Harry Milne admits signing for Hearts is a dream come true and says he can’t wait for his first taste of Premiership football.
The left back joins the Jambos from Partick Thistle, where he spent the last two-and-a-half seasons, prior to that, Milne was integral to Cove Rangers’ rise from the Highland League to the Championship under former Jambo Paul Hartley.
The 28-year-old has featured in the Highland League, League Two, League One and the Championship, with the move to Hearts being the next step in a special career.
“I’m absolutely buzzing, Milne told Hearts TV.
“Just being around the place today has been really special for me. Being out and seeing the stadium is just amazing.
“I think the opportunity to come to the top division in the country would be too good to turn down, never mind to one of the biggest clubs in the country.
“For me, absolutely a no-brainer. Obviously, I had a great time at Thistle, and I respect all the fans, the staff and the players and everyone who helped me. I think they agree with me that it was time to move on and I'm at a level now where I think I can excel in the Prem.
“To get the call yesterday morning saying that a bid had gone in was just out of this world. So, obviously, absolutely buzzing.”
His special rise through the divisions is a story in itself, but after initially swithering on whether to move into full-time football, Milne admits he will take nothing for granted, having worked extremely hard to get to the position he finds himself in.
“I didn't really want to go full-time for a long time. When I was doing my degree, I thought I could get a good job and make a good part-time wage. But then I fell back in love with football and worked hard to get to where I've got to.
"The kind of player that takes nothing for granted. I know where I've come from. I've come up from the Highland League and worked my way up.
"But I've got here by listening to all my coaches, listening to more experienced pros, taking advice. Don't make the same mistake again. I feel like I've deserved to be where I am. I've made a lot of sacrifices to do this. I'm just buzzing that it's finally come to fruition.”
“Every level has got different challenges and every challenge brings something new to overcome. Each league is pretty similar as you come up the leagues, but there's slightly better quality in each of them.
"The Championship's been the biggest test for me, of course. You go to some quite difficult ground where the pitches aren't too good, especially at this time of year, and you've really got to grind out results. That's the kind of player that I am. I'm a battling player and I leave it all out there. That's what you can expect to see from me.”
Having already experienced the Tynecastle atmosphere as an opposition player, Milne is already well aware of the unique nature of the stands and atmosphere and laughed that he’s looking forward to receiving some kinder words from the terraces.
“I’m hoping to be on the end of some nice words rather than bad words from the fans.
“I fell in love with the fact that the fans are so close to all the players and the stands look steep. It looks like a bit of a cauldron. It's an amazing stadium to play in. The fact that I'll get to play at this every second week is just amazing to me. I just can't wait.”
Finally on what fans can expect to see from Milne in a maroon jersey, he added:
“I'm pretty all or nothing. I always give everything for the badge that I'm playing for and this is going to be no different. Hopefully I can make the difference where it really counts.”
You can watch Harry’s interview in full on Hearts TV.
