Chapman became Arsenal 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 the 1927–28 season, but managed to score three times. He became a regular for the club towards the end of the 1929–30 season, during which he scored 18 times in only 20 league appearances,[6] and was also prolific in that season's FA Cup. His four goals in six appearances helped Arsenal reach the final, in which they beat Huddersfield Town with goals from Alex James and from Lambert himself.[7] He played in Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Charity Shield at Stamford 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 by Ted Drake[9] – and a total that included seven hat-tricks. That season Arsenal won the First 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 of Sheffield 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 to Newcastle United in 1931–32 – and won a second League title in 1932–33, 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 of Jimmy Dunne in September 1933 forced Lambert out of the side. He played his last game on 13 September against West Bromwich Albion, and in October he was sold to Fulham.[3][6] In all he scored 109 goals in 161 games for the Gunners, and equalled Jimmy Brain's record of 12 hat-tricks for the club.[9]
Lambert played for two seasons for Fulham.
Coaching career
He next moved on to Southern League club Margate, 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 as player-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]
Death
He died at the age of 38, killed in a car accident in Enfield, Middlesex, on 7 December 1940.[12]