Footballer Alex Fletcher retires at just 25 having tried to restart career after emergency brain surgery following horrific collision with advertising hoarding

Striker Alex Fletcher has retired from football at the age of 25 after colliding with concrete advertising boards during a match and falling into a coma.

The Weston-super-Mare striker returned to action last August, nine months after the horrific incident that took place during Bath City’s National League South match against Dulwich Hamlet in November 2022.

The footballer required emergency surgery before he could begin the long process of learning to walk again.

Fletcher said the crash has left him with balance, timing and coordination issues, and he is permanently deaf in his left ear.

It means that despite an inspiring comeback last year, the striker has now decided to end his career, saying he ‘didn’t feel like the same player’ he did before the accident.

Fletcher, pictured with his fiancée Ellie, required emergency brain surgery and fell into a coma

Fletcher began his career as a product of Plymouth Argyle’s youth academy, making 24 appearances for the south-west club.

He then spent time on loan at Torquay United and Aldershot Town before signing a permanent contract with Tiverton Town before moving to Bath in 2021.

The forward made 56 appearances for the Somerset side, scoring 23 goals, before never playing for the team again after he crossed into the penalty area and was unable to stop his momentum as he crashed into the boarding behind the goal.

Fletcher joined the Brain Health department of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) last summer, where he highlighted the importance of looking after your brain as a footballer.

Last October it was confirmed that he had been signed by Weston-super-Mare and the striker scored one goal in 11 appearances for the club, also spending a spell on loan at Tiverton Town that season.

Fletcher announced his retirement on Instagram, saying: ‘For me it would be going too far to continue playing football and I’m really disappointed about it.

‘I think I owed it to myself to get back on the field, that really helped my recovery.

‘I felt like I wouldn’t have been able to cope emotionally with the chances if they took away my chance to get back on the pitch.

The Weston-super-Mare striker returned to action last August, nine months after the horrific incident

But Fletcher said the collision left him with balance, timing and coordination problems, as well as permanently deaf in his left ear.

‘Since I got back on the field, I felt something was missing in my game.’

‘All these three football components are the most important factors that have made me a good player.’

Weston-super-Mare manager Scott Bartlett added that the 25-year-old had ‘taken everything in his stride’, the BBC defeated.

He added: ‘He’s an intelligent person with a wonderful family, who recently had a very important new addition. That’s obviously the most important thing.

‘I haven’t actually known Alex for that long, but he has impressed me and the rest of the club.’

Last April, Fletcher shared his experiences with emergency brain surgery.

There was immediate concern for Fletcher as he received immediate medical attention and the match was quickly stopped.

He admitted that the match had been called off, which quickly made it clear to him how serious the injury he had sustained was.

“At that point I knew it had to be serious,” Fletcher told The Guardian, recalling the abandonment.

‘I remember feeling a bit guilty and thinking, “Oh no, Dulwich has come all the way from London”. I know what that’s like, it’s an absolute pain to have to make that journey again, especially on a Tuesday night.’

Fletcher said he was overwhelmed by the support he had received since the shocking incident

The attacker was taken to hospital by ambulance and recalls telling himself to stay conscious, fearing he might not wake up if he passed out.

“I felt like if I fell asleep or passed out, it would be over,” he continued.

‘I said to myself, “You have to stay awake as long as you can.” I think it was a sink-or-swim kind of reaction. Then I remembered the lights when I was wheeled into the hospital, really bright lights above my head. Subconsciously I knew I had arrived somewhere where I was going to be taken care of. After that, I completely fell off the map.’