 Fletcher playing forSunderland in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Kenneth Fletcher[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-03-26)26 March 1987 (age 38)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Shrewsbury, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2004 | Hibernian | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2009 | Hibernian | 156 | (43) |
| 2009–2010 | Burnley | 35 | (8) |
| 2010–2012 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 61 | (22) |
| 2012–2016 | Sunderland | 94 | (23) |
| 2016 | →Marseille (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2016–2020 | Sheffield Wednesday | 124 | (36) |
| 2020–2022 | Stoke City | 72 | (12) |
| 2022–2023 | Dundee United | 33 | (9) |
| 2023–2025 | Wrexham | 73 | (16) |
| Total | 660 | (171) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007 | Scotland U20 | 6 | (1) |
| 2006–2008 | Scotland U21 | 7 | (5) |
| 2007 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2018 | Scotland | 33 | (10) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:07, 16 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 02:27, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | |||
Steven Kenneth Fletcher (born 26 March 1987) is a former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.
Fletcher began his club career withHibernian, playing in 156Scottish Premier League games and scoring 43 goals. English clubBurnley paid a club record transfer fee of £3 million to sign Fletcher in June 2009. He was their top goalscorer in the2009–10 season with eight league goals, but the club were relegated from thePremier League.
Fletcher was transferred soon afterwards toWolverhampton Wanderers on a club record fee of £6.5 million. He scored 24 goals in 68 appearances for Wolves, but the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2012. Fletcher was then transferred to Premier League sideSunderland for £12 million. He played 108 matches and scored 23 goals for them, also spending half a season on loan at French clubMarseille in 2016. He then joinedEFL Championship clubSheffield Wednesday. Fletcher spent four seasons atHillsborough scoring 38 goals. He subsequently played two seasons withStoke City, and one season withDundee United. In 2023 he joinedLeague Two side Wrexham, scoring eight goals in 33 games as the team finished in second place with promotion to League One on their first attempt. In 2024 he again scored eight goals for Wrexham as the team finished in second place with promotion to the Championship.
Fletcher played for theScotland under-19 team that finished runners up toSpain in the2006 under-19 European Championship. He has since representedScotland at full international level, and in 2015 became the first player since 1969 toscore a hat-trick for Scotland.
Fletcher, who was born inShrewsbury, Shropshire, spent much of his early years living onBritish Army bases in England and Germany where his Liverpudliansoldier father, Kenny Fletcher was based.[4] His father died from cancer aged 37 when Fletcher was aged only 10, prompting his Scottish mother, Mary, to relocate him and his younger sister Bree toHamilton, South Lanarkshire to be closer to her family.[4][5]Hibernian youth coach John Park, also from Hamilton, spotted his footballing talent and the youngster joined theLeith club's youth network aged 13.[4] He was selected for theLanarkshire Schools XI in 2002 while a pupil atEarnock High School.[6]
Fletcher made his debut for Hibs on 10 April 2004, replacingGarry O'Connor for the final eight minutes in a 3–0Scottish Premier League win overKilmarnock atEaster Road. He totalled five appearancesthat season, making his first start on 15 May in the final fixture, a 4–1 loss atLivingston.[7]
He became a first team regular in the2004–05 season, playing 26 times and scoring five goals. His first goal came on 16 October, set up by O'Connor to conclude a 2–0 home win overDundee United.[8] On 19 March, as a 61st-minute substitute forScott Brown, he scored twice in a 4–1 win atDunfermline Athletic, also assisting one ofDerek Riordan's brace.[9]
In the2005–06 season, Fletcher scored 10 goals in just 1,966 minutes on the pitch, which approximated to a goal every other game. He took on a more prominent role in the2006–07 season after Hibs had sold star strikers O'Connor andDerek Riordan. Fletcher scored in Hibernian's 5–0Intertoto Cup win overDinaburg and played regularly during the league season. The highlight of the season for Fletcher and Hibs was when he scored two goals in the 5–1 win overKilmarnock in the2007 League Cup Final.[10]
