Celtic’s Christopher Jullien was left looking a little ‘timid’ by Livingston’s Lyndon Dykes

In his seven months in Scotland it hasn’t been often that Celtic’s Christopher Jullien has seemed to shrink in size from his imposing 6ft 5in frame. Lyndon Dykes appears to have a curious ability to make that happen, though.

Livingston's Lyndon Dykes gave Celtic a torrid time on Wednesday. Picture: Craig Williamson / SNS

The French defender endured a torrid time against the Livingston striker at Almondvale in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw – just as he did in the previous 2-0 win over the Scottish champions that prompted him to admit to being “nervous” facing up to the bustling and crafty frontman. It isn’t likely to appeal to Jullien that Dykes believes he does inspire a certain timidity in the man signed for £7 million from Toulouse last summer.

“I just go out like it’s another person and do my best,” said the Australian. “I think that’s twice now I’ve ruffled him out a bit and he hasn’t liked it. So that’s pleasing.

“I heard he said that [he was nervous last time at Livingston]. I don’t know what it is. Maybe he was a bit timid and a few times I got in behind him and he was a bit nervous. It’s a big compliment to me because he’s a £7m defender saying something like that about me. But he’s a great player and he shows that week in, week out. I just went out to do my best and show him he wasn’t going to get an easy time of it.”

The last-gasp Celtic equaliser the other night denied Livingston an eighth straight home win across all competitions. Such consistency tends to be attributed to the club’s artificial surface and their aggressive approach. Dykes, who has shown he can play as well as put himself about with 12 goals and ten assists in 32 appearances this season, says that the “battlers on plastic” idea of Livingston is a far too simplistic reading of what the West Lothian side are all about.

“We have a great home record. So we deserve praise, we work hard and make it difficult for teams coming here.

“It’s the first thing that people speak about when they talk about us – ‘oh it’s physical Livingston’. But we do what we do in the opposition half and we do play nice football too. We were defending a lot because Celtic are a good team, but I don’t think we should only be known as just a physical team.”

Whatever presence Dykes has, physical or otherwise, it seems international football beckons. Socceroos assistant Rene Meulensteen watched him in midweek, but the player is also open to representing Scotland, where his parents are from. “International squads are announced in two weeks I think and obviously I would love something to happen,” Dykes said. “But you know as much as me.”