“DON’T LET THE ACCENT FOOL YOU! MY BLOOD IS SCOTTISH”

Scottish football fans may well have sat alone in darkened rooms amid self-imposed TV blackouts during the summer of 2016, while their four British Isles neighbours trotted off to a major tournament. At the time, the notion of a semi-pro Australian striker – most recently playing for a club called Surfers Paradise Apollo – helping them end two decades of misery seemed almost comical.

But that was the summer Lyndon Dykes’ life changed forever. In joining Queen of the South, the 20-year-old returned to his parents’ homeland and finally began his professional career. Five years later, he has rocketed onto the international scene.

It’s been a wild ride for Dykes in the last 12 months alone since he joined QPR for £2 million, but the Queensland native is only too happy to strap in and hold on. Not bad for a lad whose dreams had centred around a different shaped ball completely...

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