Bristol City turned £300k into £7m after wise 2013 transfer decision - View | OneFootball

Aden Flint joined Bristol City from Swindon Town and made the Robins huge money

It's fair to say that Aden Flint did things the hard way after working his way up through the ranks from non-league to play in the Championship, and perhaps the most fruitful spell of his career came at Bristol City.

Flint began his career playing for the likes of Pinxton, Alfreton Town and Matlock Town before earning a move to the EFL with Swindon Town in 2011.

The step-up from non-league to the EFL didn't prove a problem for Flint, and after two successful years at the County Ground, he earned a move down the M4 to join then League One side Bristol City.

It was a bit of a punt for Sean O'Driscoll's side given Flint's relative lack of experience, but the £300k they paid for him proved to be a bargain in hindsight, and he'd go on to make them a huge profit.

Bristol City's decision to sign Aden Flint proved an excellent one

After being signed in the summer of 2013, Flint came straight into the Robins' League One starting XI, and he played 43 games in all competitions that season as they finished 12th in the league, but better times were just around the corner.

Flint helped Bristol City lift both the League One title and EFL Trophy during the 2014/15 season in what was a memorable campaign for the Robins, winning a host of awards for his performances.

He was named Bristol City's Player of the Season, named in the League One Team of the Season, and League One's Player of the Month for March 2015 after a season where he made 57 appearances, scoring a whopping 15 goals.

It's almost unheard of for a central defender to score that many goals, and Flint proved his worth at both ends of the pitch, scoring a crucial goal in the EFL Trophy final as well as 14 in the league.

He had no trouble with adapting to the Championship the following season, being named the club's Player of the Season for a second consecutive year, playing 44 of their 46 league games.

It became clear that Flint was one of the best centre-backs in the division, who was also prolific in front of goal, and after a number of successful seasons, including the 2017/18 campaign where he helped the club reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, he was sold to Middlesbrough.

Flint was sold to Boro for a huge £7million, meaning Bristol City had made a £6.7million profit on his arrival five years prior, and his performances coupled with the fee they received for him means he'll always be fondly remembered at Ashton Gate.

In total, he made 246 appearances for the Robins, scoring 38 goals and helping them progress from a mid-table League One club to a stable Championship club, making them a huge profit along the way.

Despite the £7million they paid for him, Flint's time at Boro didn't go as planned as he spent just one season at the Riverside Stadium before departing for Bristol City's Severnside rivals, Cardiff.

He spent three years at the Cardiff City Stadium, which wasn't exactly a popular move with the Robins support, spending some time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday during the second of his three years in the Welsh capital.

A short spell at Stoke City followed his release by Cardiff, where he spent more time on loan with Wednesday, helping them to win promotion from League One, before League Two side Mansfield Town pulled off a coup by signing him in the summer of 2023.

His first season at Mansfield couldn't have gone much better as he skippered them to League Two promotion, and he was also named in the PFA League Two Team of the Season.

Now 35, Flint is still at Mansfield and was awarded the captain's armband before the League One season started, but he suffered an injury just three games in which meant he hasn't played since August.

Losing their club captain was less than ideal for Mansfield, but they find themselves in the play-off places, an unlikely scenario given last season's promotion from League Two.

Flint has shown that, despite his age, he's still an excellent player at League One level, and his career has almost done an EFL full circle.