According to Alex Fletcher, it was an ordinary matchday that quickly descended into the extraordinary and nearly ended in tragedy. The two-hour car ride from Exeter to Twerton Park with a few of his Bath City companions, and his double step and jump before the pre-match handshakes were regular occurrences. Three days earlier, he had scored the game-winning goal against Tonbridge Angels in the National League South, and he was on top of his game as the club pushed for the sixth-tier playoffs. Fletcher collided with advertising hoardings made of reinforced concrete blocks during the fifth minute of a November match against Dulwich Hamlet. He had been attempting to cross the ball for the first time after racing after a pass and receiving a shove.
His head ached and his ears rang with a deafening ringing sound. On-scene paramedics treated him for concussion and potential spine complications while keeping him still.
The concern on the faces of his manager, Jerry Gill, the Bath chairman, Nick Blofeld, and his teammates, as they drifted in and out of his field of vision, told him everything he needed to know. Fletcher says, “Then I heard the stadium announcer say the game was canceled.” “At that point, I realized the situation was grave. I recall feeling some remorse and thinking, “Oh no, Dulwich has traveled from London.” I understand what it’s like to have to make that trip again, especially on a Tuesday evening.
Forty-five minutes later, he was in a neck brace in the rear of an ambulance with his mother, Alison, in the front, en route to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for emergency neurosurgery. Fletcher vomited on an arriving paramedic. Paul, his father, followed in a car. Fletcher states, “I truly believed that if I fell asleep or passed out, that would have been it.” “I told myself, ‘You must remain awake for as long as possible.'” I assume it was an instance of sink or swim. Then, as I was being wheeled into the hospital, I recall the extremely glaring lights above my head. Subconsciously, I knew I had reached a place where I would be cared for. I lost consciousness after that.
Ellie, his betrothed, arrived at the hospital to find Fletcher unresponsive and convulsing.
Emergency CT imaging revealed that Fletcher had sustained multiple skull fractures and significant brain swelling. “As grim as it sounds, the concern was the brain exploding from the pressure,” he explains. Dr. Neil Barua drained cerebral fluid from Fletcher’s brain, removed small fragments of his cranium and vertebrae, inserted a pressure monitor, and induced a week-long coma.
The neurosurgeon informed Fletcher’s family that his injuries were consistent with a motorcycle accident, as opposed to a National League South game, and painted a concerning picture. “They were informed that my prognosis was bleak and that, even if I survived, it might not be feasible for me to resume my previous lifestyle. My family was prepared for the possibility that I would wake up and not recognize them or be a completely different person.”
It is inspiring and affecting to hear Fletcher describe the incident with such optimism. He had to relearn how to walk but considers himself fortunate that the only known long-term effects of the incident are the loss of hearing in his left ear and impaired vision in his right eye, for which he will receive a hearing device this week. And he experiences extreme double vision. He says with a laugh, “I’m hoping that one day my vision will return, which will be a significant factor because I can’t play football with two balls on the pitch.”
Fletcher has palpable regard for Barua. “The NHS is extraordinary beyond description.
He [the surgeon] would have received the call that evening as he was preparing for bed, and he was effectively briefed en route to the hospital. Then, without warning, he is ready to operate and save my life, which I just… I continue to struggle to comprehend this to this day. Some individuals refer to this as penalty pressure. It pales in comparison to what these men accomplish.” Fletcher’s concern for the wellbeing of the Bath ground staff, physios, and paramedics who assisted him that night speaks volumes about his character: “I’ve had good catchups with them to make sure they’ve dealt with what happened properly.”
The story of Fletcher sent shock vibrations throughout the game. A Bath supporter created a GoFundMe page that has raised over £18,000, including £500 from the club’s rivals Taunton Town. At one end of Twerton Park, a massive banner that proclaims “Super Alex Fletcher” has been installed. According to Fletcher, the deluge of communications brought him to tears. In a video sent from Qatar, Gareth Southgate sent his best regards. “The fact that he took the time during the World Cup to send me that message opened my eyes and gave me the confidence to think, ‘Yes, I can do this and continue making progress”
The 24-year-old has recently completed a 5km run in 21 minutes and has begun to participate in pregame warmups. “I still occasionally experience mild vertigo when I wake up in the morning. I’m crushing it compared to my hospital stay and mobility.” He grins. “Physically and mechanically, I’m getting back to where I want to be to return to football. My only concern is what the physician will say moving forward.
I just need to listen to his instructions to return. I will never again place my life in danger.”
As for the composition of advertising hoardings and their proximity to playing fields, Fletcher and the Professional Footballers’ Association have advocated for stricter regulations to improve player safety and have brought the matter to the attention of Stuart Andrew, the sports minister. The Professional Footballers’ Association has stated that incidents such as Fletcher’s and the hospitalization of Stockport defender Macauley Southam-Hales in December after colliding with advertising hoardings during an FA Cup match should serve as a wake-up call to the sport. Would you put a masonry wall at the finish line of a 100-meter race? Fletcher affirms. Therefore, why would you do it so near to the edge of a football pitch? Something must be altered because it makes no logic.”
Fletcher now finds pleasure in the ordinary. “I appreciate every day that I can accomplish something. Whereas in the past it may have seemed like a chore to go on a run to maintain my fitness level or to do the weekly grocery shopping, I now think, ‘I get to do that. I am capable of doing so.'”
His family and fiancée are supportive of his desire to return to the sport. But first, Fletcher, who has returned to work four days a week as an IT project manager, is looking forward to a wedding on May 28 with his companion of more than a decade, Ellie. “I was concerned about it for some time,” he says. “However, it appears that I will be able to attend and walk down the aisle.”