Fletcher became Hibs' main striker during the2007–08 season. He scored his first professionalhat-trick in a 4–2 win overGretna and won theScottish Football Writers' Young Player of the Year Award.[11] Fletcher was touted for a move toReal Madrid due to Madrid's scouts watching him.[12] In November 2008 it was reported thatManchester City was interested in signing Fletcher[13] and theDaily Record reported on 1 January 2009 thatMiddlesbrough were "preparing" a £2.5 million offer.[14] Towards the end of the January transfer window, Hibs rejected an approach fromCeltic.[15] Fletcher then publicly pleaded for Hibs to agree a deal with Celtic, arguing "for the development of my career it is time to move to a bigger club",[16] but Hibs refused to sell him.[17][18] Fletcher finished the season by being voted the Scottish Football Writers Young Player of the Season again.[19]
On 26 June 2009,Burnley offered £2.75 million for Fletcher.[20] A few days later, Hibs accepted an offer of £3 million plus incentives based on appearances for Burnley.[21] Fletcher completed the move when he agreed a four-year contract with theLancashire club, who paid a club record transfer fee to obtain his services.[22] After the move was completed, former Hibs strikerKeith Wright questioned whether Fletcher was ready to play in thePremier League.[23] His first competitive goals for Burnley came when he scored a brace in a 2–1League Cup win atHartlepool United on 25 August.[24] He scored his first goal in the Premier League on 3 October, againstBirmingham City. Fletcher was Burnley's top goalscorer during the 2009–10 season,[25] but the club were relegated from the Premier League. He was named Burnley Players' Player of the year for the season.[25]
After Burnley were relegated to theChampionship, Fletcher signed a four-year contract, with the option of a fifth year, with Premier League sideWolverhampton Wanderers on 3 June 2010. He was transferred for around £6.5 million, which matched the Wolves club record.[26] Fletcher scored on his debut for Wolves, winning 2–1 againstStoke City on the opening day of the season atMolineux.[27] He scored five goals in five league games for the club near the end of the season, including two againstWest Bromwich Albion atMolineux in theBlack Country derby, earning his side a 3–1 win over their local rivals and getting them out of the bottom three.[28]
Fletcher began the2011–12 Premier League with a headed goal in the opening day victory against Blackburn. Despite Fletcher scoring 12 goals during the league season, Wolves were relegated from the Premier League.[29] Fletcher submitted a transfer request on 8 August 2012, after media reports linked Sunderland with the player.[30]
On 22 August 2012, Wolves accepted an offer fromSunderland of £12 million.[29] Fletcher signed a four-year contract with Sunderland.[31] He made his first appearance for Sunderland in a 2–0 win againstFootball League Two clubMorecambe in theFootball League Cup. Fletcher then scored his first two goals in hisPremier League debut for Sunderland, a 2–2 draw atSwansea City.[32] He also scored once in each of his next three league matches, againstLiverpool,West Ham United andWigan Athletic.[33][34][35] He won thePremier League Player of the Month award for September.[36] After a run of games without a win, an injury sustained playing for Scotland in March 2013 ruled Fletcher out for the rest of the 2012–13 season.[37][38]
Fletcher was handed the number 9 shirt for the 2013–14 season, and returned to the bench for a 4–2 League Cup win againstMilton Keynes Dons. Upon his Premier League return after a sustained period of time out injured, he came off the bench to score in the 3–1 defeat againstCrystal Palace on 31 August. On 27 September, Fletcher was ruled out for "four to six" weeks, with a shoulder injury; the result of a heavy fall during the previous week's match againstWest Brom.[39] Fletcher scored his second goal of the season on 27 October 2013, netting the first in a 2–1 win against local rivals Newcastle United. It was also Sunderland's first win of the season. On 28 December 2013, Fletcher scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw againstCardiff City.[40] He did not score again in the 2013–14 season, during which Sunderland reached theLeague Cup final and produced a late run of form to avoid relegation.
