Bermuda international Reggie Lambe on swapping League Two with Cambridge United for the Thurlow Nunn League with Stowmarket Town

He is arguably the biggest signing in Stowmarket Town’s history but Reggie Lambe has revealed he wants to ‘raise the bar’ at Greens Meadow in order to help his team-mates fufil their own potential.

The 29-year-old Bermuda international, who has more than 200 Football League appearances and two seasons in the MLS behind him, found himself a victim of the financial fallout of Covid-19.

Despite being a regular fixture in the side at Cambridge United in the 2019/20 shortened League Two campaign, his contract was not renewed at a time when the fight to find another club has never been tougher.

And with the ex-Ipswich Town trainee, whose previous clubs include Carlisle United, Mansfield Town and Swedish side Nyköpings BIS, wanting to now settle down with a young daughter, it almost proved the end of his footballing journey.

“I was out of contract and with coronavirus coming around clubs were very uncertain with what funds they would have so it was unfortunate for me as I found myself in an awful position where I couldn’t find a club,” he told the Bury Free Press.

“Then I didn’t even know if I wanted to play anymore as it is very hard during this time to get a club.”

But the chance to get his boots back on just down the road from his Ipswich base with some familiar faces, albeit five leagues lower down the pyramid, proved an appealing proposition.

“With coronavirus it got me in the mode to be closer with my family and I was dealing with a little bit of family issues at home that made it much better for me to be closer,” he said.

“I was just speaking to one of the players (Seb Dunbar) and he spoke to the manager and they were keen to get me in.

“It is local as I live in Ipswich so for me I was just keen to get back playing football and I wanted to stay close to home.

“I am happy to be here and I am looking forward to playing more games.”

Along with Dunbar, the player who played two games professionally for Ipswich Town, also came through the Portman Road club’s youth system alongside current Stow players Jack Ainsley and Chris Casement.

Decent not playing since a 2-0 defeat in a friendly for Bermuda against Jamaica – his 41st cap – in March, Lambe shone on his Old Gold & Blacks debut, scoring a looping header in Saturday’s 5-0 FA Vase home victory against Eynesbury Rovers (see page 77).

He said: “I wish I had a bit more time to get a bit fitter but I felt good and managed to get on the scoresheet which was good and I just look forward to the next game.

“We have another Vase game in a few weeks (December 19) so we will start preparing for that and hope to make it to the final.”

Paul Musgrove’s side will host either lower-league Norwich CBS or May & Baker in the third round proper, as they look to eclipse last season’s record run to the last 16 (fifth round proper).

But Lambe will not be measuring his success at Meadows Green on just the club’s results or his personal statistics.

“I want to raise the players’ level to a higher level and if anybody can push on from here and move on then I would like to help them do that as well,” he said.

”It is not about me anymore, I just want to help people and stay in the game where I can.

“To be fair, I’m not really worried about the money side and just want to play football.”

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