GREATER LYNDON
Striker Dykes caps a ‘crazy couple of weeks’ with penalty opener on debut for Hoops
LYNDON DYKES has hardly paused for breath in a madcap six weeks.
The 24- year- old Scotland striker scored on his debut for QPR after winning and converting a second-half penalty.
Dykes, with Scottish parents, was born on the Gold Coast in Australia and grew up a huge rugby league fan.
But some big decisions are paying off. He decided to play for Steve Clarke’s international side rather than the Aussies.
And that was rewarded with a first cap, and then a first goal for Scotland in his second appearance last Monday, when they won 2- 1 in the Czech Repubic.
Dykes scored twice in three games for Livingston in the SPL in August before a £2million switch to QPR – and wasted no time in opening his account for the Hoops.
He said: “That is kind of how I hoped it might go on my debut – I don’t think it could have e gone any better apart from m maybe getting a hat-trick!
“It has been such a crazy y couple of weeks. I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and think about some targets.
“I have been pulled all over the joint – coming down from Scotland to QPR, trying to settle, then off for internationals, then back here again. But that now.
“I don’t always look too far into the future – but I knew I wanted to play at the highest level I could by getting to England.
“I got my head down, did well at Queen of the South and Livingston, and now this is the next challenge.
“I never wanted to look back
I will do and think, ‘ I wish I had gone there’. When QPR came up, I was buzzing to try and get it done. I hope things are falling into place with the choices I am making.”
Dykes took responsibility with the spot-kick after being fouled by Tobias Figueiredo, slamming home the penalty in the 54th minute – before Ilias Chair sealed victory in stoppage time.
Forest had been desperate for an openingday win after collapsing at the end of last season and missing out on the playoffs on goal difference.
But three bad misses from last term’s 20-goal top-scorer Lewis Grabban – one of them a real howler – cost them dearly i in a tale of two strikers.
Grabban (after one of his misses, below) said: “I am disappointed. I would have liked to have scored at least one goal. It is important as a team we get that winning feeling back.
“There are new signings and hopefully that will mean help with the scoring. It’s not just goals from the strikers we need, but from all over the team.
“We need to have at least three players in double figures this season if we are going to be really pushing.”
QPR: Lumley 6, Kakay 6, Dickie 7, Barbet 7, Wallace 7, Carroll 6 (Thomas 75, 6), Cameron 6, OsayiSamuel 7 (Smyth 90), Amos 6 (Ball 84, 6), Chair 6, Dykes 8
Samba 6, Gabriel 6, Worrall 7, Figueiredo 7, Blackett 7, Yates 6, Colback 6, Da Costa 5 (Taylor 67, 6), Freeman 6 (Mighten 74, 6), Lolley 5 (Ameobi 59, 7), Grabban 5