RICKIE Lambert can celebrate Christmas with the perfect present in his home city today – three points and his 100th Saints league goal.

The 31-year-old is just one away from his century after reaching 99 with two in as many games against Spurs and Cardiff.

And it would be all the sweeter for Lambert to bring up three figures against Everton at Goodison Park as he supported Liverpool as a boy – and has a Liver Bird tattooed on his arm to prove it.

Lambert, who was brought up in the borough of Kirkby, reached a century of league and cup goals for Saints at Newcastle 14 months ago and currently has 109 in all competitions.

Reaching 100 league goals would see the Liverpool-born No. 7 join a similarly illustrious post-war pantheon, which includes seven players, headed by Mick Channon on 185 league goals.

But not since Matt Le Tissier got to the landmark nearly 20 years ago has anyone added to its elite membership.

Lambert has scored his 99 from 188 league appearances (181 starts) but what makes his haul so special is that it includes goals in the top three divisions.

He has contributed more than anyone to the club’s rise from the foot of League One to the top half of the Premier League since his arrival from Bristol Rovers in August 2009.

The breakdown includes 51 goals in League One, 27 in the Championship and 21 in the Premier League, with five hat-tricks; the first at MK Dons in his debut season and four Championship trebles, at home to Nottingham Forest and Brighton and away to Watford and Millwall.

His consistency over the last four and a half seasons is also shown by the fact his goals have come at a healthy rate of one every 155 minutes (League One), 131 minutes (Championship) and 214 minutes (Premier League).

The Saints with a century of league goals for the club Mick Channon 185 Matt Le Tissier 161 Terry Paine 160 George O’Brien 154 Eric Day 147 Derek Reeves 145 Ron Davies 134 Rickie Lambert 99