ALEX FLETCHER has retired from football at the age of 25.
The footballer overcame being in a coma and a fractured skull after he crashed into an advertising hoarding in 2022.
The forward suffered the horrific incident while playing for Bath City in a National League South clash against Dulwich Hamlet.
Fletcher had to undergo emergency surgery before having to relearn to walk.
After nine months, he returned to the pitch for the first time since the incident and joined Weston-super-Mare last October.
However, he has now confirmed that he has called time on his career on social media.
He wrote: “For me, carrying on playing football would be one step too far, and I’m really gutted about it.
“I think I owed it to myself to get back on the pitch, that really did drive my recovery.
“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.
“Since I’ve made my recovery back on the pitch there was something about my game that was missing.
“All three of those components for football are the biggest part of what made me a good player.”
Fletcher insisted that he has not “felt the same” as the collision left him with issues with his balance, timing and coordination.
He has also been having to deal with being permanently deaf in his left ear.
Fletcher started his career at Plymouth Argyle and made 24 appearances for the club.
He had two loan spells away from the Pilgrims at Torquay United and Aldershot Town.
He then moved to Tiverton Town before signing for Bath in 2021.
Weston-super-Mare manager Scott Bartlett hailed Fletcher after he announced his retirement.
He added: “He is an intelligent person with a great family, who recently had a very important new addition.
“That is obviously the most important thing.
“I have not known Alex for long in the grand scheme of things but he had made an impression on me and the rest of our club.”
