Rickie Lambert is more important to Saints this season than Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba or Fernando Torres are to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

That may sound like an idle boast but is backed by statistics that show how vital Lambert has been to Saints' League One form.

Lambert has scored 19 league goals since switching to Saints - that is 41.30 per cent of the club's total haul of 46 before this weekend's game at Exeter.

Only five players in the whole of English professional football have scored a higher percentage of their club's league goals so far this season.

Amazingly the man leading the figures is Lee Barnard, who has recently become a Saints striker.

Despite leaving Southend, Barnard remains the club’s top scorer with 15 of their 32 league goals this season – some of which have been scored since he left.

He still has 46.88 per cent of their league goals.

The only other names ahead of Lambert are Sunderland’s Darren Bent, Bournemouth’s Brett Pitman and Rotherham’s Adam Le Fondre.

Rooney has blasted 20 of Manchester United’s 56 league goals, giving him a percentage of 35.72.

Didier Drogba, the main man at Chelsea, is five behind Rooney in the Premier League top scorers chart with 15.

But playing for free scoring Chelsea, who have bagged 58 league goals already, he only has a percentage of 25.86.

Despite injuries, Fernando Torres remains Liverpool's top scorer with 12, meaning he has scored 28.57 per cent of the Anfield side's 42 this campaign.

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