | (0) |
| 1923 | Rotherham County | 1 | (1) |
| 1923–1925 | Leeds United | 1 | (0) |
| 1925–1926 | Doncaster Rovers | 44 | (13) |
| 1926–1933 | Arsenal | 143 | (98) |
| 1933–1935 | Fulham | 34 | (4) |
| 1935–1938 | Margate | ||
| Total | 223 | (116) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1936–1938 | Margate (player-manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Lambert (22 May 1902 – 7 December 1940) was an Englishfootballer who played as acentre forward orinside forward. He scored 116 goals from 223 appearances in theFootball League playing forRotherham County,Leeds United,Doncaster Rovers,Arsenal andFulham.[1] He went on to manageMargate and coach the juniors at Arsenal.
A large and robustcentre forward fromGreasbrough, nearRotherham in theWest Riding of Yorkshire,[3] Lambert played football forMethley Perseverance, for an Army team, and for his local team, Greasbrough W.M.C.[4] He was turned down bySheffield Wednesday after a trial,[3] but was taken on byLeeds United in November 1922.[4] He was included on Leeds' retained list at the end of the season, but was signed irregularly byRotherham County, who gave him his debut away toBradford City in theSecond Division in April 1923. Lambert scored the only goal of the match, but theFootball Association fined the club £25 and returned the player to Leeds.[4] He played only once for Leeds' first team,[1] and
He next moved on toDoncaster Rovers in January 1925 in exchange forgoalkeeperDavid Russell.[5] He finally came to prominence after becoming a regular goalscorer for Doncaster.[3] Playing in Yorkshire, he had attracted the attention ofHerbert Chapman when the latter was manager ofHuddersfield Town.[citation needed]
Chapman becameArsenal manager. Needing a new centre-forward, he signed Lambert for £2,000 in June 1926.[3] He made 16 appearances in his first season with the club, but only scored one goal. He also made 16 appearances in the1927–28 season, but managed to score three times. He became a regular for the club towards the end of the1929–30 season, during which he scored 18 times in only 20 league appearances,[6] and was also prolific inthat season's FA Cup. His four goals in six appearances helped Arsenal reachthe final, in which they beat Huddersfield Town with goals fromAlex James and from Lambert himself.[7] He played in Arsenal's 2–1 victory overSheffield Wednesday in theFA Charity Shield atStamford Bridge in October 1930.[8]
The following season,1930–31, Lambert was even more successful: he scored 38 goals in just 34 League matches, then a club record[3] – since broken byTed Drake[9] – and a total that included sevenhat-tricks. That season Arsenal won theFirst Division title for the first time in their history. Lambert continued to play for Arsenal over the next few years, scoring regularly;[3] his five goals in a 9–2 defeat ofSheffield United remains the most ever scored by an Arsenal player in a single home match.[citation needed] He helped Arsenal reach a third FA Cup final – they lost 2–1 toNewcastle United in1931–32 – and won a second League title in1932–33, contributing 14 goals in just 12 matches.[3]
By now Lambert was over 30 and only a bit-part player.Ernie Coleman had led the line through most of 1932–33, and the signing ofJimmy Dunne in September 1933 forced Lambert out of the side. He played his last game on 13 September againstWest Bromwich Albion, and in October he was sold toFulham.[3][6] In all he scored 109 goals in 161 games for the Gunners, and equalledJimmy Brain's record of 12hat-tricks for the club.[9]
Lambert played for two seasons for Fulham.
He next moved on toSouthern League clubMargate, who at the time were Arsenal's "nursery" club; he chose Margate because the club were happy for him to take coaching courses as well as playing.[10] In January 1936, after Margate's manager resigned, Lambert took over asplayer-manager until the end of the season;[11] he continued in post until returning to Arsenal in 1938 as coach of the club's "A" team.[3]
He died at the age of 38, killed in a car accident inEnfield, Middlesex, on 7 December 1940.[12]
Arsenal[3]
Media related toJack Lambert (footballer, born 1902) at Wikimedia Commons