The following season, with Forest struggling against relegation from the Premier League, he moved to Aston Villa for £5.5 million in March 1999, after having made 229 appearances for Forest. He soon became a vital team player under then manager John Gregory, and came on as a substitute in the 2000 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. However, following Gregory's dismissal, Stone failed to impress new manager Graham Taylor, and, having failed to land a place at Manchester United two seasons earlier, he was transferred to Portsmouth for the 2002–03 season, having played in 121 games for Villa.