Birmingham City may have struck lucky with summer transfer decision - he’s becoming a Blues “cult hero” | OneFootball

Lyndon Dykes was on the cusp of a move to Scottish side Hibernian this summer before the deal fell through at the last minute.

Birmingham City returned to winning ways in the Championship this weekend with a 1-0 victory at home to Swansea City, courtesy of a late goal from Lyndon Dykes, who was very close to a move to Scottish side Hibernian on deadline day.

Following a disappointing 1-0 loss away to Stoke City after the international break, where the Blues failed to register a single shot on target, bouncing back with a strong performance at home to Swansea was always going to be high on manager Chris Davies' agenda.

Birmingham certainly showed bite in their first-half performance, picking up four yellow cards before the break but unable to make the breakthrough as the Swans stood strong.

With the scores locked at 0-0 and the final whistle edging ever closer, manager Davies decided it was time to introduce Dykes off the bench in search of a winner, just as he did against Blackburn Rovers earlier in the campaign.

Sunderland loanee Patrick Roberts found room to whip in a cross with his left foot from the right and Dykes headed home the only goal of the game with just seconds remaining.

The Scottish international was on the cusp of a deadline day switch to Hibernian, though the move wouldn't materialise, with Birmingham demanding the club from Easter Road pay a larger portion of his salary.

However, Davies might well now be thanking his lucky stars the move fell through, with Dykes proving to be an effective trump card .

Birmingham City fans react to Lyndon Dykes' late winner against Swansea City

Having failed to have scored in any of their previous three outings, Birmingham fans were beginning to grow restless at their lack of goals despite their supposed plethora of firepower in attacking options.

Having brought in the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Ducksch, Demarai Gray, Lewis Koumas and the aforementioned Roberts, it is the 29-year-old Dykes that Blues fans have taken to social media to rave about.

"Wait Dykes did it again?! Cult hero status growing," said one delighted Blues fan.

With two late goals already this season, Dykes is proving to be an incredibly effective option when introduced from the bench, something which opponents will have to prepare for.

His only other Blues goal so far this season before his Swansea heroics was when he popped up in the 98th minute to hand Birmingham a dramatic three points away at Blackburn Rovers on matchday two.

His goals are seeing him grow ever more popular with Blues supporters, with some even labelling the man, who was incredibly close to not even being a Birmingham player this summer, a cult hero.

"Lyndon Dykes when stoppage time starts," one Birmingham fan hilariously wrote to accompany a cropped image of Dykes' face onto Brazilian icon Ronaldo's.

Comparisons to the iconic striker may be a tad overexaggerated. However, you cannot knock the impact that the Scotsman is having on his side right now.

Averaging a goal every 13 minutes is some statistic, even if his appearances have been limited to introductions as a substitute.

Blues fans continue to reaffirm the cult hero status, as the man who was seemingly surplus to requirements at St Andrews becomes an almost indisposable option from the bench.

Lyndon Dykes' failed move to Hibernian could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Birmingham City

Despite Birmingham having gone all out to strengthen their attacking options this summer, it remains the man who was even on the peripheries of the squad last season to save them.

The Australian-born forward played just 25 times in League One for the club last season and starting just nine of those, scoring just once, meaning he has already surpassed his goal tally from last season with just 26 minutes of Championship football.

Therefore, despite the arrivals of Marvin Ducksch and Kyogo Furuhashi, Dykes appears to be carving out a role as a late-goal specialist in Davies' side this term.

Hibernian very well may now be regretting not managing to get a deal over the line for Dykes, who is showing what he is capable of in the English second tier, although their own Scotland international Kieron Bowie is in fine form to start the season, with three Scottish Premiership goals in four games for them.