Ross Millen savoured a special top-flight debut with a superb winner to hammer Hearts.

The Kilmarnock kid, whose father Andy played for the Rugby Park outfit in the 1990s and is back at the club as a coach, was asked to fill in for injured Scotland star Stephen O’Donnell.

Millen did the job brilliantly having previously made just two Cup outings and capped his performance with a sizzling strike 16 minutes from time to move his side into third spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The 24-year-old’s shot after clever build-up work by Greg Taylor and Chris Burke was to hot for home No.1 Zdenek Zlamal to handle as it went straight through him in front of a jubilant away support.

Millen fires home the winner
Killie rise to fourth in the table

It was, however, horrible for Hearts.

It’s now four games without a goal for the Tynecastle outfit and they are now in danger of being overtaken at the top of the table for the first time this term if Celtic obtain a positive result at Livingston on Sunday.

The contest was tight. The type which always looked like being decided by a solitary effort and that was outcome.

Both sides had chances to get it before Millen struck.

Burke missed a glorious one-on-one chance inside a couple of minutes, while Hearts skipper Peter Haring and attacker Craig Wighton shot wide before the interval.

After the restart, home defender Jimmy Dunne headed a corner over the bar and Haring had another shot saved by Killie’s on-loan keeper Daniel Bachmann, who deputised for Jamie MacDonald, who was on the bench.

However, it was Millen who had the final say to send the visitors to within two points of their victims in the table.

10/11/18 LADBROKES PREMIERSHIP HEARTS V KILMARNOCK TYNECASTLE - EDINBURGH Hearts' Steven MacLean shows frustration after having his goal dissallowed

3 talking points

HARD GOING FOR HEARTS

These are testing times for Hearts. Losing Steven Naismith and Uche Ikpeazu was always going to make things tough and it is now four games without a goal for Craig Levein’s team. The Gorgie side ended up with skipper Peter Haring moving up front from the base of the midfield. The dream run at the top of the table could by over by 2pm on Sunday.

KILLIE HAVE DEPTH

Steve Clarke went into battle without international trio Jamie MacDonald, Stephen O’Donnell and Jordan Jones in the starting line-up and they were still able to compete and cope with the league leaders. The manager has built a proper squad of strength with replacements such as young Ross Millen, keeper Daniel Bachmann and Mikael Ndjoli filling the voids were comfort.

SOME-FIN SPECIAL

Alex McLeish has taken a close look at the Rugby Park squad with the inclusions of O’Donnell and MacDonald since taking charge for a second spell and Stuart Findlay might be next. The former Celtic kid has been outstanding since Clarke went into his club and the young centre-back is adding consistency to his standard of best performance. He’s not there yet, but a continuation of the progress might make it a future possibility.