Ex-Sunderland man delivers verdict on 'endless battle' during career spiral and reveals psychologist help
The former Sunderland and West Ham man has opened up regarding his career struggles and the help he has received
Former Sunderland man Ashle Fletcher has opened up on mental struggles during his playing career.
The Manchester United academy product spent time with West Ham United and Middlesbrough before joining Sunderland on loan for the second half of the ill-fated 2017-2018 season as the Black Cats suffered a second successive relegation and dropped into League One for only the second time in their history.
By the time his temporary stint at the Stadium of Light came to a disappointing end, Fletcher had scored just two goals and provided two assists in 16 appearances, scoring in a season-ending 3-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After struggling to gain momentum since with stints at Wigan Athletic, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, Fletcher has now found a new lease of life under Steve Bruce at Blackpool in League One. During a recent interview, the forward opened up to the local media.
Discussing the difficulties he’s faced in football after an injury-hit couple of years with the Blackpool Gazette, he said: “It’s part and parcel of being a football player. It was going one way for me, and I’ve had to go back to basics and really work hard. I’m really enjoying my football now, and that’s the main thing.
“I’ve got a manager, coaching staff, and a group of players that believe in me. They know my strengths and play to them, so long may it continue. It can be tough because it can feel like you’re facing an endless battle. I’ve got a great group of people around me in my personal life: my wife, our little girl, we’ve got another little girl on the way, my parents, my brother - just endless people.
“I also sought out the help of a psychologist - who I’ve been speaking to for the season. Looking into the mental side of things has been really important for me to turn it around. I first did it when I was at Sunderland, and I was really young at the time. He helped me a lot because there was a lot of pressure on me. Over the years, I tried to turn it around myself, but he’s been great with me, and it’s quite clear that it’s so important.
“I’ve always known that I’m a good player, I’ve played for some top clubs - that doesn’t happen without having quality and talent. It’s been about getting it out of me and playing to my strengths. I like to think I’m quite important to this team, and that’s what you want as a footballer, you need that reassurance sometimes. After going from loan to loan, coming to Blackpool, I feel like I’ve now settled, but it’s not the finished article, there’s still a lot more to come.
“This is the biggest run of fixtures I’ve played since Middlesbrough, so I need to keep going and see where it takes me. The manager and the coaching staff have been unbelievable for me, and I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done because it was only going in one direction, and when I think about it now, it’s really hard to think about. I was having difficult moments.”