Birmingham City: Lyndon Dykes could be title-clinching weapon - View | OneFootball

Lyndon Dykes could help Birmingham City to League One glory

Birmingham City are heavily fancied to win the League One title this campaign and earn an immediate return to the Championship, and their early season results have matched expectations.

The Blues have won seven points from a possible nine in the third tier so far, picking up wins away from home against both Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient following their opening-day draw with Reading at St Andrew's.

The biggest threat for Chris Davies' men is Alfie May, who signed from Charlton Athletic this summer, after winning the League One Golden Boot last season by scoring an impressive 23 goals in 43 games.

May has shown that he is capable of collecting that accolade for a second consecutive campaign, as he has already scored three goals in his first three third-tier outings with the Blues.

The Blues' attacking threat is already a daunting prospect for League One opponents, largely thanks to the former Addicks man, but their strikeforce could be set to become even more dangerous, as The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal has revealed that the St Andrew's outfit are set to sign QPR forward Lyndon Dykes for a fee of £1m.

Davies' side are already hot favourites to win the League One title, as they boast a talented squad, including players who are more than capable at Championship level, such as defender Ethan Laird, formerly of Manchester United.

While May would still be the likely candidate to lead the line for the Blues, Dykes is an addition that could help the West Midlands outfit clinch the title ahead of other potential candidates such as Huddersfield Town.

The Scotland international is a totally different striker to May and would give League One defenders a different problem to think about, which could make him an ideal impact sub.

Furthermore, while the former Charlton ace has started the season in blistering form, he will have the odd off day as the campaign wears on and Dykes could provide the perfect remedy.

May is a quick striker whose threat comes from his intelligent movement, as seen when he pounced on a rebound to score during the Blues' recent win at Wycombe.

Dykes, on the other hand, is renowned for his aerial ability and hold-up play, attributes which are not May's greatest strengths despite his undoubted class.

So far this season, Davies has opted to deploy the former Cheltenham Town man as a lone striker, so Dykes would likely be a sub as opposed to forming a strike partnership.

But the current QPR man's impact could be very strong and he could be someone the Blues could depend on during their quest for League One glory.

Last season, Dykes scored six goals in the Championship for an R's side who were battling relegation for the majority of the campaign, but it could be argued he would be more of a regular on the scoresheet for a Blues team vying for promotion from League One.

The 28-year-old also has a habit of scoring goals when it matters most for his side, and scored the winner for the R's as they defeated Preston North End 1-0 back in April.

He then went on to score during his side's 4-0 victory over Leeds United, a result on the penultimate game week of last season which sealed the R's Championship status.

Dykes' ability to score important goals proves that he should have what it takes to help the Blues lift the League One title come the end of the season.

Blues can show how good they are in September

The Blues have had a very strong start to the campaign and could enjoy an undefeated August if they are able to overcome a lowly Wigan Athletic side on Saturday.

But September offers Davies' men to show just how good they are, as they face three sides who many expect to be at the right end of the table come the end of the campaign.

On 16th September, the Blues host Wrexham, before facing a trip to Rotherham United, who may have found their stride by then, just five days later.

The Blues' September ends with a clash with Peterborough United on home soil, and the Posh have a big point to prove after losing in the play-off semi-final to Oxford United last season.

If Davies' side can overcome these potentially tricky hurdles, then it will be an early sign of their title credentials, and perhaps a Dykes goal or two along the way would be the ideal helping hand.