Lyndon Dykes

Lyndon John Dykes (born 7 October 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Millwall. Born and raised in Australia to Scottish parents, he plays for the Scotland national team.

Dykes previously played for Mudgeeraba, Merrimac, Redlands United, Gold Coast City and Surfers Paradise Apollo in Australia, for Queen of the South and Livingston in Scotland, and spent four years with English club Queens Park Rangers before spells at Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic.

Personal life Dykes was born on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. He moved to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, playing rugby league as a youth. As a child, Dykes had a season pass to the Canberra Raiders and idolised captain Ruben Wiki at the time. In his youth, Dykes also played basketball, rugby union and Aussie Rules football. After returning to Australia from a stint with Queen of the South Under-20s team, Dykes worked in a factory for sports company BLK.

Dykes said of his background, "My parents are Scottish. They are from Dumfries. My dad is from just outside Dumfries, a small town called Moniaive." His elder sister Hollie was a gold medal-winning gymnast for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Dykes' son was born in Scotland.

Club career Early career Dykes spent part of his younger years living and playing rugby league in Canberra where his family settled. Dykes attracted the interest of the Canberra Raiders after helping Gungahlin Bulls to a cup final win. The move never came about as Dykes suffered an injury and his family moved back to the Gold Coast. Dykes was rejected by A-League sides such as Brisbane Roar when playing football in Australia.

On 7 June 2016, Dykes returned to Scotland and signed for Queen of the South, who had Gavin Skelton as their manager at that time. In three years in Dumfries, he played in 86 league matches, scoring 10 league goals and in 31 cup matches scoring nine cup goals for the Doonhamers. His best position for the club was as a foil for Queens main striker Stephen Dobbie, especially when Dobbie scored 43 goals in the 2018–19 season, although he was also played on the wings. Dykes was utilised as a central striker at the Lions. He scored on his senior competitive debut for the Lions in a 1–1 League Cup draw at Falkirk on 13 July. On 12 September, he extended his contract with the Lions for an additional season until May 2022. On 6 October, he scored the second goal in the 2–0 home league win versus Celtic. On 21 December, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win versus Ross County, the first time a Livingston player had done so in the top flight.

On 16 August 2020, Livingston announced that a bid has been accepted from a Championship club for Dykes. Three days later, it was announced that he joined Queens Park Rangers. Dykes' transfer fee broke Livingston's club record previously held by the sale of David Fernandez to Celtic in 2002.

Queens Park Rangers

On 19 August 2020, Dykes signed a four-year deal for English club Queens Park Rangers for a reported fee of £2m. On 12 September, Dykes scored on his competitive debut for the club, scoring a penalty in the 54th minute, in a 2–0 win versus Nottingham Forest.

In April 2021, Dykes was named the club's Player of the Month after scoring six goals in six games most notably scoring a brace in a 4–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 10 April. Dykes had finished the season as QPR's top scorer with 12 goals and five assists. On 16 October 2021, Dykes scored in the West London derby in Queens Park Rangers' 4–1 loss against Fulham in the Championship. In January 2023, Dykes was admitted to hospital with the club said to be "closely monitoring" the striker. He spent eight days in hospital having been diagnosed with pneumonia following a CT scan on his lungs. On 26 June 2023, Dykes signed a new three-year contract with the club.

Birmingham City Dykes signed for League One club Birmingham City on a three-year contract on 28 August 2024; the fee was undisclosed.

Charlton Athletic On 15 January 2026, Dykes joined Championship club Charlton Athletic on a deal for the remainder of the 2025–26 season. On 8 May 2026, the club said it was in talks with player about extending his contract.

Millwall On 6 August 2026, Dykes joined Millwall on a one-year contract.

International career Dykes played for Australia schoolboys prior to joining Queen of the South. He made his international debut in a 1–1 draw with Israel on 4 September and then scored his first goal for Scotland a few days later in a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic. On 11 October, Dykes scored the winner in a Nations League match against Slovakia which ended 1–0 after steering home Stephen O'Donnell's low cross.

On 19 May 2021, Dykes was named in Scotland's UEFA Euro 2020 squad after becoming the nation's first choice striker alongside Che Adams. On 14 June, he played 79 minutes of Scotland's opening game which resulted in a 2–0 defeat to the Czech Republic. On 18 June, he played the full 90 minutes in the fixture against England at Wembley Stadium which ended in a 0–0 draw. On 22 June, he started in a 3–1 defeat to Croatia which ended Scotland's Euros campaign.

On 4 September 2021, Dykes scored in the only goal against Moldova in a 2022 World Cup qualifier. Three days later he scored a 30th-minute penalty in another 1–0 win for Scotland, this time away to Austria in the same competition. The following month, Dykes scored in narrow wins over Israel and the Faroe Islands, becoming the first Scotland player to score in four consecutive matches since Colin Stein in 1969.

In a UEFA Nations League match against Ukraine on 21 September 2022, Dykes came off the bench in the 77th minute to score a brace, in the 80th and 87th minutes respectively, to secure a 3–0 win for Scotland.

Dykes helped Scotland qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, scoring the equaliser and providing the assist for the winning goal in a 2–1 away win against Norway in June 2023. He was selected in a 28-man provisional squad for the Euro 2024 finals, but he had to withdraw prior to the tournament after suffering an ankle injury in training.

On 19 May 2026, Dykes was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, going on to make appearances at Boston Stadium in Scotland's win over Haiti and loss to Morocco on 14 and 19 June, respectively.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dykes goal.

Honours Birmingham City EFL League One: 2024–25