Hearts explain why they are sending goalkeeper out on loan

Liam Fox has explained why the move is being made

Hearts goalkeeper Liam McFarlane has joined East Fife on a season-long loan to gain first-team experience. The 19-year-old will spend the 2024/25 campaign Bayview aiming to play regularly in League Two under manager Dick Campbell.

McFarlane played 34 times for the Hearts B team last season, helping them finish second in the Lowland League and winning the B team Players’ Player of the Year award. The loan move is designed to help his development and Liam Fox, the club’s B team coach, explained the thinking behind it.

“Liam enjoyed a fantastic campaign last season, which saw his game improve with more regular game time,” Fox told the official Hearts website. “He was fully deserving of his recognition at the end of season awards, but now it’s time for a new challenge.

“I see this loan move as a good next step for Liam to go and test himself at that higher level. Hopefully, this will bring about further improvement in his game, and he’ll return to the club a better player.”

Fellow goalkeeper Harry Stone is already on loan at Ayr United for the season ahead as he also looks to augment his experience of senior football. With Craig Gordon, Zander Clark and Ryan Fulton all competing for the No.1 position in the first-team squad, the two younger keepers will hope to feature regularly for their loan teams.