Ashley Michael Fletcher (born 2 October 1995) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for EFL Championship club
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on loan from
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
.
Fletcher began his professional career at
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, having previously played at
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
during his youth. He then went on to join
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on loan in 2016, where he achieved promotion and silverware, before signing for
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
on a free transfer. After just one season at the
London Stadium
London Stadium (formerly and also known as Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford, London, Stratford district of London. It is located ...
, Fletcher relocated to Middlesbrough, where he broke into the first team. Furthermore, he has also briefly played for
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on loan from Middlesbrough, as well as at international level for the
England under-20 team.
Early life
Born in
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, Fletcher attended
Canon Slade School
)
, established = ''ante'' 1855
, closed =
, type = Academy
, trust = The Bishop Fraser Trust
, religious_affiliation = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Headteacher
, head = Mrs K ...
in Bolton, where he obtained 12 GCSEs all with grades of either A or B.
He played football, cricket, basketball, and athletics for the school.
Club career
Manchester United
Fletcher joined
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
at the age of nine, before moving to
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at the age of 13.
He signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in May 2014.
Fletcher signed for
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on loan in January 2016. He scored on his professional debut on 9 January 2016, in a 1–1 draw with
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
Northern Area Final first leg,
and scored his first league goal on 20 February 2016.
On 3 April 2016 he scored a goal in the
2016 Football League Trophy Final as Barnsley won the competition. On 29 May 2016, he scored the opening goal in Barnsley's 3–1 victory in the
2016 Football League One play-off Final against
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
, helping Barnsley return to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
.
In total Fletcher scored nine goals in 27 games for Barnsley during his spell at the club.
After impressing while on loan at Barnsley, Fletcher was offered a new contract at Manchester United amid interest from Championship side
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
. On 23 June 2016, it was reported that he had turned down the contract offer to stay at Manchester United but would continue to train at the club.
West Ham United
In July 2016, Fletcher signed a four-year deal with
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
.
He made his unofficial debut for West Ham United's
Development squad on 15 July 2016 in a 2–0 pre-season friendly defeat away to
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Currently members of they play at the Melbourne Stadium.
History Chelmsford
Chelmsford Football Club was established in 1878 by members of ...
.
His West Ham debut came on 18 August in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
when he was introduced as a last minute substitute for
Andy Carroll
Andrew Thomas Carroll (born 6 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Championship side Reading. He has played in the Premier League and English Football League for Newcastle United, Preston North End, Liv ...
in a 3–0 win over
NK Domžale
Nogometni klub Domžale ( en, Domžale Football Club), commonly referred to as NK Domžale or simply Domžale, is a Slovenian football club that plays in the town of Domžale. They have won both the Slovenian League and the Slovenian Cup twice. ...
.
His
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
debut came again from the substitutes bench on 21 August when he replaced
Håvard Nordtveit
Håvard Nordtveit (born 21 June 1990) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defender or defensive midfielder for Skjold IL in the Norwegian 4th Division.
Club career Norway
Nordtveit began his career as a youth in Norway with V ...
after 80 minutes, in a 1–0 win over
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
.
On 30 November 2016, Fletcher scored his first goal for West Ham, in a 4–1 defeat to Manchester United, in the
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
quarter-final at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
.
Middlesbrough
On 28 July 2017, Fletcher signed for
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
for a fee of £6.5 million, signing a four-year contract. He made his debut on 5 August 2017 against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
in a 1–0 defeat. His first goal for the club came as the last of three in a 3–0 win against
Scunthorpe United on 22 August 2017 in the EFL Cup, his first in the league came in a 3–2 win over
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on 16 September.
On 31 January 2018, Fletcher made a deadline day switch to
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, signing on loan for the remainder of the season. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 4–1 win at
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
on 30 March 2018.
Fletcher was a member of the Sunderland team that suffered relegation to
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
at the end of the season, meaning that the club had suffered two consecutive relegations. Furthermore, his tenure at the club resulted in him appearing in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
documentary series ''
Sunderland 'Til I Die
''Sunderland 'Til I Die'' is a sports documentary series. Produced by Fulwell 73 (named as a homage to Sunderland A.F.C. by its founders), the series documents the events around English football club Sunderland A.F.C.
Released on 14 December 2 ...
'', released on 14 December 2018.
During the off-season, Fletcher returned to Middlesbrough, with fellow Championship club
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
expressing their interest in signing the striker. However, no move materialised, though their manager
Nigel Adkins
Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former player and physiotherapist.
Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tranmere Rovers and Wigan Athletic. He finished his playing career and began his man ...
later attempted to sign him again in the winter transfer window. During his second season with Middlesbrough, Fletcher broke into
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.
Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...
' team. He went on to score 5 goals in 21 league appearances, in a season where Middlesbrough narrowly failed to gain
play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
qualification.
Fletcher claimed the number 11 shirt ahead of the
2019–20 season, the first season under new manager
Jonathan Woodgate. He scored on the first day of the new season: a 3–3 draw at
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
on 2 August. Fletcher managed to push
Britt Assombalonga
Britt Curtis Assombalonga (born 6 December 1992) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Watford and the DR Congo national team. He played in the Football League for Watford, Southend United, Peterborough United, No ...
out of the first-team. In January 2020, Fletcher won the Championship Goal of the Month award for December in recognition for his 30-yard volley against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, which ended in a 2–0 victory in Middlesbrough's favour. In April 2021, with his contract due to end in June, Middlesbrough manager
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...
confirmed that Fletcher had turned down a new contract on reduced terms and had left the club with immediate effect.
Watford
On 20 May 2021, it was reported
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
had agreed to sign Fletcher on a free transfer. On 11 June 2021, Fletcher's transfer to Watford was announced, effective from 1 July. He scored his first goal for the club on his debut in an
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
tie against
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
on 24 August 2021.
On 28 February 2022 he moved to MLS side
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
on a six-month loan deal, with an option to purchase. His loan officially ended with New York on 11 July 2022, with Fletcher having made seven appearances for the Red Bulls, scoring no goals.
On 12 August 2022, he joined
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on a season-long loan.
International career
Born in England, Fletcher is of Jamaican descent. In November 2015, Fletcher made his debut for the
England under-20 side, scoring only 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute. In March 2016, he was called up to face the
Canada under-20s, playing up front with his then Manchester United teammate
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Manchester United and the England national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his explosive ath ...
, and scored in a 4–1 win.
Career statistics
Honours
Barnsley
*
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
:
2015–16
*
Football League One play-offs
The EFL League One play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL League One table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , the play-offs comprise ...
:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
[
]
References
External links
England profile
at The FA
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Ashley
1995 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Keighley
Footballers from West Yorkshire
English footballers
England youth international footballers
English sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Association football forwards
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Manchester United F.C. players
Barnsley F.C. players
West Ham United F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Black British sportspeople
People educated at Canon Slade School
New York Red Bulls players
English expatriate footballers
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Major League Soccer players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players