Cardiff City defender Aden Flint has discussed joining the rivals of his former club Bristol City, suggesting he hopes there remains a mutual respect between him and Robins fans.

The central defender made nearly 250 appearances for the Bs3 outfit across a five-year spell, helping them win League One and the EFL Trophy, and then establish themselves as a Championship club.

He left Ashton Gate to join Middlesbrough in 2018 before making the switch to Cardiff, the Robins' Severnside rivals, last summer.

The defender has been in and out of the starting XI during his debut season with Cardiff but, as ever, has proved a threat in both boxes – grabbing four goals and six assists in his 30 appearances this term.

Speaking to The Exiled Robin, Flint discussed playing for both the Robins and the Bluebirds.

He said: "Obviously, people aren’t going to like me now because I play for a rival club. But I don’t want people to forget the great times we had together.

"For 90 minutes when we play against each other we are rivals. Fans can treat me as a rival. But after that I’d like to think that a mutual respect still remains?

"I have to say I’ve always had a great reception off City fans. Football is everything to people and I can fully understand how it makes people so emotional."

Flint was unable to help his side avoid defeat when they welcomed his former side to the Cardiff City Stadium back in November, with Josh Brownhill's longe-range effort proving the difference between the two sides.

The return fixture was scheduled for the 5th of April but was postponed, meaning the Severnside rivals will get another chance to secure the bragging rights if the 2019/20 campaign resumes.

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The Verdict

This is an honest assessment from Flint and it is really interesting to hear his perspective on a move that is likely to have frustrated more than a few Bristol City fans.

The 30-year-old was a fantastic servant for the Robins and though his contributions are unlikely to be forgotten, they will have been marred slightly by his move to Cardiff.

It will be very interesting to see what sort of reception he gets from the Ashton Gate faithful when he returns as a Bluebirds player.