Dykes feels partnership with Adams can reap reward for Scotland

Lyndon Dykes feels he is building an effective partnership with Che Adams for Scotland and the two can pose opposition defences problems.

Dykes scored the only goal of the game in Scotland’s crucial World Cup qualifying win over Austria, netting from the spot after Adams was fouled in the penalty box.

Both are relative newcomers to the Scotland set-up, with Dykes committing to the team just over a year ago and Adams joining the fold in March.

The pair were part of the Euros squad and have struck up a burgeoning partnership in Steve Clarke’s side.

“It is less than a year,” Dykes said. “Obviously Che came in a bit later than me so we haven’t really played that long together.

“But sometimes you just get that click with partners. He plays up front with a partner at his club and also Charlie Austin came in with me at QPR.

“It’s obviously something that the manager sees and we always just work the hardest we can.”

The goal against Austria was the second in two games for Dykes, who also scored against Moldova on Saturday while playing alongside Kevin Nisbet. The QPR hitman said he was happy to adapt but suggested that Adams was a more natural complement for him.

“I’ll play with anyone,” he said. “I thought with Nisbet we did really well last time in our first game together and made chances for each other. Obviously with Che we have a great partnership as well.

“It’s up to the manager to decide that but in games like this me and Che are doing well, trying to hold the ball for the boys up front and it can’t but help for future games to show that we’ve got a great partnership.”

Looking back on the penalty decision that settled the match in Vienna, when VAR was used to determine that Adams was fouled by Martin Hinteregger, Dykes felt that justice was done.

“From my angle it looked like it was a penalty,” he said. “I was at the back post and just trying to get an angle for a pass. But that’s what we have VAR for.

They checked it and with VAR you know they’re going to check everything so you don’t need to scream and shout at the referee. It was the right decision and good for Che getting his body in and the defender was all over him.”