KERR Waddell's rise has been almost meteoric. If his rapid promotion to the first team wasn't 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 was the two-goal hero for Neil McCann's side who prevailed thanks to his downward header deep in injury time after striker Sofien Moussa's horrendous mistake had gifted Kyle Lafferty his 71st minute equaliser which cancelled out the youngster's initial opener on the stroke of half time.

Waddell hasn't looked back since being handed his debut against Raith Rovers in the League Cup in July to become a mainstay in the Dark Blues defence at the age of just 19, and it was left to the local lad to get fellow team-mate Moussa off the hook having watched the Tunisian hand Lafferty his goal on a plate with a woefully short pass-back.

"Set-pieces have cost us this season so I'm pleased we've scored from two of our own,” smiled Dundee manager McCann as his side stretched their unbeaten run to three games.

"And the young boy Waddell, my goodness. I wouldn't like to get caught in the back of the head from that boy. He showed his determination to get in and put his head on it. I'm so delighted for him.”

Despite their tentative start, Dundee did threaten in 18 minutes as Mark O'Hara's corner was headed over the bar by Darren O'Dea.

Hearts were content to contain the hosts although in 39 minutes they did gain a sight of goal through Jamie Walker, with his effort from distance being deflected wide of Scott Bain's goal for a corner.

But the home team took the lead in 45 minutes in the most simple fashion. Kevin Holt's corner eluded the entire Hearts defence and Waddell was left on his own to plant a free header low into the corner of Jon McLaughlin's net.

Hearts, though, 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 underside of the bar from close-range in 64 minutes having shrugged off the attentions of O'Dea.

Dundee took this as a warning. Shortly after, O'Hara sprung forward and his cross picked out Moussa, only for the summer signing to fail in attempting to keep his shot down as McLaughlin gathered.

However, Moussa had more than just a helping hand in Hearts getting back on level terms in 71 minutes, his attempted a pass-back from inside his own half proving disastrous. With the ball falling way short, Lafferty pounced to round Bain and finished expertly from a tight angle.

Even aided by that good fortune, it was hard to begrudge the Tynecastle club their equaliser, and from then on they pounded the hosts goal, with substitute David Milinkovic forcing a fine save from Bain in their pursuit of a winner.

But Waddell sealed it for the hosts in the 93rd minute with an identical header to his first, nodding home from Paul McGowan's corner to lap up both the adulation of the home support and his own team-mates.

“Losing the game in that manner is tragic, especially given the amount of effort we put in throughout the second half,” said Levein.

“It’s the absolute basic of basics to not pick up men at corner kicks.

“We were excellent in the second half and should have had the game dead and buried and to shoot ourselves in the foot like that near the end was mind-blowing.”