Lyndon Dykes on battle to dislodge Stansfield and May as new Birmingham City door opens
“Football’s not always easy,” Lyndon Dykes reflects on what can best be described as a frustrating start to his Birmingham City career.
The centre-forward boasts 42 caps for Scotland and more Championship appearances and goals than Jay Stansfield and Alfie May combined, yet he has spent the first half of this season playing second fiddle to them. Dykes has started just five games in League One, with a further 13 appearances from the bench, and hasn’t yet found the net.
Remarkably, Dykes has scored more Championship goals this season than he has in the third tier. But the cups have offered Dykes some relief and he notched a beauty against Lincoln City on Saturday to put Blues in round four of the FA Cup. Dykes has scored in each of his three cup appearances for Blues to date.
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“I’ve played at higher levels and played for Scotland for a number of years now,” Dykes said. “It’s not always about scoring goals, it’s about what else you bring to a game and I think I do that really well. Football’s not always easy, it’s not always just highs, I have to work hard and see what happens in the future.”
Dykes has been forced to watch Stansfield and May grab the headlines from the bench. Stansfield has 14 goals this season, while May has 11, and both of them are in the running for the League One Golden Boot award.
The 29-year-old added: “Obviously I came here to play, I want to play every game. We’ve got a great squad and this club is definitely on the up. For myself individually, I want to be playing games. I’m just putting my head down and working hard and hopefully it’ll be a good back end to the season.
“Alfie has been playing up front and he’s a great goalscorer. The other day he scored his 101st in the English leagues and him and Jay have got a number of goals this season. I work hard and do what I can but it’s up to the manager to pick the team at the end of the day.”
Dykes has largely played in his preferred centre-forward position, but his performances in a slightly deeper role during Blues’ FA Cup run have caught the eye. That could be a route to more minutes in the league – and even a start alongside Stansfield and May.
“I like playing any role but I do like it (playing the number 10 position),” he added. “You can arrive in the box a bit later for crosses and be a little bit more free. I’ve played it before and coming through in Scotland early doors I played that position with Stephen Dobbie and linked up really well with him. I do enjoy it.”
