Lyndon Dykes passed the credit to the Scottish coaching staff after his two-goal brace in the emphatic 3-0 win over Ukraine.
Dykes came off the bench alongside Ryan Fraser in the 75th minute and twice headed in for his substitute team-mate’s corners to add to John McGinn’s opener as Scotland topped Nations League Group B1.
The QPR striker thanked coach Austin MacPhee for the set-piece and manager Steve Clarke for making the tactical changes which saw Scotland turn the tide on their opponents.
With skipper Andy Robertson injured, Clarke took the opportunity to return to a back four after Scotland were well beaten by Ukraine with their usual back three system in June, but without the influential Kieran Tierney.
Scotland improved when Clarke moved an extra man into midfield in that 3-1 World Cup play-off defeat and they dominated the vast majority of the Nations League game after starting with Scott McTominay in the middle of the park.
Dykes said: “Thanks to set piece manager Austin, he has been very good since he arrived.
“When I arrived he told me to go to the first post. I went to the first position twice and scored two, so well done to him and all the staff.
“The manager probably watched that match against Ukraine 100 times and came back and thought maybe he could turn things around himself. He turned things around in that game and to his credit, he’s We’re happy for him too.
“We were very determined (to right the wrongs). Everyone got together and wanted to show the fans that we could have done better. Now we focus on this group and we did.
Dykes, who came off at half-time against Ukraine last time out after failing to shake off an injury, has scored six goals in his last seven international appearances.
“When I hit the back of the net it’s the best feeling, especially scoring in front of all the fans here,” said the former Queen of the South and Livingston striker. “It’s something you’ll never forget.
“I really feel at home here, I feel like I’m playing very well under the manager and the boys are brilliant.
“Obviously I struggled a bit with injuries in the last few camps which I was disappointed in because I was on a good run.
“But I’m still going strong and I feel confident every time I come here. I will just continue to hold these positions.
“The manager said when I was coming ‘make sure you impact the game’ and I was happy to do that.
“But I was just happy to get the three points for the team because it was a big three points for the group.”
