Southampton striker Rickie Lambert expects tough times ahead for Nigel Adkins despite defeat of Aston Villa Now he also has a useful ally in the Uruguay international Gastón Ramírez, whose vision and flicks opened up new attacking avenues. Lambert had started Southampton's recovery here by driving in from 20 yards early in the second half, making the score 1-1 after Darren Bent had tapped Villa into a half-time lead. Well-worked goals, finished by Nathaniel Clyne and Jason Puncheon, made it 3-1 before Lambert scored from the spot late on. The striker's successful penalty meant he has scored all of his 26 spot kicks for the club. It is reminiscent of set-piece specialist Matt Le Tissier and Lambert plans to show similar loyalty as his stock rises. "I love it here and, as long as the club want me, I won't be going away," he said. Lambert has four Premier League goals, meaning he was joint-top of the scorers list at the end of this match. "If you can say that at the end of the season, I'll be happy," he said. It's a massive achievement winning the golden boot. I'll give it a go. It is a lofty aspiration, but Southampton are setting high standards as Clyne explained, adding: "We're here to entertain the league. Hopefully we can establish ourselves. Villa had been hoping that their own status in the league would not be threatened again, in the way it was last season, but this was a worrying collapse. To compound their woes, Stephen Ireland is feared to have suffered a broken arm and will go to hospital today for scans. "He was in a lot of pain," explained manager Paul Lambert. He's playing really well and it was a blow to lose him. It means that talented, but excluded, Charles N'Zogbia could be in line for a recall. Lambert says that the former Newcastle midfielder has been left out for football reasons. "Charles has been really great," said the Villa manager. But Stephen has been playing really well in that role and that system we have put in. Villa might have to rethink their system - which was too deep and direct - in the wake of this display. Adkins, though, is safe for now and refuses to be distracted by the talk about his position. "It's part and parcel of football," he said. We've got great stability at Southampton. Every game is pressure. Every game is scrutinised. Let's not be fearful of it. Let's embrace it. Southampton striker a regular hit man 4 Rickie Lambert is among the leading scorers in the Premier League this season with four goals and his rise should come as no surprise. 187 The 30 year-old boasts a superb record, scoring 187 goals in his career so far and failing to score 10 times or more in just three of his 14 seasons as a professional. 27 He helped Southampton to win promotion by topping the Championship's scoring chart with 27 goals last campaign, finishing with 31 in 48 games overall. 21 In 2010-11 he struck 21 times in League One and enjoyed his most prolific season the year before in his first term as a Saints player, being League One's top scorer (30) and finishing with 37 overall from 59 games. 58 Lambert's three seasons with Bristol Rovers were also impressive, netting 58 goals altogether. 2 The last time Lambert scored less than 10 in a season was in Division Two with Stockport in 2002-03, striking twice in 32 appearances.