At just 25 years old, former striker Alex Fletcher has been forced to hang up his boots due to a devastating injury that left him in a coma.
The Weston-super-Mare forward made a remarkable comeback to the pitch last August, nine months after a horrific accident during a National League South game against Dulwich Hamlet in November 2022. Fletcher collided with concrete advertising hoardings, requiring emergency brain surgery and leaving him in a coma.
Although he made a valiant effort to relearn how to walk, Fletcher was left with lasting balance, timing, and coordination issues, as well as permanent deafness in his left ear. Despite his inspiring return to football, Fletcher has now decided to retire, citing that he no longer feels like the same player.
Alex Fletcher has retired from football at the age of 25 after he crashed into concrete advertising hoardings during a match leaving him in a coma
Fletcher, pictured with fiancee Ellie, needed emergency brain surgery and was put into a coma
Fletcher started his career as a Plymouth Argyle academy product, making 24 appearances for the South-West club. He then had loan spells at Torquay United and Aldershot Town, as well as a permanent contract at Tiverton Town, before moving to Bath in 2021.
The forward made 56 appearances for the Somerset side, scoring 23 goals, but never featured for the side again after the accident. Fletcher took up a role at the Brain Health department of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) last summer, emphasizing the importance of looking after one’s brain as a footballer.
Last October, it was confirmed he had been signed by Weston-super-Mare, scoring one goal in eleven appearances for the outfit. He also spent some time on loan at Tiverton Town that season.
In an Instagram post announcing his retirement, Fletcher expressed his sadness, stating that continuing to play football would be “one step too far” for him.
“I think I owed it to myself to get back on the pitch, that really did drive my recovery,” Fletcher said. “I felt like if I had that opportunity to return to the pitch stripped away from me, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that emotionally.”
The Weston-super-Mare forward returned to action last August nine months after the horrific incident
But Fletcher said the collision left him with balance, timing and coordination issues as well as being permanently deaf in his left ear
Weston-super-Mare manager Scott Bartlett praised Fletcher, stating that the 25-year-old had “taken everything in his stride” and made an “impression” on the club.
Last April, Fletcher opened up about his experience undergoing emergency brain surgery, revealing that the game being called off quickly highlighted the severity of his injury.
Fletcher recalled telling himself to stay awake during the ambulance ride to the hospital, fearing that he may not wake up again if he fell asleep.
“I felt like if I fell asleep or passed out, that could have been it, really,” Fletcher said. “I was telling myself: ‘You have to stay awake for as long as you can.’ I suppose it was that kind of sink-or-swim reaction.”