Not in an Academy at 19. International at 23

At the start of a training session in January 2015, the manager of the club I was playing for in the Australian NPL asked me to man mark a striker he had invited in for a trial, and then give him my feedback afterwards.

The striker was 19 years old and had never been at a professional club, although he had represented the Australia Schoolboys team a year or two earlier.

After the session, my feedback was simple.

“He moves well, holds the ball up well, reads the game well. I think he is worth a chance.”

After a few more strong performances in training, he was signed and soon became a regular starter.

Here are a couple of photos from that season. My arrow is white and his arrow is red.

Most people would assume that by the age of 19, a striker in Australia who had never been at a professional club had probably missed his opportunity.

After all, the best young players are usually picked up by professional academies long before then.

That belief turned out to be completely wrong.

That striker’s name was Lyndon Dykes.

In just four and a half years, he went from playing NPL football in Australia, to signing for QPR for £2 million and becoming the starting striker for the Scotland national team.

Since then he's played in Euro 2024, the UEFA Nations League, World Cup qualifiers, and is likely to be going to World Cup 2026 with Scotland.

Here's the interesting part.

Yes, Lyndon was a good player.

But over the years, I had played against strikers who were more naturally talented and far more difficult to play against.

In my opinion, his greatest strength was his mindset.

Even at 19, when many players would have started to doubt their chances, he still believed without hesitation that he was going to become a professional.

At the end of that season I moved back to England. Before leaving, I gave a short farewell message to the squad and picked Lyndon out.

“Keep working mate. I think you have a big future.”

He looked me straight in the eyes, in front of the whole squad, and replied,

“I am going to be a pro, Donz.”

There was no uncertainty. It wasn't a hope or a dream. He had decided, and he already had a plan.

That belief changed everything.

This story is a reminder for any player who is starting to doubt themselves.

The most important thing is to know what you want and commit to the process.

What's the worst that can happen? You try and it doesn't work out.

But where could you or your child be four years from now if you stay consistent and keep moving forward?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

P.S If you'd like some help and direction in how to build this type of unwaivering mindset, my Football Mental Mastery guide below will completely transform the way you think on and off the pitch.

It will show you how to turn your wildest footballing dream into a series of actionable steps, so it actually becomes a plan you can systematically work towards.