Former Bath City striker Alex Fletcher has announced his retirement from football.
The 25-year-old was left in a coma in November 2022 after colliding with a perimeter wall at the Bristol End at Twerton Park. After a lengthy delay, the match against Dulwich Hamlet was abandoned.
Fletcher was discharged from hospital a month later and had to learn to walk again.
He suffered permanent deafness in his right ear following the accident but having worked his way back to full fitness, the National League South side offered him a short-term contract for the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
The former Plymouth Argyle youngster returned to playing in August 2023 before departing the Romans three months later for Weston-super-Mare.
With opportunities limited at the Woodspring Stadium, Fletcher spent time on loan at Tiverton Town earlier this year, the club he had departed to join Bath City in January 2021.
The striker made 72 appearances for City, scoring 28 goals.
He was the club’s Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season.
“I’m really gutted about it,” said Fletcher, who broke down in tears in a filmed interview with his dad, Paul.
“I’ve got to be so grateful on one hand because I’m able to live life relatively normal compared to what I was before.
“Since I made my recovery on the pitch there was something about my game that was missing.
“I didn’t feel the same player as I did before the accident.
“I know that’s normal with a lot of injuries, but with a brain injury there’s not only the PTSD side of what happened, there’s also the physical impairment which I’ve got.
“In a recent brain scan, it showed the physical impact on my cerebellum is affecting my balance, co-ordination and timing.
“All three of those components in football are what made me a good player.
“Obviously there are a few differences like my deafness and vertigo which cause me a few issues.
“Carrying on playing football was probably one step too far.
“I’ve still got memories to last a lifetime.”
(Picture courtesy of Simon Howe)
