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Clarke missed out on Dykes for Killie but is thrilled he got him in Scotland colours
Steve Clarke won’t reveal the methods he used to persuade Lyndon Dykes to play for Scotland.
But whatever trick he pulled to get the striker in a dark blue shirt has paid off big time.
The Aussie has been a revelation for his adopted country. He’s our new No.9. And in Thursday’s epic win over Serbia on penalties which secured our place at Euro 2020, he was a colossus up front.
Clarke should certainly feel pleased with himself that he managed to get Dykes on board.
But the Scotland manager has revealed it wasn’t the first time that he had stalked the frontman.
When he was Kilmarnock gaffer, he scouted the Queen of the South forward on a regular basis and was so impressed that he was keen on making him Kris Boyd’s replacement at Rugby Park.
Livingston beat him to the chase on that occasion. So when it came to signing him up for Scotland, Clarke wasn’t going to lose out for a second time.
Dykes is suspended for today’s Nations League tie in Slovakia but will be back for Wednesday night’s clash with Israel.
Going forward, the QPR ace will be a key player for Scotland as we now prepare for the Euro finals next summer. And Clarke has been delighted with the big man’s contribution so far.
As he ref lected on his attempts to snare him, the manager said: “The conversation I had with Lyndon is a private one. At the time Australia were trying to tempt him as well.
“I won’t give away my methods. Or how I speak to people and what I did that tempted him towards Scotland.
“But it was always Lyndon’s decision to make. I think he has made the right choice but time will tell.
“To give a bit of background, when I was at Kilmarnock I was aware of Lyndon at Queen of the South.
“At that time I knew Kris was coming to the end of his time at Kilmarnock and if I had stayed there he would have been a player I would have been very interested in.
“But I have to credit Livingston because they stole a march on a few clubs that had watched Lyndon by getting him on a pre-contract in the January.
“So congrats to Livi because they made a very quick and astute signing. But I had my eye on Lyndon at that time.”
Dykes has given the Scottish national team a focal point in attack.
He’s not just a battering ram centre-forward. He’s got pace, he can hold the ball up and play team-mates in.
And he’s the perfect foil for some of the quick midfield runners Clarke currently has at
his disposal. He said: “We have a lot of good midfield players with energy who can join in.
“The likes of Ryan Christie, Stuar t Armst rong , John McGi n n , e ven Ca l lum McGregor, are in that bracket.
“But you need someone at the top end of the pitch who can be that physical presence, who holds the ball and brings other players into the game.
“I know he gets a little bit of a hard time but Oli McBurnie is similar to Lyndon.
“Oli probably doesn’t have the same pace but they have similar attributes and that’s hopefully something we can use in the coming matches.”
Clarke, like the rest of a nation, woke up a little bleary eyed on Friday morning after the celebrations went on long into the night.
He’s barely had time to reflect on making history but thanks to his family – and a barrage of messages on his phone – he’s well aware of what his side achieved in Belgrade.
He said: “I didn’t look at my phone until the next morning so I don’t know exactly when I called it a night!
“But I had over 200 messages and they were still coming. I know that when I went to bed I was tired. I didn’t get too much sleep – and didn’t look terribly good on TV the next day!
“But I had a great sleep on Friday night and I’m ready to go again.
“My son put a message online, even though I’ve told him often
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“But it was a nice message and obviously part of the emotion of the night on Thursday.
“My daughter Emma and my other boy Joseph are also really proud. It was a great night for the whole family.”
Now it’s back to business for Clarke and his players.
They have two important Nations League games this week before we can really start d reaming about those
Euro finals in June. And despite being on a nine-game unbeaten run, the Scotland gaffer says this team can get even better.
He said: “You always feel there is still more improvement to come. You always strive to improve so yes, we can get better as a team.
“We’ve played with a little bit more freedom away from home. On Thursday night, Serbia were favourites and the pressure was on them. “W e responded to that well and in the 90 m i nut e s , I thought we were terrific.”