DYKES: I CAN FIX YOUR FADDY ISSUES New Scotland striker hopes to capture some of national hero’s maverick magic for Clarke’s side

IF Lyndon Dykes ends up even as half as good on the pitch as the standard of the game he talks off of it, then Scotland may just have uncovered an absolute gem.

National team supporters have always taken to players who have a gallus air about them, and Dykes is world class when it comes to self-belief. After all, he learned from one of the best.

James McFadden, the darling of the Tartan Army in the modern era, has been mentoring Dykes ever since the Australianborn striker made his first tentative steps in the Scottish professional game on his dad’s home patch of Dumfries.

Now, having followed McFadden all the way into the Scotland squad, the 24-yearold says he can be the next maverick talent to have the Tartan Army dreaming of the heady heights of tournament qualification once again.

“Hopefully,” Dykes said. “Something like that, yeah.

“I’m just going to work my hardest and hopefully everyone can see that.

“I want to be an international player and I want to have a great career for Scotland. I want to be up there with the best.

“I played with James McFadden at Queen of the South and I spoke to him a lot before I came here. That’s someone I look at and think ‘I want to be like him’. He was great for Scotland.

“He came in with Gary Naysmith and he was a great lad. I got on with him straight away and he gave me great advice.

“He taught me a lot of things on the pitch and off the pitch. I speak to him for advice in my career as well, I’ve rang him up loads of times and he’s always had good words to say to me and has always been there for me. He’s always been top class to me.”

As well as the Scottish national team, another thing Dykes shares a passion with the younger McFadden for is a madcap hairdo, whetting the appetite for what he may do ahead of his probable international debut against Israel on Friday night.

“I’ve seen a couple of his hairstyles,” said Dykes, “So I might need to pull something out!”

The debate over which country Dykes would opt to represent – Australia, the country of his birth, or Scotland, where his parents were born – has appeared to drag on for an age, but it seems there wasn’t quite so much dubiety in the mind of Dykes as there was among supporters.

Despite holding talks with Australia manager Graham Arnold and his assistant Rene Meulensteen, as well as with Steve Clarke, Dykes insists his heart – much to the approval of his family – was always dark blue.

“They were all supportive of my decision and, in the end, I wanted to play for Scotland,” Dykes said. “I’m sure they would have backed me, wherever I wanted to play.

“Scotland gave me a chance in my career, really. Without this country, I wouldn’t be where I am in football. So, that was a major thing in my head.

“From the get-go, I wanted to play for Scotland. Obviously

I spoke with Graham Arnold and Rene Meulensteen – they were always great with me. But, in the end, speaking with Steve Clarke here, he knows what we spoke about before lockdown, he knows how I reached my decision.

“I’m just ready to get my head down, work hard and win games. A lot of people would have said that Australia was the easy route. But, with the squad that they have here in Scotland and the boys coming through, as well, it’s only a matter of time before we get back to where we should be.

“My job is to do my best and push Scotland on further.”

Former Livingston striker Dykes is now at Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers, but the speculation surrounding the forward during the summer was that he

Without this country, I wouldn’t be where I am

dialogue with Lyndon. He’s here on his performances and he’s still buzzing after his big move to QPR. I’ve no doubt he will be a big success there and now it’s about carrying on his club form with Scotland and not changing his game.

“There will be tactical elements in there from our point of view, but ultimately he should stick to what got him in this Scotland squad in the first place. And that’s his performances on the pitch which have been really consistent for a long period of time.

“We are delighted to have him involved. He is a confident lad and a good personality, who has fitted straight in. Hopefully he has a big future with Scotland.”

Reid continued: “He will give us his own strengths. Watching him closely over a long period of time he has a big physical presence. He has upset a lot of centre-backs over the last year which we have been monitoring closely.

“I’ve personally been to a few of the games to watch him up at Livingston last season. He gave some of the big boys a real difficult afternoon.”