Ashley Fletcher: The footballer who stared into the abyss and found a way back

Ashley Fletcher sat in a darkened car park for 45 minutes, wondering how his career had reached this point. The 29-year-old was emotionally crushed as he forlornly looked into the distance.

Having been tipped for stardom when coming through the ranks at Manchester United alongside Marcus Rashford, he played in the Premier League with West Ham United before joining Middlesbrough for £6.5million.

Then Fletcher’s career took a nomadic turn.

There was a loan at Sunderland, then a permanent switch to Watford in 2021. Fletcher only made six appearances during his three years at Vicarage Road, which encompassed less than impressive loans to New York Red Bulls in MLS, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday. 

He joined League One side Blackpool in July on a two-year deal after the expiry of his contract at Watford — and knew he had a point to prove. Four months later, Fletcher’s career reached its nadir.

“We played Harrogate Town away in the EFL Trophy,” Fletcher tells The Athletic. “I played poorly and got sarcastically cheered off by the Blackpool fans. After the game, I sat in the car park thinking, ‘How has it come to this?’. Ollie Norburn (an experienced team-mate) checked on me to see if I was fine. I struggled to sleep that night. I hit rock bottom in my career.

“Without being disrespectful to Harrogate, they are a League Two side and that night they played their reserves. I’d played in the Premier League and Championship for the majority of my career and I couldn’t get things going during that game. I spoke to my family after and they said I need to take action now or it could get worse.”

In the build-up to Fletcher’s performance against Harrogate, he had scored once and registered two assists in 11 league appearances for third-tier Blackpool. He joined them having failed to register a goal last season with Championship side Wednesday in 28 appearances. Since the 2021-22 season, he has scored just four league goals.

Fletcher had grown tired of his form and the brief sojourns at club after club — but a meeting with Blackpool’s manager Steve Bruce and advice from West Ham striker Michail Antonio and a sports psychologist have transformed his season.

“The morning after the Harrogate game, I spoke to the manager and the coaching staff,” Fletcher says. “We spoke about getting my career back on track and ever since that day, it’s been an upward trajectory. I feel like my old self again and I’m enjoying my football.

“I haven’t felt like this in the last three years, but I feel settled and loved at Blackpool. The last few years have been difficult, being at different clubs on loan and not having much momentum in my career. Fans either love or hate you when you’re a loanee and if it goes wrong, you often bear the brunt of it. When I got stick from the fans, it felt like a hangover from the last few years.

“I got banned after an incident against Wycombe Wanderers in the fourth game of the season and missed the next three games. It was just one thing after another. Blackpool fans probably didn’t feel excited about me joining. I wanted to change that perception, but it just wasn’t happening.

“When I was younger, I used to read what fans said about me on social media. But now I’ve accepted you have good and bad moments in life. It’s nice seeing positive comments from supporters, but I might have a bad game and you’re back to being the worst thing.”

Off the field, Fletcher is settled with wife, Megana, and daughters Sofia, two-and-a-half, and newborn Mabel, two months. Through their support, he has been yearning for stability on the pitch. After confiding in Bruce, Fletcher ended the campaign with 11 goals and eight assists in his 41 league appearances. 

It is the second time in his career (the previous being 2019-20 with Middlesbrough) that he has scored in double figures in a season. The turnaround was such that it led to Fletcher being voted the fans’ player of the year at Blackpool, and of the many people he wants to thank, his sports psychologist Martin Perry is high on the list.

“I thought it was a wind-up when I won the award,” Fletcher deadpans. “I thought, ‘Me? Really?’. But besides my team-mates and the coaching staff, I owe Martin a huge amount of credit. He’s been unbelievable. He’s well regarded and worked with (British heavyweight boxer) Daniel Dubois before the Anthony Joshua fight. Martin unpacked the last few years and has helped heal some of those scars. He’s part of my matchday routine. I’ll speak to him for almost an hour on the morning of every game.

“I initially used him during my loan spell at Sunderland. It was the first time in my career I experienced a lot of stick. There was the infamous line about me needing to be Sunderland’s saviour during their Netflix documentary (Sunderland ‘Til I Die). I was 20 or 21 and signed on deadline day to keep Sunderland up in the Championship. Huge pressure.

