Lambden began his footballing career playing for his local team,
Oldland Abbotonians, before joining
Bristol Rovers in 1945. He went on to make 269 appearances in the
Football League over the next ten years, scoring 117 goals. Lambden made the best of starts to his Football League career, scoring on his debut for Rovers in the opening game of the
1946–47 season. This game, a 2–2 draw against
Reading, also marked the return of League football after it was suspended during
World War II. On 19 March 1948, Lambden broke the Bristol Rovers club record for the fastest
hat-trick in a match. His nine-minute treble (the goals coming in the 18th, 25th and 27th minutes) in a game against
Aldershot remained the club's fastest until
Dai Ward scored a four-minute hat-track in 1956. As of 2016, Lambden's remains the joint second-fastest in the club's history. By the end of his time with Rovers Lambden was the club's all-time second-highest goalscorer, behind his teammate
Geoff Bradford. His 117-goal tally was later surpassed by
Alfie Biggs and
Harold Jarman, but he remains the fourth on the club's top goalscorers list into the 21st century. Over the period of his time playing at
Eastville, Lambden had become widely known for his successful partnership with fellow
forward Bradford, and the pair later died just eighteen months apart from each other. After retiring from professional football, Lambden dropped out of the league to play for
Trowbridge Town. ==References==