After rising through the ranks from non-league to play in the Championship, it’s safe to say that Aden Flint learnt his lessons the hard way. His most successful period of work may have been at Bristol City.
Before being granted a transfer to the EFL with Swindon Town in 2011, Flint started his career playing for teams like Pinxton, Alfreton Town, and Matlock Town.
Flint found it easy to make the transition from non-league to the EFL, and after two productive seasons at the County Ground, he was granted permission to go down the M4 to join Bristol City, who were then in League One.
Given Flint’s relative inexperience, Sean O’Driscoll’s team took a bit of a risk, but the £300k they paid for him turned out to be a great deal after all, and he would go on to generate enormous profits for them.
Bristol City’s decision to sign Aden Flint proved an excellent one
Flint joined the Robins in the summer of 2013 and was immediately inserted into the League One starting lineup. That season, the team finished 12th in the league despite Flint playing 43 games in all competitions. However, better times were on the horizon.
In what was a great season for the Robins, Flint assisted Bristol City in winning the League One title and the EFL Trophy. He also won numerous honours for his efforts.
After a season in which he made 57 appearances and scored an incredible 15 goals, he was named the Player of the Season for Bristol City, included in the League One Team of the Season, and the League One Player of the Month for March 2015.
A central defence scoring that many goals is practically unheard of, and Flint demonstrated his value on both sides of the ball by scoring 14 goals in the league and a pivotal goal in the EFL Trophy final.
The next season, he played in 44 of the 46 league games and was voted the club’s Player of the Season, demonstrating his ease of adjustment to the Championship.
After several productive seasons—including the 2017–18 campaign, in which he assisted the team in reaching the EFL Cup semifinals—it became evident that Flint was among the greatest center-backs in the division and a prolific goal scorer. Nevertheless, he was traded to Middlesbrough.
Bristol City had profited £6.7 million from Flint’s entrance five years earlier, and his performances, along with the money they received for him, ensure that he will always be remembered with affection at Ashton Gate. Flint was sold to Boro for an incredible £7 million.
He made 246 appearances for the Robins in all, scoring 38 goals and assisting them in their transformation from a struggling League One team to a reputable Championship team, resulting in a significant profit along the way.
Aden Flint’s career since leaving Bristol City
