It was a good night in Vienna for former Queen of the South striker Lyndon
Dykes.
The penalty hero scored his second winner in a week against Austria and believes Steve Clarke’s side are now in “pole position” for the World Cup qualifying play-off
spot.
The result, which also included a stellar showing from Dumfries’ Grant Hanley, means Scotland sit second in the group one point ahead of Israel who they play at Hampden next month.
It will be the seventh match in three years between the two sides.
Dykes said: “We are definitely now in pole position for the play-off spot.
“Coming here and getting the win has put us in prime position and we if can get the wins in the next few games we’ll see what comes.
“This win could be massive. We want to get to another major tournament. We have been to the first one as a group at the Euros and we want that again.
“We have to keep this momentum going because that is a massive thing in football. It helps players and teams so hopefully we keep going and winning games.
“We will look forward to Israel – we haven’t played them for a while!”
Dykes’ winner came from the penalty spot after a lengthy VAR check. The QPR man eventually stepped up and put the ball under Daniel Bachmann.
He said: “I didn’t really hit it as sweetly as I could but I put a bit of power into it and it went under the keeper.
“I was just happy to see it go in. It was really loud from the fans as they weren’t agreeing with the decision but you just need to clear your mind and keep your cool.
“To score the goal felt amazing.”
From there it was over to Grant Hanley and his defensive partners to shut out the Austrians and they did just that.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke singled out the Norwich City captain for his fine run of performances.
He said: “I think Grant has always been a good centre-back. Obviously when you are a young defender you can be a little bit more rash. He has grown into his game, he is a more mature player.
“I have always liked Grant as a player, even as a youngster you could see the qualities that he had. You knew he would develop and become better and better as he got more experience.
“He has been a big plus for us.”
