'Losing the game in that manner is tragic': Hearts boss criticises team after Dundee defeat

DISTRAUGHT Hearts boss Craig Levein accused his team of a shooting themselves in the foot as they gifted Dundee a last-gasp winner.

Dens Park youngster Kerr Waddell handed the Jambos manager his first defeat since making his return to the dugout as his double sealed a 2-1 win for the hosts.

The 19-year-old had never netted a senior goal before but ended the game with two as Hearts twice allowed him to jump unmarked to nod home from corners.

His first goal came just seconds before the half-time whistle and he repeated the trick three minutes into stoppage-time.

But Levein was stunned his side could make the same mistake twice.

“Losing the game in that manner is tragic,” said the shell-shocked Tynecastle boss. “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.

“You can sit on the training ground and do things time after time. Okay, our lads were blocked at the corners but it’s up to them to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“All the effort and hard work we put in going into this game went out of the window.”

Victory moves Dundee up to eighth place, just a point behind Hearts.

But for a spell in the latter stages it appeared the Jambos who were heading for thee points.

Kyle Lafferty put his difficult week behind him as he levelled on 77 minutes but Scott Bain rescued Dundee with two late stops to deny Jamie Walker.

‘It was inept, not good enough’: Tommy Wright rages after St Johnstone beaten by Aberdeen

The win comes as much as a relief to manager Neil McCann as it does to Sofien Moussa after the striker’s awful back-pass allowed Lafferty in to score.

McCann hooked the Tunisian after his blunder but hopes his side’s response will send out a powerful message.

He said: “I took Moussa off because I thought he lost his composure. He made a huge mistake and unfortunately for him Lafferty came up with a super goal.

“But it was the first thing I addressed in the changing room after the game. I told him it was unacceptable and that it was a crazy decision. But we’re trying to build something. It’s a team game and you’ll make individual errors, but at some point he’ll dig out a team-mate.

“It wasn’t a firing squad. He was told I wasn’t happy with it but his team-mates rallied round him.”

He added: “I’m not going to sit here and kid anyone on by saying the second half was comfortable as Hearts really pushed us hard.

“But we weathered the storm and got our rewards after pushing two up top, rather than sitting back looking for a point. That’s not what we’re about here. We want to win games and push ourselves up the table.

“Set-pieces have cost us this season so I’m pleased we’ve scored from two of our own.

“And the young boy Waddell, my goodness, he’s so powerful. He showed his determination to get in and put his head on it.”