Harry Milne has expressed his delight at his new Hearts contract which will see him remain at the club until the summer of 2027.
The left-back joined from Partick Thistle at the beginning of the year and has taken top-flight football in his stride this season.
His performances have saw him earn a well-deserved new contract as he continues his SPFL journey.
Speaking to Hearts TV about his new deal, Milne said:
“Yeah, I’m delighted. When I first came in, it was obviously a short-term contract. There was an element of risk for the club, for me coming from a lower division. It was understandable, but it was obviously just going to be a shorter-term contract.
“The fact that I've managed to make enough of an impact, to get an extension, is obviously great for me, personally. It obviously shows that I've been playing at a well-enough level to deserve it.
“I got a wee taste of it [top-flight football] at the end of last year. Although, you play in lower divisions, you do come up against the top division teams in cups and things like this. You have played them before, and you know the quality of player and the speed of the game and things like that.
“Obviously, the fact that I came in from January as well, you're training with these guys every day, so you get yourself up to speed and adapt to the quality that's around you.
“The quality that we have in the squad here, the fact that you get to train with these boys every day, obviously lifts your own performance to a level where you feel like you can be included in the team and contribute.”
This season Milne has already enjoyed some real highs, with the opening night victory against Aberdeen, the late Derby win as well as three points at Ibrox and he admits it makes the wait for game time all worthwhile.
“Yes, absolutely. When you walk out, especially that first game of the season, we'd done well in the cup up to that point and we'd got through.
“There was a real buzz around the place for me as well, obviously coming from up Aberdeen way anyway. I've got a lot of friends that are Aberdeen fans. For me, that game, walking out in front of the fans and everyone's mental and all buzzing for the game, that was special for me.
“We kicked it off in the right manner. Everyone thrived off the crowd and they give us that extra bit of energy. Obviously, the gaffer tries to instil that too. If you can get the Tynecastle crowd onside, they can be a massive asset for us. They can give the players that extra wee boost that we need to see moments like that.
“In the Derby, I don't think anyone had a particularly good game, me included. I don't think it was one of our better games. Often, Derby games are like that, and nobody really plays too well.
“It's down to one or two moments. They have one that comes off the bar, and we have one, going in and scoring at the end. It was obviously a really special moment. I'll remember that for a long time.”
The left back has also shown his versatility, filling in on the right of midfield, including from the start at Ibrox and he explained the conversations in the build-up with head coach Derek McInnes.
“He phoned me on the Thursday night. He said, ‘you can say no if you want to. It's just an idea I've got’.
“We felt like they were quite strong down their left-hand side. Oisin has been having to do his best at right-back and he's done it really well, but he'll be the first to admit he's not been a natural player there.
“We felt like if we could double up in those areas when Rangers were attacking, we could help to nullify their main threats, which I think we did for the most part. He said, ‘don't worry if you want to say no, I'm not going to drop you from your position if you say no.’
“It was nice just to hear that the manager's got that confidence in you and he can trust you in multiple positions. Obviously, it was a great day for the club and a historic day because we've not won there in a long time. It was nice to be able to contribute to that.”
You can watch Harry’s interview in full on Hearts TV.
