Scotland 29y/o fires red-hot team to cup final as Rangers and Celtic cast-offs excel again.
Striker comes off the bench to lead Birmingham to Wembley. Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes was Birmingham City’s hero, propelling the Blues to the EFL Trophy final with the support of some former Celtic and Rangers players. Dykes, 29, came in with ten minutes remaining in their semi-final against Bradford City and St Andrew’s, with the score tied at 1-1, and scored the winner, heading home a precise cross from ex-Celtic midfielder Tomoki Iwata. Birmingham led Bradford at halftime when Jay Stansfield scored in first-half stoppage time following superb work by Rangers loanee Kieran Dowell. However, the visitors equalised at 52 minutes through Bobby Pointon to leave the tie level going into the final stages.
However, Scotland international Dykes, who has failed to establish himself as a first-team regular since joining Birmingham from QPR last summer, demonstrated his aerial power to propel the Blues to Wembley, where they will meet either Peterborough or Wrexham. “It was a special occasion. It was great to celebrate in front of the home crowd, and the late goal made it even more special,” Dykes said of his winning goal. “Getting to Wembley is a great experience. It’s a memorable time in a player’s career to claim they’ve played there, and the manager also offered us two days off, which I believe had a better response than us getting to Wembley!” The victory in the EFL Trophy – also known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons – continues Birmingham’s excellent season so far under former Celtic coach Chris Davies. Following relegation from the Championship last summer, the Midlands side are six points clear at the top of League One and well-placed to win promotion back to the second tier of English football.
Birmingham’s sole setback was a frightening knee injury to their top striker Stansfield, who was replaced just before the hour mark and sent to the hospital after injuring his knee.
“It was above his knee, it was a bad fall,” Davies said. “He [Bradford defender Romoney Crichlow-Noble] has landed on him basically. I don’t know the extent of it but he was in a lot of pain and has gone to hospital for checks.”
Birmingham has spent heavily in order to win the crown, and they have targeted players from north of the border. Iwata joined Celtic on a permanent basis last summer, and Davies has signed three Rangers players: winger Scott Wright permanently, midfielder Dowell, and defender Ben Davies on loan. In July, they spent a lot of money to recruit Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane.
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