Dykes’ Cruel Injury Turned into Scotland’s Haiti Call

Lyndon Dykes’ second-half impact in Scotland’s 4-1 win over Curacao—despite not scoring—has put him in the box seat to start alongside Lawrence Shankland in the friendly against Haiti. The picture takes shape against a backdrop of heartbreak for Dykes after hi

The first thing Lyndon Dykes seemed to lose that day at Lesser Hampden was control of his body. The first thing he seemed to know straight away was that something was seriously wrong.

It was a bounce game ahead of Euro 2024, and as he went for the ball, he rolled an ankle. Two years ago, that moment turned into the cruellest kind of football lesson—because a scan confirmed he’d torn his ankle ligaments, and he would play no part in Germany.

The recovery was long enough to rewrite his timeline. It took Dykes until the middle of August to kick a ball again for Queens Park Rangers. By the time he’d re-established himself. the next steps were quick: he signed for Birmingham on a two-year deal. then moved on loan to struggling Charlton this January.

When Scotland line up against Haiti. the story coming out of Saturday’s 4-1 friendly against Curacao is that Dykes has turned the “heartache” chapter into a selection advantage. He didn’t score. but his role was central—especially in the way he helped Scotland keep Curacao penned in after Jurgen Locadia’s sending off for a ridiculous elbow on Aaron Hickey.

At half-time, Scotland were still struggling badly. As the big moments crept toward the end of the Hampden farewell—there to be shared by 44. 433 supporters—things felt dangerously close to slipping away. Lawrence Shankland couldn’t get into the game early. and George Hirst. his strike partner in an enterprising 4-4-2. struggled to keep hold of the ball.

Locadia’s red card changed the geography of the match. Even with the numbers advantage, Scotland were huffing and puffing, with the replacement for the unfortunate Billy Gilmour, Findlay Curtis, becoming involved as Scotland chased an opening that never came cleanly.

Then the second period sharpened. Curtis grew into the threat every time he got the ball. making good decisions on when to take on his man and when to recycle the ball. Tyler Fletcher—only meant to be training with the squad this week—looked completely at ease on the international stage. his range of passing and dig suggesting he could build a long career. emulating his father Darren.

But Dykes was the turning point people will remember. He won possession, brought Scotland up the park, and ensured Curaçao’s 10-men had no respite. His pass for Shankland’s second goal—Scotland’s third overall—was superb, a detail that suddenly made everything else make sense.

Dykes’ selection for Scotland has never been purely about goals in the way some people insist it must be. After the Euros heartache. there’s been a line of argument that his modest goals tally meant Craig Clarke’s sympathy should be written into the equation. The display against Curacao made that argument feel badly misinformed.

A forward doesn’t necessarily have to score to justify being picked when others are doing the finishing. In Shankland, Clarke has a striker he can rely on. Five minutes before Shankland fired in off the post from Dykes’ lay-off, he effortlessly flashed Ryan Christie’s cross home.

With this evidence on the page, Clarke’s decision now looks straightforward: Dykes and Shankland start against Haiti.

The wider squad picture adds texture to the task ahead. Ross Stewart and Che Adams both joined the squad too late to be involved on Saturday. and you’d expect them to be given a chance against Bolivia in New Jersey. Scotland will also be without Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Lewis Ferguson, and Kieran Tierney.

Tyler Fletcher’s calmness, and Christie’s advanced role, give Clarke options. Christie was among Scotland’s best performers again, and his efforts were rewarded with a penalty conversion. Findlay. who won the spot-kick by drawing a foul from Jurien Gaari. could scarcely have done more to press his case.

There’s another contrast worth dwelling on: with Gilmour now sadly out of the running. Kenny McLean was the one who looked like he could protect the rhythm—his 57th appearance saw him scarcely put a foot wrong. rare to see him complete 90 minutes. With McLean, Clarke also gets the value of keeping the ball under pressure.

The midfield picture for Morocco and Brazil may include McLean and Ryan Christie as two holding midfielders at least part of the time. which would presumably push Clarke toward one striker. Jack Hendry will surely feature against Bolivia, and the central defence problem remains the main question mark.

Neither Scott McKenna nor John Souttar looked too clever as Tahith Chong outsmarted and outpaced them for Curaçao’s opener. When Grant Hanley came on for Souttar and Dom Hyam replaced McKenna. Scotland looked more assured. and the way Clarke trusts Hanley implicitly will matter. Hanley can play left or right. and if he’s given the nod on the next leg in the USA. someone else will need to make a serious mark in New Jersey.

In goal. Craig Gordon didn’t have a great deal to do. but there were no red flags in a performance from the 43-year-old who hadn’t played with Hearts since January 25. Liam Kelly, seen as the third-choice keeper, made a couple of fine stops after replacing Gordon. Unless Angus Gunn—one appearance for Nottingham Forest this season—knows something nobody else does. Gordon looks set to start out in the USA.

Ben Gannon-Doak had a difficult afternoon. Bournemouth’s winger’s pace is extraordinary, but he too often arrived in promising positions without the guile and subtlety to make it count. His lack of composure stood out next to Fletcher, who looked like the one taking possession of the moment.

There’s also the bigger feeling behind the result. Scotland’s 4-1 win delivered a first home friendly win in 10 years and just a fourth victory in 16 matches for Clarke in non-competitive games. For a group preparing to back its bags for the flight to the first training camp in Florida. it came at exactly the right time.

The fervent hope, as always, is that Scotland don’t come home too soon.

Lyndon Dykes Scotland Haiti Curacao Lawrence Shankland Billy Gilmour Findlay Curtis Tyler Fletcher Kenny McLean Craig Gordon Jack Hendry Grant Hanley Tahith Chong Jurgen Locadia Steve Clarke Euro 2024 World Cup