On 4 October 2014, Fletcher netted twice and assistedConnor Wickham in a 3–1 win againstStoke City.[41] Fletcher was at the double again almost a month later, when he netted twice againstCrystal Palace atSelhurst Park. His fifth goal of the season came on the last day of the season, on 24 May 2015, where he scored a header to open the scoring in a 1–3 defeat away toChelsea.[42]
On 25 October 2015, Fletcher scored the third and final goal of the match in theTyne–Wear derby against arch-rivalsNewcastle in a 3–0 win.[43]
On 1 February 2016, Fletcher joinedLigue 1 sideMarseille on loan until the end of the season.[44] He made his debut for the club six days later, coming on as a second-half substitute forMichy Batshuayi in a 2–1 loss to rivalsParis Saint-Germain inLe Classique at theStade Vélodrome.[45] On 11 February, Fletcher made his full debut in a 2–0Coupe de France win at fourth-tier amateur sideTrélissac, setting upRomain Alessandrini for the first goal before netting himself in the 87th minute.[46]
Fletcher scored his first league goal forl'OM on 6 March, equalising in a 1–1 home draw againstToulouse, and added his only other strike for them on 14 May to do the same away toTroyes in the last game of the season, also winning a penalty that he took himself and was saved byMatthieu Dreyer.[47] A week later he started in the2016 Coupe de France Final at theStade de France, a 4–2 loss to PSG.[48]
Following his release from Sunderland, Fletcher joinedSheffield Wednesday on a free transfer on 1 July 2016, signing a four-year contract.[49] He made hisEFL Championship debut on 7 August, starting in a 1–0 home victory against Aston Villa, in which he was substituted in the first half due to a head injury from a collision withTommy Elphick.[50] On 10 September, he scored his first goal for the Owls to open a 2–1 win over Wigan atHillsborough.[51]
On 20 January 2017, substitute Fletcher was one of three players sent off in a 2–1 loss atBrighton & Hove Albion, for headbuttingDale Stephens.[52] He was punished with a three-match suspension.[53] He scored both goals on 4 April as Wednesday won at neighboursRotherham United, his first strikes since the previous December.[54] Wednesday made the play-offs and Fletcher scored the goal that gave them the lead in the semi-final against fellowYorkshire teamHuddersfield Town, but was substituted before they lost on penalties.[55]
On 24 June 2020, it was announced that he had declined a new contract and would be leaving the club on the 30 June.[56]
On 14 August 2020, it was announced that Fletcher had signed a contract withStoke City joining ex Sheffield Wednesday teammateMorgan Fox.[57][58] He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 2–0 win againstLuton Town on 17 October 2020.[59] Fletcher struggled with injury problems in2020–21 which prevented him from completing matches.[60][61][62] Fletcher scored nine goals in 42 appearances as Stoke finished in 14th position.[63][64] In the2021–22 season Fletcher was mainly used as a substitute byMichael O'Neill.[65] Fletcher made 40 appearances, scoring three goals which came in back to back games againstBlackpool andCardiff City.[66][67] Fletcher was released by Stoke at the end of the season.[68][69]
Fletcher signed forDundee United on a two-year contract in July 2022.[70] After scoring 10 goals in 39 games, Fletcher would leave the club by mutual consent on 27 June 2023 following United's relegation to theScottish Championship.[71]
Fletcher signed forWrexham on 8 September 2023.[72] On his 400th EFL appearance on 1 January 2024, he got his first Wrexham and EFL hat-trick, in a 4–1 win againstBarrow.[73] He signed a one-year extension with the club on 18 June 2024.[74] He scored 8 goals in 33 games that season in League Two, and 8 goals in 42 games the following season in League One. Both seasons saw the team finish in second place for automatic promotion. During his second season at Wrexham, he's been called a "supersub",[75] scoring 5 goals in only 500 minutes on the pitch.[76]
He was released following promotion at the end of the2024–25 season.[77]
On 29 September 2025, he announced his retirement from football.[78]
Fletcher was eligible to represent either England, his birthplace and the nation of his father, or Scotland, his mother's home country and his place of residence since the age of 10.[79] Fletcher was the top scorer in theScotland under-19 team which reached the final of the2006 under-19 European Championship, losing toSpain. Following the achievements of the under-19 side, Fletcher was named byThe Scotsman newspaper as one of the "ten to watch" inScottish sport during 2007.[80] Fletcher made his debut forScotland under-21s in the2004–05 season.[81][82]
Fletcher was named in theScotland squad for the first time in March 2008, for afriendly match againstCroatia. Fletcher started the game and provided the assist forKenny Miller to score the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw.[83] He was substituted at half-time due to injury.[83] He was dropped back to the under-21 team in September 2008, but was immediately recalled to the full squad after scoring twice againstSlovenia under-21s.[84] Fletcher scored his first full international goal in a 2–1 win againstIceland on 1 April 2009.[85]
After being left out ofEuro 2012 qualification matches againstCzech Republic andSpain, Fletcher publicly criticised head coachCraig Levein.[86] Fletcher was then left out of the next Scotland squad, although Levein claimed that this was because Fletcher had not been playing regularly for his club side.[86] When Levein attempted to select him for the squad in February 2011, Fletcher sent a text message stating that he did not want to join the squad.[87] The dispute continued through the remainder of 2011, as Levein insisted that Fletcher would have to contact him first if he wanted to return to the squad.[88] His club manager,Mick McCarthy, said in November 2011 that Fletcher wanted to play for Scotland and that the situation should be resolved.[89]
