Flashback Paul was on the ball
St Mirren has always been something of a haven for young Scottish footballers.
With a fine tradition of bringing through the youth, it is something that the club has consistently prided itself on.
With tomorrow marking 30 years since the Saints hoisted aloft the Scottish Cup — the last time they did so — let’s take a look at one of the kids from that side who went on to make the very most of their talents.
Paul Lambert was a local lad having made the grade with boys club outfit Linwood Rangers.
The slender frame of the centre midfielder was deceiving for a man that covered every blade of grass in the heart of the St Mirren midfield.
He impressed as a youngster, leading to St Mirren boss Alex Smith giving him a regular starting slot, aged just 17.
Lambert would start the final that year, the youngest member of Super success
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition – and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
This week we look back at the career of Paul Lambert who started off with the Buddies as a teenager.
a St Mirren squad which would lift the trophy against Jim McLean’s all conquering side.
He remained in Paisley for a further six seasons, suffering relegation in the process, before being snapped up by McLean’s brother Tommy for Motherwell.
With Alex McLeish now at the helm, Motherwell embarked on a European adventure having finished the campaign in second spot in 1995.
Having knocked out HB Torshavn of the Faroes, the Steelmen were drawn against German giants Borussia Dortmund.
Despite being knocked out, Lambert caught the eye of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who signed him the following summer.
Hitzfeld quickly moved him back into the role of a holding midfielder, a switch which Lambert embraced as he quickly made his mark on a strong Dortmund side.
But the best was yet to come in another European adventure which saw Dortmund go all the way to the Champions League final.
Facing off against the might of Juventus and Zinedine Zidane in the final, Lambert was at his finest as he man marked the French playmaker out of the game.
Having set up Karl-Heinz Reidle’s opener, the German side went on to defeat Juve by a scoreline of 3-1, seeing Lambert become the first Scottish player to win the trophy with a club from outside the UK.
A return to Scotland saw Lambert sign for Celtic in 1997, where he would win the SPL in his first season.
He would go on to secure four titles, two Scottish Cups, two League Cups and a player of the year award over the course of eight seasons, as well as appearing in the Uefa Cup final against FC Porto in 2003.
Lambert wound down his career at Livingston as he entered management, going on to boss the likes of Aston Villa and Norwich City.
He is currently in charge of Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers.