Dom Hyam has been one of the standout central defenders in the Championship this term and is a major reason why Blackburn Rovers find themselves in the promotion picture, as well as in an FA Cup quarter-final. But there’s one other goal he would love to achieve this year, a first international call-up for Scotland, who take on Cyprus and Spain at the end of the month.
“Personally, I've just got to keep doing my best,” Hyam tells The Sportsman. “That's all I can ever do. None of these decisions come under me or anyone at Blackburn or anything. So all I can do is focus on what I do on the pitch and try and keep some consistency because especially as a centre-half, consistency is one of the big things you look at. So yeah, all I can do is perform on the pitch and see what takes me.”
Hyam was actually at Reading as a youngster when now Scotland manager Steve Clarke was in charge of the Royals - but the two haven’t crossed paths since the manager left in 2015.
“I think I must have been 16 or 17 - I don't know if he remembers me, but yeah, I remember him. So it feels like a lifetime ago, but no, I’ve not spoken to him for a few years.”
He made five appearances for the U21s, but as of yet hasn’t made his full international debut, something he hopes might change over the coming months. Hyam was then asked to name the three things he wants to accomplish before he hangs up his boots, two of which are to do with the national side.
“That is a good one!” he smiles. “Yeah, definitely a Scotland international call up will be good, to play in the Premier League as well would be an unbelievable achievement. There's two, how about one more? I have to be honest, international call up, international debut and playing in the Premier League. We'll go with that.”
Hyam, since joining Blackburn from Coventry in the summer has become an integral part of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s defence. Rovers currently sit fifth in the league and are just a few days away from an FA Cup quarter-final against Sheffield United for a place at Wembley.
“Yeah, maybe dreaming,” the 27-year-old answers when asked if he was thinking of returning to Wembley, where he won the League Two play-off final in 2018. “There is obviously a tough game to come up against Sheffield United. They've done really well. They've done well, beating Tottenham in the previous round as well. So yeah thinking about it, maybe subconsciously. Yeah. But, you know, we've got a tough game coming up and all focus is on that.”
The pair met in the Championship recently at Ewood Park and Rovers were able to exact revenge on the Blades with a 1-0 win, having been beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.
“It can help with confidence but it's a completely different game, might not be two exact same elevens, be changes and different personnel,” Hyam says, previewing the tie. “And obviously, it's at their place as well, which will be a hostile atmosphere for us. And we just got to manage that and see where it takes us. Yeah, it will be a tough game, but we back ourselves.”
“Yep the moods good,” he continues. “It is alright saying that now, we know we're doing well at the moment. But it's obviously been inconsistent for two thirds of the season so far. And, you know, the mood was good throughout that. It's a crazy league, a crazy division, it's just all about sticking together and we're reaping the rewards for that now. We've got a really good squad between us and everyone backs each other up as well.”
Having moved from Coventry to Blackburn this summer in his first major transfer as a senior player, did Hyam think the move would pan out as well as it has in blue and white?
“Honestly, no, I don't think so. No. Obviously, you have ambitions and expectations to a certain level. But you know, at the moment, we're fifth in the league and we are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, so yeah, I couldn't have really thought of a better start.”