Near the end of the 2011–12 season, Levein advised the Scottish media that he would not pick Fletcher again.[90] Following Fletcher's £12 million move toSunderland in August 2012, Levein re-iterated that Fletcher would not feature for Scotland again whilst he was manager.[91] Levein also criticised the transfer fee paid by Sunderland as "quite obscene" and claimed that Fletcher had made no effort to rejoin the national squad.[91] The dispute came into further focus after Fletcher performed well for Sunderland and Scotland only scored once in their first two2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[92] Fletcher stated on his Twitter account that he would be willing to play for Scotland.[92] His agent claimed that Fletcher had made an attempt to reconcile with Levein in September 2011, but nobody had provided details of how they could meet.[92] On 2 October 2012, Fletcher was recalled to the Scotland squad for their World Cup qualifiers withWales andBelgium.[93]
Fletcher scored ahat-trick for Scotland in a 6–1European qualifier victory overGibraltar atHampden Park on 29 March 2015, becoming the first player to score three in a match for the country sinceColin Stein scored four againstCyprus in 1969.[94] On 11 October, away to the same opposition with both teams already eliminated, he scored another treble in a 6–0 victory.[95] He became the fifth player to score more than one hat-trick for Scotland, with the others beingRS McColl (3),Robert Hamilton (2),Hughie Gallacher (3) andDenis Law (3).
In May 2016, Fletcher was fined for not disclosing that his wife was the driver when his car was caught speeding on theA66 inAppleby-in-Westmorland.Carlisle magistrates fined him £1,000, in addition to £620 costs and a £100 surcharge, and six points on his driving licence.[96]
| Season | Club | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hibernian | 2003–04[98] | Scottish Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| 2004–05[99] | Scottish Premier League | 20 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| 2005–06[100] | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 40 | 10 | |
| 2006–07[101] | Scottish Premier League | 31 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3[d] | 1 | 44 | 12 | |
| 2007–08[102] | Scottish Premier League | 32 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 35 | 14 | ||
| 2008–09[103] | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 38 | 11 | |
| Total | 156 | 43 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 189 | 52 | ||
| Burnley | 2009–10[104] | Premier League | 35 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 38 | 12 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2010–11[105] | Premier League | 29 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 34 | 12 | |
| 2011–12[106] | Premier League | 32 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 12 | ||
| Total | 61 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 24 | ||
| Sunderland | 2012–13[107] | Premier League | 28 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 11 | |
| 2013–14[108] | Premier League | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 25 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15[109] | Premier League | 30 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16[110] | Premier League | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 4 | ||
| Total | 94 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 23 | ||
| Marseille (loan) | 2015–16[110] | Ligue 1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 3 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2016–17[111] | Championship | 38 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[e] | 1 | 41 | 11 |
| 2017–18[112] | Championship | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19[113] | Championship | 40 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 11 | ||
| 2019–20[114] | Championship | 27 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 13 | ||
| Total | 124 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 136 | 38 | ||
| Stoke City | 2020–21[63] | Championship | 37 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 42 | 9 | |
| 2021–22[115] | Championship | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 40 | 3 | ||
| Total | 72 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 12 | ||
| Dundee United | 2022–23[116] | Scottish Premiership | 33 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2[f] | 0 | 39 | 10 |
| Wrexham | 2023–24[117] | League Two | 33 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 |
| 2024–25[118] | League One | 40 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[g] | 0 | 43 | 8 | |
| Total | 73 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 77 | 16 | ||
| Career total | 659 | 170 | 41 | 6 | 37 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 749 | 189 | ||
| National team | Year | Competitive | Friendly | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Scotland | 2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 April 2009 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  Iceland | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 29 March 2015 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Gibraltar | 2–1 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 3 | 5–1 | |||||
| 4 | 6–1 | |||||
| 5 | 8 October 2015 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Poland | 2–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 6 | 11 October 2015 | Estádio Algarve,Faro, Portugal | Gibraltar | 3–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 7 | 4–0 | |||||
| 8 | 5–0 | |||||
| 9 | 4 September 2016 | National Stadium,Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta | 4–1 | 5–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 17 November 2018 | Loro Boriçi Stadium,Shkodër, Albania |  Albania | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C |
Hibernian
Sunderland
Marseille
Wrexham
Individual
