When moving to a different team in football, it can take a while for a player adapt to a new environment.
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However, this wasn’t an issue for Bathurst product Hamish Lamberton, taking home the golden boot award in his first season with Sydney FC.
Lamberton signed for Sydney FC’s National Premier Leagues under 20s side at the end of the year, after previously playing for Sydney United 58.
He racked up 19 goals in 2018 for the Sky Blues, in 25 games, as well as playing six games for Sydney FC’s senior NPL side.
“I came out to really a good start, personally, scoring a lot of goals,” he said.
“We absolutely killed it at the end of the season. I was scoring as much, but as a team we were proving our worth that we can handle the under 20s.
“I was lucky to be playing at a higher level during the back of the season, playing in the first grade team, backing up from my under 20s game earlier in the day.
“We were just really unlucky [in under 20s] in our grand final.”
Lamberton’s Sydney FC side went down to Sutherland Sharks on penalties, after the game finished 2-2 after extra-time.
Now he’s signed on to be a first grade player in the NPL and will represent Sydney FC in the National Youth League for the 2018-19 season.
He said his coaches helped mentor him when he made the move from Sydney United, who he spent two years with, to Sydney FC.
“I learn’t a lot at the start. The coaches saw something in me and helped mentor me,” he said.
“They knew I was physically able, they just helped sharpen my mind to be more aware of playing in that higher level.
“The main difference is training in the morning. I leave my house at quarter past five and I get there at six. I sleep in my car, otherwise I cop peak hour traffic.”
He’s currently living with his sister in Campbelltown and drives to training in North Ryde.
Living in Campbelltown with sister and drives to training in North Ryde.
Before his stints at Sydney FC and Sydney United, Lamberton was playing football in the city of Boise in Idaho, United States.
He also played for Bathurst ’75.
One thing Lamberton is looking forward to is experiencing his first Sydney derby in the National Youth League.
“You can tell by the players and coaches by how much the derby means to them. I can’t wait to experience that myself,” he said.