In recent years Scotland have been missing a consistent striker, one who could somehow lead the line.

As a nation we like our forwards to be warriors, that can bully defenders and who will give their all.

When Lyndon Dykes announced his intention to play for Scotland ahead of Australia is was seen as a real coup by many. He had the build and the tenacity to be our new centre forward.

The powerful marksman had proven himself in the Scottish Premiership with Livingston and was that type of grafting striker in which we were missing.

He would impress in his debut against Israel, showing plenty of endeavour and energy in the final third. He would follow that up with his first international goal against the Czech Republic a few days later.

A month later Dykes grabbed a winner at Hampden over Slovakia. He showed with those strikes that he could intelligently find space in the penalty area and dispatch any fine crosses that fell into his path.

Both of those international goals coincided with a decent start to the season for Lyndon at his new club QPR.

Unfortunately his form dipped and goals for his national side would also dry up. Yet the twenty-five year old never dropped his head. He still won headers and knockdowns, he still chased down lost causes and gave Scotland a focal point up-top.

It wasn’t totally surprising to see him lose a bit of form for both QPR and Scotland. Players take time to adapt to different surroundings. It is all about plugging away and getting back out the other side.

Thankfully that seems to have happened for the Scotland marksman in London. Dykes is currently on song at Loftus Road, scoring six goals and creating two assists in his last six appearances. Taking his English Championship tally to twelve strikes in his maiden year.

With the European Championships just around the corner, Lyndon’s return to red hot form couldn’t have happened at a better time for The Tartan Army as they get excited about this summers tournament.

During this purple patch, all of Dykes’ goals have came inside the penalty area and three, like the one above, have come from his head. Again in all his recent goals, Lyndon has shown his superb ability to find space inside the box, which is never easy, and he’s remained calm when a chance presents itself!

He’s already teamed up well with Ryan Fraser and Stephen O’Donnell on the right, it could be a dream for an on form Lyndon Dykes to get superb supply from Andy Robertson or Kieran Tierney on Scotland’s left too.

Importantly for Scotland, Mark Warburton’s QPR side are often set out like a Steve Clarke Scotland team. During this run, The Championship side have gone with either a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-1-4-2 formation. Again this is ideal for our Euro preparations as Dykes will either play as a lone striker or with Che Adams up-top and with a back three in defence.

When it comes to aerial battles, Dykes is winning around five per game and he’s linking up well with those around him (Stat via Whoscored).

Happy for Dykes. It must have been rough. He never complained, never lashed out at fans writing him off, never made excuses… just went out each game and worked his socks off for the team #QPR

— Loftus Roads (@4EverQPR) March 20, 2021

The tweet above comes from a QPR fan after Lyndon Dykes broke his goal drought in March. It’s funny because that is definitely the kind of mentality that will be needed to be a successful Scotland striker. You have to dig deep at times and just get your head down and work for that next chance. It can seem like an impossible task but as long as you show passion and continue to work your socks off the Tartan Army will appreciate your effort and will cheer you on!

So here’s hoping that Dykes can continue with this hot streak and have the confidence to lead the line this summer and score the much needed goals that will send Scotland into the next stage of a major tournament!

Posted on April 27th, 2021 by scott
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