Highly-rated Hearts starlet Harry Stone makes loan move

Hearts goalkeeper Harry Stone has joined Albion Rovers on loan until the end of the season.

Harry Stone has joined Albion Rovers on loan. Picture: SNS

The highly-rated starlet makes the switch to the League Two side to gain further experience.

Stone had been on loan to Spartans prior to postponement of football below the Championship. He had previously spent a short time with Stirling Albion on an emergency loan, keeping a clean sheet against Queen’s Park.

The 18-year-old will be team-mates with former Hearts ace Ryan Stevenson.

Albion find themselves second bottom of the fourth tier and first-choice goalkeeper Ryan Goodfellow left the club in January.

The team return to action later this month after League One and League Two were given the green light to finish the season.

Brian Reid, Rovers boss, told the club’s website: “Harry is someone we have been chasing for a period of time, he is highly thought of at Hearts and as such, they were keen to hold onto him until the situation for the lower leagues became a bit clearer.

“We needed another goalkeeper after Ryan’s (Goodfellow) departure, but I felt it was important to get someone in with real quality and with Harry we have got that, he’s vocal and has all the attributes a quality goalkeeper needs.”

Stone is well thought of at Tynecastle and seen as a possible long-term successor to Craig Gordon.

He signed a new deal until 2023 in October.

“There is no doubt he is a good keeper so we will just try to progress him as quickly as we can,” manager Robbie Neilson said back in August.