THE BULLETIN
LIVINGSTON
Livingston manager Gary Holt reckons Lyndon Dykes can bounce back from his red card misery at Ibrox by landing a dream international call-up for Australia.
The 23-year-old, who hails from the Gold Coast, has enjoyed a sensational start to the campaign, notching four goals in 10 appearances and was rewarded last week with a new contract until the summer of 2022.
Dykes’ progress hit a speedbump on Saturday when he was given his marching orders after catching Connor Goldson with a stray arm during Livi’s 3-1 defeat against Rangers.
Up until his dismissal, however, he had been a nightmare for Rangers and won the penalty from which Livingston had taken the lead. And Holt is adamant Aussie gaffer Graham Arnold should be paying a visit to the Tony Macaroni Arena in the coming weeks.
“I’d be surprised if Australia don’t come calling soon,” said Holt. “He deserves all the plaudits he’s been getting and he should be catching the eye of his national manager.
“I think he’s up there, in terms of his performances this season, with the best around for his country.
“I’ll hold my hands up; he’s a lot better than what we thought when we signed him from Queen of the South.
“We knew he was good physically, he puts a shift and does the ugly side of the game. But when you watched him at Queens he was more of a worker and grafter. [Stephen] Dobbie was the one to give the ball to at Queens – but now Lyndon is the focal point here.
“I just hope he gets that international recognition because I think he’s one who would thrive in that environment.”
NORWICH CITY
KENNY McLEAN says former Celtic striker Teemu Pukki was carrying an extra two stone when he arrived at Norwich.
Now, he is adamant the in-form Finn is worth his weight in gold.
The Scotland midfielder saw plenty of Pukki during his ill-fated 2013/14 campaign at Celtic and McLean confesses the he was on the fence when Norwich signed him from Brondby last summer.
However, the 29-year-old has been a revelation, notching 30 goals as they won promotion from the Championship last season – before continuing that form by bagging eight in the top-flight already this term.
“I knew Teemu [Pukki] from his time at Celtic – I watched him quite a bit and when we signed him I wasn’t too sure what to expect,” said McLean. “He rolled in last summer and I think he was about two stone overweight! So my confidence wasn’t there.”