DYKE THAT!
Lyndon spot-on with his Hoops debut
LYNDON DYKES snuffed out Nottingham Forest’s hopes of banishing last season’s demons with this dream debut.
The Scotland striker, who made a £2million switch from Livingston last month, won and scored a 54th-minute penalty for QPR.
Aussie- born Dykes also scored a first goal for Steve Clarke’s international side this month while getting his second cap – and here saw Ilias Chair seal the win in stoppage-time.
It was a grim afternoon for Sabri Lamouchi’s Forest, who missed out on the play-offs in July after a brutal collapse.
And the villain was last term’s 20- goal top scorer Lewis Grabban – with four bad misses.
Hoops boss Mark Warburton said: “Lyndon has done what we hoped he’d do. He troubled experienced international centre-halves up in Scotland.
“He has physicality, an eye for a goal, and wasn’t too timid with that penalty as you saw.
“He put himself about, and I love that side of it.
“We moved swiftly to get the deal done and it is a fantastic bit of business for the club.
“It is a great way to start for us, against a tough and talented opponent with a fine squad and smarting from what happened to them in the last season.”
Bright Osayi- Samuel was picked and played well despite so far failing to agree a new contract.
Warburton added: “All talks are at different stages, but everyone needs to be focused.”
Grabban headed inches wide after 20 minutes following a great run and cross from Tyler Blackett. But QPR took the lead after 54 minutes – and it was a huge moment for Dykes, trying to plug a 40- goal gap left by Ebere Eze, Jordan Hugill and Nahki Wells.
Lee Wallace’s pass helped him get beyond Tobias Figueiredo and draw the foul from the Portuguese.
Dykes confidently put the penalty into the roof of the net.
As Forest responded to the setback, sub Sammy Ameobi had a shot deflected wide and Ryan Yates hit the bar.
Grabban then sliced horribly wide after being teed up by
Ameobi, again failed to find the target with time running out, and then hit the side netting.
In stoppage time, sub Dom Ball’s shot was saved by Brice Samba and Chair tucked away the rebound.
Forest boss Lamouchi said: “It is disappointing, we have started in a bad way. We needed to be cleverer. The first mistake gave them the penalty.
“Normally with Lewis with those three clear chances he scores easily two goals.”
Lumley 6, Kakay 6, Dickie 7, Barbet 7, Wallace 7, Carroll 6 (Thomas 75, 6), Cameron 6, Osayi-samuel 7 (Smyth 90), Amos 6 (Ball 84), Chair 6, Dykes 8.
Subs not used: Kelly, Kane, Oteh, Masterson.
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.
Subs not used: Smith, Jenkinson, Dawson, Johnson.
MAN OF MATCH: Lyndon Dykes. Superb debut – won and scored penalty, and also helped create late second.
REFEREE: Tim Robinson 7.