Sheffield Wednesday chose not to sign Aden Flint following their promotion to the Championship. On Saturday, he was in fine form as Mansfield Town remained one of three unbeaten sides in the EFL.
The experienced defender was allowed to leave the club, despite playing a pivotal role in the Owls winning promotion. At 34-years-old, the club felt that better options were out there for them to sign.
Ultimately, letting him go might have proved a mistake. Flint is performing extremely well in League Two and his latest showing came as Wednesday shipped another three goals at Swansea.
The centre-back was signed for a second spell at Hillsborough by Darren Moore in January. He quickly held down a place in the side and made 21 appearances for the club as they won promotion.
Flint might have felt a little bit disappointed not to play in the League One Play-Off Final. He was an unused substitute for that one despite claiming the assist for Liam Palmer’s goal in the dying embers of the semi-final.
Mansfield picked up Flint after the season had started in what can only be described as a coup for the Stags. He has made 11 appearances for his new club and on Saturday he was named Man of the Match.
Who Scored showcase just how useful he was for Nigel Clough’s team as they beat Barrow 1-0. He won six headers during his 90 minutes on the pitch, made four interceptions and also completed five clearances.
Had Wednesday signed Flint, they might still be in the same situation as they find themselves now. That said, he couldn’t really be performing much worse than any of the current central defenders at the club.
At 34, it’s not really a surprise that Flint wasn’t offered a Championship contract. That said, he showing at the moment that there is some life left in the legs just yet.
Admittedly, Flint is now playing two leagues below Wednesday. However, he does have lots of experience in the Championship and he could have been a real leader in the Hillsborough camp.
As a popular figure at Wednesday, fans will be happy to see him playing well at another club. However, given the plight in South Yorkshire right now, some might well wish he was still donning the blue and white.