YOU couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Adam Barrett.

At the relatively tender age of 22, the Southend-raised central defender had found himself burdened with the captaincy of what was arguably one of the worst Bristol Rovers teams in recent years.

As they struggled to avoid the drop to the Conference, Barrett was usually the one lumbered with the job of fronting up to the media inquisition after yet another defeat.

Likeable and honest, he was never one to give less than 100 per cent on the pitch. After some matches, he was close to tears with frustration – an understandable reaction given the inadequacies of many of those around him.

So there was more than a twinge of irony when Barrett was again asked to try and explain away another heavy defeat at the Memorial Stadium, albeit one that was inflicted by his former club this time.

The answer, of course, basically came down to two words – Rickie Lambert – although that is not to malign what was an irrepressible team performance by the home side.

Over the opening period, they simply tore the Shrimpers to pieces and it wasn't until the visitors made a triple substitution just after the hour that they started to get any sort of foothold in the game. But by then, the score was already Lambert 4, Southend 0 after a remarkable individual display.

"We weren't at the races for the first half-hour," acknowledged Barrett, who had packed in 99 first-team appearances during his two seasons at Rovers before being released by Ian Atkins and then joining his hometown club.

"We gave them space all over the pitch and were poor from front to back.

"We had a mini-revival in the second half, but it was always going to be difficult to get back into it after what had happened to us in the first."

Despite his disappointment, Barrett was still man enough to recognise the quality of the performance from a striker in the form of his life.

"At the moment everything he touches he is going in," he said of Lambert.

"It's a fantastic achievement. He's in a rich vein of form and if you give him half a chance he's going to stick it away.

"Hats off to him because getting four goals in a game at any level is an achievement. At the moment it seems that if he gets a sniff, he's going to score.

"Rovers look strong – although we didn't play well. They are seven unbeaten now, going well and creeping up the table.

"I didn't enjoy coming back here today, I have to admit, although I had two good years here and there are a lot of people behind the scenes it was good to see again.

"But I'm still going home with the hump!"

Lambert, by contrast, went home with the match ball and enough bottles of champagne to stock an off-licence after a clean sweep of the various man-of-the-match awards.

It was a vintage performance right enough, and Barrett inadvertently played a part in the goal that started the flood, heading the ball against his own bar and away for a corner as a Craig Disley cross threatened to fly across the face of Southend's goal. From Stuart Campbell's flag kick, Lambert was given space to nod home the first of what was to be a hat-trick of headers.

But for a good save by keeper Adam Federici, Lambert could already have had his second by the time David Pipe delivered a low cross from the right after 16 minutes, which the Scouser duly drilled home from 12 yards to double the lead.

Jo Kuffour, making his first start at home, had also already gone close to finding the net, but turned provider in the 33rd minute when some neat footwork led to a pinpoint cross which Lambert duly converted for his treble.

Had Rovers been six ahead at the break it would not have flattered them. Kuffour, as well as going close himself, had delivered a magical ball over Disley's shoulder which the midfielder just failed to steer home, and every time the home side went forward they looked capable of scoring.

Southend, taunted by chants of "Are you Tottenham in disguise?" from a gleeful Blackthorn End, certainly did not look like a side who had just gone seven games unbeaten – a run Rovers were about to equal in consummate style.

Lambert was visibly laughing after heading home number four 10 minutes into the second period. Once again, Campbell was the provider – this time from a free kick – and the man of the moment seemed to sense that he was having one of those days when just about everything he touched was destined for the net.

Fresh blood from the bench did at least enliven Steve Tilson's shell-shocked side and with 20 minutes left, they got a break. Simon Francis' free kick was glanced on by Alex Revell, and although Steve Phillips did well to go to his left and parry the header, Barrett's central defensive partner Peter Clarke bundled the loose ball home from a yard out.

There were a few jitters five minutes later when Francis Laurent shot home from Hal Robson-Kanu's cross, but that was to be it in terms of Southend's fightback.

Rovers still created further chances – two of them falling to substitute Joe Jacobson – while Disley and Darryl Duffy also found opportunities snuffed out late in the game as the visitors left holes at the back.