WADDELL KEEPS UP WHIRLWIND START
Breakthrough defender clinches a priceless victory
KERR WADDELL couldn’t have dreamt of making such a powerful impact. If his rapid promotion to the first team wasn’t quite enough, the teenager gave Dundee victory in the most dramatic fashion yesterday as Craig Levein suffered his first defeat since returning as Hearts manager.
Waddell’s downward header deep in stoppage-time sealed a huge three points after striker Sofien Moussa’s horrendous mistake had gifted Kyle Lafferty a 71st-minute equaliser which cancelled out the youngster’s initial headed opener on the stroke of half-time.
A product of the Dens Park youth system, Waddell hasn’t looked back since being handed his debut against Raith Rovers in the Betfred Cup in July to become a mainstay in the Dark Blues defence at the tender age of just 19.
It was left to the local lad to get fellow team-mate Moussa off the hook having watched the Tunisian hand Lafferty his goal with a woefully short pass-back, and once more the kid stepped up to the plate.
A fortnight earlier, 29-year-old Moussa had endeared himself to his new club with a goal in their 3-2 win over St Johnstone, but here he messed up only to end up the most relieved man inside Dens Park.
Both sides came into this fixture on the back of a recent revival.
McCann, acknowledging the physical threat which Hearts posed, made three changes from the side which drew 1-1 away to Kilmarnock the previous weekend.
Cammy Kerr dropped to the bench with Faissal El Bakhtaoui and AJ Leitch-Smith, while Mark O’Hara, Moussa and skipper Darren O’Dea all returned.
Hearts, who arrived on Tayside in decent spirits stemming from a three-game unbeaten sequence, suffered a setback as early as the eighth minute when Aaron Hughes limped off and was replaced by Prince Buaben, the former Dundee United midfielder.
Despite the tentative start, Dundee did threaten in 18 minutes as O’Hara’s corner was headed over the bar by O’Dea, who could have done better.
A few minutes later, Lewis Spence picked up possession and skipped past a couple of challenges before filtering a low left-foot shot past Hearts keeper Jon McLaughlin.
The visitors were content enough to contain the hosts, although in 39 minutes they did gain a sight of goal through Jamie Walker — with his long-range effort deflected wide of Scott Bain’s goal.
But it was Dundee who took the lead on 45 minutes in the most simple fashion.
Kevin Holt’s corner eluded the entire Hearts defence and Waddell was left on his own to rise and plant a free header low into the net.
Hearts began brightly after the break. Esmael Goncalves, their Portuguese striker, was trying his utmost to energise the visitors and he brought out a reflex save from Bain, before striking the bar from close range in 64 minutes.
While at one end, Moussa missed a great chance for Dundee, at the other he gift-wrapped Hearts their leveller in 71 minutes.
Under no pressure, the forward attempted a pass-back inside his own half which proved disastrous.
With the ball falling well short, Lafferty rounded Bain and finished expertly from a tight angle.
It was hard to grudge Hearts their equaliser, and from then on they pounded the hosts’ goal, with substitute David Milinkovic forcing a fine save from Bain as they strove for a winner. Lafferty had a chance to win it in the final minute but the Northern Ireland international shot into the side-netting.
And it was Waddell who capped his recent meteoric rise by clinching it for the hosts right at the death with an identical header to his first, nodding home from Paul McGowan’s corner to lap up the adulation of the home support and his team-mates.