...but Dykes wants to try for Australia spot before answering Clarke’s call
LYNDON DYKES, the Australiaborn striker who scored Livingston’s second goal in their 2-0 win over Celtic on Sunday, has admitted he would be open to an approach from Scotland in future.
Dykes was born and raised in Canberra and the Gold Coast and represented his homeland at schoolboy level, but both of his parents originally hail from the Dumfries area and he is eligible to play for this country.
The 6ft 2in 24-year-old has netted four goals in his last six games for the Tony Macaroni Arena club and his manager Gary Holt, who won 10 caps for the national team during his own playing days, believes Steve Clarke should hand him a call-up.
Clarke is short of goalscorers and has named Lawrence Shankland in his squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia and San Marino this week, even though the centreforward plays for Dundee United in the second - t ier Ladbrokes Championship.
Dykes, who played for Queen of the South in the last three seasons, admitted his preference would be to turn out for the Socceroos, but stressed he would seriously consider pledging his allegiances to Scotland.
Asked who he would like to play for, Dykes said: “I’m not sure. I grew up in Australia so probably Australia if both of them came. But it’s hard. If Scotland came and Australia didn’t come then obviously I would like to play for Scotland.
“I haven’t had any approach from any international side. I haven’t played anything in the past. I played schoolboys for Australia. But I didn’t go through the ranks at national level.
“My parents are Scottish. They are from Dumfries. My dad is from just outside Dumfries, a small town called Moniaive. I have got all my family in Scotland. I have got Scottish blood. I would have to see if I ever got the opportunity.”
Dykes, who played for Surfers Paradise Apollo before moving over to Scotland back in 2016, was pleased to see Shankland called up and predicted he would be able to cope with the step up to international football if he also got a chance.
“I think he (Shankland) deserved it, to be honest,” said Dykes. “Congrats to him. His goalscoring is unbelievable. I hope he does well for them. Scotland are looking for players and they looked at him, so hopefully he does well. I think the system here is good. If you are good enough you will get there.”
Asked if he thought he could deal with playing for the national team, Dykes said: “I think so. It helps me that growing up I wasn’t a big football supporter. Kids who have supported big teams are all nervous when they play against them. I just go into any game in any league in any division with the same mindset – I just want to score some goals and do my best for the team.”
Dykes was a late convert to football, but his rise to prominence at Queen of the South and Livingston has been sudden. “I was rugby league when I was younger,” he said. “I started football when I was around 12 or 13.
“I just put it (his progress since then) down to hard work, to putting my head down. Hopefully I can prove to people that I am good enough to make the step up and put my name on the radar.”
Dykes certainly gave Christopher Jullien, Celtic’s £7 million centre-half, a torrid afternoon in West Lothian on Sunday and converted his secondhalf chance, after a long ball upfield from Livingston’s goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, beautifully.
“Matty and I made a little gesture down the line,” he said. “It bounced nicely for me. I saw Fraser (Forster) off his line and I thought, ‘I am going to try and chip him here’. Luckily, I hit it high enough to get over him. I was happy.
“We (Jullien and Dykes) were going at it a bit. I don’t know how he didn’t get a yellow card against me. It is one of those things. He is a great player. I look forward to playing him again.
“I just do what I can do for the team. I just do my best every game. If I get the better of him then I get the better of him. I thought it was a good battle, to be fair. That’s what I like. I’m just happy we got the three points. The boys deserved it.”
WALES
Daniel James is determined to respond to a difficult time for Manchester United by improving Wales’ Euro 2020 qualification hopes.
United have made their worst start to a top-flight campaign for 30 years after picking up only nine points from their opening eight games.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle – who started the day only one place off the bottom of the table – left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side just two points above the relegation zone.
“It’s important in football to react when things aren’t going so well,” said James, who has been United’s standout performer with three goals since his £15 million summer move from Swansea.
“It’s alright when things are going good, but it’s important to deal with things when they are bad.
“I’ve had a good start personally [at United] and I’m enjoying my football. It’s about taking that into playing for Wales as well.”
James has had a meteoric rise from Swansea bit-part player to United first-team regular in the past 12 months.
The 21-year-old scored the winner on his first Wales start in March – against Thursday’s Euro 2020 qualifying opponents Slovakia.
But James says he can handle the huge pressure that comes with being in the United spotlight as well as a fully-fledged international.
“European football (with United) is similar to playing away in these countries. When you are expected to win the group then going away to any team - Slovakia, Azerbaijan, whoever - with different atmospheres, pitches and cultures, then it is really difficult.”
ENGLAND
Everton midfielder Fabian Delph will miss England’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria after withdrawing from the squad through injury.
The 29-year-old moved to Goodison Park from Manchester City in the summer and earned a Three Lions recall having missed out on the first squad of the new season. But, despite playing the entirety of Eveton’s 1-0 loss at Burnley on Saturday, he has pulled out through injury – with manager Gareth Southgate opting against calling up a replacement.
As a result, England will head to Prague for Friday night’s game against the Czech Republic with a 24-man squad.
Delph has 20 senior caps to his name and is a favourite of Southgate, who continued to select the former Aston Villa man even when he was struggling to break into the team at City
If Scotland came and Australia didn’t come then obviously I would like to play for Scotland. I haven’t had any approach