Young midfielder Steven Hetherington has become the latest player to go out on loan, joining Lanarkshire neighbours Airdrie Utd for a month.
He’s the second Steelmen youngster to play for the Diamonds this season, following in the footsteps of winger Josh Watt who was farmed out in October last year.
Hartlepool-born, Hetherington has found regular first-team football difficult to come by and is behind the likes of Keith Lasley, Nicky Law and Stuart Carswell for a start in the middle of the park.
The former Rangers man made his bow in claret and amber as a substitute as ‘Well came from behind to draw with St Johnstone in August 2012 and quickly followed that up with a start against St Mirren, where he marked the occasion with a crunching tackle on Saints’ Dougie Imrie seconds into the game.
He also got his first European start when he formed part of the midfield that took to the field against Levante in the Ciutat de València in the UEFA Europa League.
He has been a regular for Jonatan Johansson’s Under 20s side but has gone on loan to the First Division side to gain valuable first-team experience.
Hetherington is just the latest in a list of players who have been used in short-term deals this season – Nicky Devlin (Dumbarton), Jonathan Page (Hamilton), Josh Watt (Airdrie Utd) and Craig Moore (Cowdenbeath) the others.