Bristol Rovers struck gold with £200k transfer - Southampton loved him too | OneFootball

Rickie Lambert is better known for his time at Southampton, but the former England international laid those foundations at Bristol Rovers

EFL goal machine Rickie Lambert is well remembered for his time at Southampton, which saw him lead the line in their back-to-back promotion campaigns from League One to the Premier League.

Then, once in the top flight, his goalscoring ventures caught the eye, first, of the England setup, where he'd go on to be capped 11 times after making his debut aged 31, and then Liverpool, who signed him for £4 million in the summer of 2014.

But, before Southampton gave him a platform to truly explode into life, Lambert was bouncing around the lower regions of the EFL, playing for the likes of Stockport County and Rochdale in the early 2000s.

His final year at the Spotland Stadium, though, saw him score 22 times and assist a further 15 goals for a Dale side who finished mid-table in League Two. Evidently, the then-24-year-old was destined for bigger and better things, and Bristol Rovers were the side to secure his services, spending £200,000 to bring him to the Memorial Ground.

And thus the career of a would-be England international started to skyrocket.

Rickie Lambert's three years at Bristol Rovers

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Despite the hype surrounding Lambert, his move in the summer of 2006 was not to a League One club, but instead to a divisional rival. Bristol Rovers had finished just two positions above Rochdale in the 2005/06 campaign, but signing him showed promotion aspirations.

The Gas would realise those ambitions in the 2006/07 term, but, funnily enough, not all of it was down to their new marquee signing, who scored just 10 times in 48 games in all competitions.

He did score the only goal in their EFL Trophy semi-final victory over Bristol City to send them to Wembley ahead of their rivals, and also netted in the insane 5-3 play-off semi-final win at Lincoln City en route to success in the final a week later.

Lambert had finally made his return to League One for the first time since his Stockport days, and he also had settled in at the Memorial Stadium, too, as Bristol Rovers started to see more of why they spent £200,000 as a fourth-tier side to bring him in.

The frontman netted 20 times in all competitions as Paul Trollope's side not only consolidated themselves in the third tier, but also made a miraculous run to the FA Cup quarter-finals, beating the likes of Fulham and Southampton before succumbing to West Brom.

Then, in his third and final season with the Gas, at 26, Lambert transformed into the goal-getter that he'd be defined as for the next six years.

Bristol Rovers finished as the fourth-highest scoring side in the third tier during the 2008/09 campaign, and a lot of that was due to Lambert, who topped the scoring charts with a whopping 29 in 45 games. He netted three hat-tricks across the term, including a four-goal haul in a 4-2 win against Southend United in October 2008.

It was an incredibly impressive campaign, leading to an 11th-placed finish. There'd have been some hope that he could stick around more as he entered his prime years, but there was no begrudging when he did move on to a bigger name who had ambitions of returning to their former glory.

Bristol Rovers laid down the groundwork for Rickie Lambert's late Premier League surge

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When Southampton were relegated to League One in 2009, it was a big deal, as the Saints hadn't played in the third tier since 1978, and the majority of the new millennium was spent in the Premier League.

They were a financial powerhouse in the third tier, signing players for seven-figure fees, something that hadn't really been seen before. Lambert was one of the first to arrive at St Mary's that summer, leaving Bristol Rovers for a fee in excess of £1 million.

The frontman would retain his Golden Boot, surpassing his 29 tally from the previous year and netting 31, three of which came against the Gas. Despite that, though, Southampton wouldn't actually finish in the top six. The following year was different, though, and despite a down year in front of goal for Lambert (only scoring 21 times), the Saints were promoted.

Lambert was 30 at this point and had yet to play in the Championship. His first season at the level saw him score 27 times en route to back-to-back promotions, and his Premier League career finally began.

The 44-year-old is still a role model for players in the lower leagues of the EFL who feel that their Premier League ambitions may be over. Players like Lambert highlight that, even in your 30s, you can still carve out a respectable top-flight career in your twilight years.

But, if not for his time at Bristol Rovers and his Golden Boot-winning year at the Memorial Stadium, perhaps his legendary years at Southampton wouldn't have materialised.