“Although they were sadly relegated, I scored a few goals and then had stability when I played for Middlesbrough. So I didn’t use Martin during my time there. But the last three years have made me realise I should’ve used Martin sooner. I was at rock bottom and I needed his help. This turnaround is also largely due to him.”

2024/25 Supporters Player of the Season – Ashley Fletcher 🏆

🍊 #UTMP pic.twitter.com/KpShZmkIG1

— Blackpool FC (@BlackpoolFC) April 28, 2025

Fletcher continues to explain how grateful he is to those around him.

As with Perry, he is keen to express his appreciation for Antonio. The pair were team-mates during Fletcher’s one season at the London Stadium, where his only goal for West Ham came against boyhood club Manchester United in a Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat. Antonio praised the young striker afterwards and they have remained close ever since. It is why Fletcher was distraught upon hearing his friend had been involved in a car crash in December.

“Michail is another who helped me during my lowest moment,” says Fletcher. “He’s someone I can always go to for advice. I was 20 when I joined West Ham and he was the first person I saw at the training ground. Ever since that day, we’ve been really close. I can’t speak highly enough of him. I lived in the apartment next to him in Canary Wharf (in east London) and he helped me settle.

“So when I think about that incident, I’m so grateful he’s still here with us. I was supposed to see Michail that Saturday evening because West Ham had a home game on the Monday. Someone texted me saying, ‘Have you seen this?’. It was a picture of Michail’s car. I texted him, but my message didn’t go through. I just started praying that he would be OK. It was a very scary 24 hours.

“I found out later that night that he was alive, which was the most important thing. I’m just thankful that he’s on the path to making a full recovery. I couldn’t get down to see him in hospital but I saw him at his house. He’s optimistic he’ll be back playing again.”

Slaven Bilic, West Ham’s manager between 2015-17, signed Fletcher as back-up to Andy Carroll, Antonio, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew. Mark Noble, Aaron Cresswell, James Collins and Carroll also helped him integrate into the team. 

A cherished item at Fletcher’s home is a photo of him and his then team-mates celebrating during his Premier League debut, against Bournemouth, after an Antonio goal. He is reminiscing about happier times when he shares a cautionary tale about his introduction to a Premier League dressing room.

Fletcher with Antonio in 2016 (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“We were 15th and weren’t doing well in the league,” says Fletcher. “The fans feared we were going down. Mark Noble got approval from the gaffer for us to go out for a team meal. We got beat on the Saturday and went out the day after because we had Monday off. 

“We went to (£100 a head restaurant) Quaglino’s in central London but I didn’t have as much money as the rest of the lads. The bill came up to £35k ($46.3k) and everyone had to put their (bank) cards on the table for card roulette. I’m agonisingly waiting for the waiter to randomly pull out a card. Me and Declan Rice were the youngest there and thankfully Nobes said we could take our cards out (of the pile). I was so relieved. I wouldn’t have been able to eat for the rest of the year if I had to pay the bill! That really introduced me to elite Premier League football.”

Fletcher joined Middlesbrough for £6.5million the following summer. Across his four seasons there, he scored 27 goals in 107 appearances. Fletcher’s smile remains present as he reflects on his year with West Ham. 

“I didn’t want to leave,” he says. “An offer came in and the owner (David Sullivan) thought it was too good to turn down. I was in pre-season in Austria, the gaffer called me in and said an offer had been accepted. Next thing I know, I’m on a plane to Teesside and I’ve signed for Middlesbrough. It all happened so quickly.

“I enjoyed my time there, but I missed London. Recently, me and my wife went to the 02 Arena (in south-east London) to see Usher. After, we walked around Canary Wharf and it brought back memories.

“That feeling I had at West Ham is how I feel now with Blackpool. We played Bolton and I scored in our 2-1 win. I went to the away end and they cheered me, but this time in a positive way. At one point, I was unsure where I would change their opinions of me.

“I was in a dark place where I truly wondered what was going on with my career. I’m grateful I’ve been able to turn it around.”

(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)

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