Floodlights, Di Canio and a stench of asphalt: The coming of age story of Sheffield Wednesday’s Aden Flint

The date was March 6 2008 and Flint was a long way away from £7m transfer fees and League One title tilts, lining up in the colours of Pinxton Town, the local side of a village around 4,500-strong in population punching above their weight in the Central Midlands Football League – sponsored by Abacus Lighting.

The talented teenager, not long out of school, was already Pinxton’s star man, though not so much of a burgeoning superstar that his name was spelled correctly in a commemorative programme printed locally for an exhibition match laid on to mark the ‘grand opening’ and first use of Pinxton’s new floodlights.

Nicky Law's Alfreton Town were the special guests and Flint – playing as ‘Aiden’ for the evening – played well at the back and scored from a corner. Law took him on trial, paid Pinxton £1,000 for his services and within a month or so the young centre-half was battling gnarled old pros in the Conference North.

“I never had a trial or a sniff of an academy or anything when I was at school. I played as much as I could for any local team that would have me,” Flint told The Star, reacting to surprise that someone of his immense physical attributes hadn’t been picked up by the professional clubs nearby much younger.

“When I left school I wasn’t particularly tall. I had a growth spurt when I was 15 or 16 and started to play men's football straight from school. I didn’t think a thing of playing professionally really I just loved playing four times a week, too; Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon then the same again on a Sunday.

“I was playing as a striker for ages then and was playing for my village when my manager one day pulled me and said I’d be better as a defender, which came as a bit of a surprise. But it worked out in the end.”

Work out it did. With a few quid in appearance fees in his wallet, Flint quickly became a star for Alfreton via a stint out on loan with Matlock Town. But out of school and with a life to start building towards, that few quid wasn’t nearly enough to sustain a six-foot-six 20-year-old enjoying everything his first years of independence and making his way in the world.

Balancing-off his part-time football commitments, he picked up a job with pals rocking nightshifts on the roads.

On one occasion, he completed a sweaty day shift breathing in the hellish asphalt and god-knows-what, travelled to Alfreton for an evening match and immediately reported for a night shift in Grimsby. He'd throw up at training such was the workload he’d placed on himself.

“I left school and needed some cash in the back pocket so when I wasn’t playing football I was busy tarmacking the roads with a couple of my mates," he said. “They’ve got their own companies now so we’ve all done alright.

“They were long, long days and hard graft. Up at six in the morning, back at six at night and then going to football. They were long days and there were days I must have been exhausted but looking back I’m glad I did it that way. It wasn’t easy, but I worked hard and it taught me something.”

Not long into a three-year stint at Alfreton Law could see a talent worthy of EFL attention and began touting him to clubs in the medium-distance, among them Rotherham United, Chesterfield, Sheffield United and yes.. Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls passed and while Colchester United appeared confident of taking him on in the January 2011 window, Flint made the decision to sign for League One Swindon Town and Danny Wilson, who loaned him back out to Alfreton for the rest of the campaign with a view to integrating him into the Robins’ set-up the following year.

“He’s the person that took a chance on me and gave me a chance in professional football and I will always be grateful for that,” Flint said.

“Danny managed in the Premier League so it was completely invaluable getting advice from people like that that have been and done it. The step up was very different, miles different to what I was used to. I went back in at League Two when Di Canio was manager and it was just about working hard.

“The step up from part-time to training every day and maintaining your standards was different but I’ve not looked back.”

Flint’s next Swindon manager? Another Wednesday figure – Paolo Di Canio. The pair shared promotion from League Two but a cursory Google of the two names reveals the Italian flew off the handle after a Johnstone’s Paint defeat to rivals Oxford, blaming the then 23-year-old had played ‘like he was on holiday’ and questioned his credentials as a third tier player. Flint holds no grudges.

“He was mad as a box of frogs! But what people sometimes miss is that he was a great coach.

“Some of his methods off the pitch weren’t one I’d do myself, he banned mayonnaise and ketchup which didn’t go down all that well. But he was a really good coach and he was such an incredible player. It was great to work with him.”

Within a season Di Canio had moved on to Sunderland and Flint to Bristol City, where he became a club legend of nearly 250 appearances, picking up a League One title along the way. Eye-watering transfer fees of £7m and £6m to Middlesbrough and Cardiff City came as he became on of the most highly-rated players outside of the top tier.

But such a glittering, battling EFL career would never have been achieved were it not for those long nights tarmacking roads – and certainly not had Pinxton’s brand new floodlights failed.

“I know what it’s like to have that proper job and I think it makes me even more grateful for the position I’m in now,” Flint reflected. “I’ve done the hard graft and gone through non-league to get where I am now.

“It definitely gave me an appreciation of what a week’s pay packet looks like.

“It’s a cliche, but football is nothing without the fans and plenty of my mates back home work all week and go to watch football matches at the weekend. It’s what they live for and it’s great when fans and the team are together.”

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