Steven Fletcher

Steven Kenneth Fletcher (born 26 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League Two club Wrexham.

Fletcher began his club career with Hibernian, playing in 156 Scottish Premier League games and scoring 43 goals.

He was selected for the Lanarkshire Schools XI in 2002 while a pupil at Earnock High School.

Fletcher made his debut for Hibs on 10 April 2004, replacing Garry O'Connor for the final eight minutes in a 3–0 Scottish Premier League win over Kilmarnock at Easter Road.

He totalled five appearances that season, making his first start on 15 May in the final fixture, a 4–1 loss at Livingston.

He became a first team regular in the 2004–05 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 over Dundee United.

In the 2005–06 season, Fletcher scored 10 goals in just 1,966 minutes on the pitch, which approximated to a goal every other game.

Fletcher played for the Scotland under-19 team that finished runners up to Spain in the 2006 European Championship.

He took on a more prominent role in the 2006–07 season after Hibs had sold star strikers O'Connor and Derek Riordan.

Fletcher scored in Hibernian's 5–0 Intertoto Cup win over Dinaburg 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 over Kilmarnock in the 2007 League Cup Final.

Fletcher became Hibs' main striker during the 2007–08 season.

He scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Gretna and won the Scottish Football Writers' Young Player of the Year Award.

Fletcher was touted for a move to Real Madrid due to Madrid's scouts watching him.

English club Burnley paid a club record transfer fee of £3 million to sign Fletcher in June 2009.

He was their top goalscorer in the 2009–10 season with eight league goals, but the club were relegated from the Premier League.

Fletcher was transferred soon afterwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers on a club record fee of £6.5 million.

In November 2008 it was reported that Manchester City was interested in signing Fletcher and the Daily Record reported on 1 January 2009 that Middlesbrough were "preparing" a £2.5 million offer.

Towards the end of the January transfer window, Hibs rejected an approach from Celtic.

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", but Hibs refused to sell him.

Fletcher finished the season by being voted the Scottish Football Writers Young Player of the Season again.

On 26 June 2009, Burnley offered £2.75 million for Fletcher.

A few days later, Hibs accepted an offer of £3 million plus incentives based on appearances for Burnley.

Fletcher completed the move when he agreed a four-year contract with the Lancashire club, who paid a club record transfer fee to obtain his services.

After the move was completed, former Hibs striker Keith Wright questioned whether Fletcher was ready to play in the Premier League.

His first competitive goals for Burnley came when he scored a brace in a 2–1 League Cup win at Hartlepool United on 25 August.

He scored his first goal in the Premier League on 3 October, against Birmingham City.

Fletcher was Burnley's top goalscorer during the 2009–10 season, but the club were relegated from the Premier League.

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 side Sunderland for £12 million.

He has since represented Scotland at full international level, and in 2015 became the first player since 1969 to score a hat-trick for Scotland.

Fletcher, who was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, spent much of his early years living on British Army bases in England and Germany where his Liverpudlian soldier father, Kenny Fletcher was based.

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 to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire to be closer to her family.

Hibernian youth coach John Park, also from Hamilton, spotted his footballing talent and the youngster joined the Leith club's youth network aged 13.

He played 108 matches and scored 23 goals for them, also spending half a season on loan at French club Marseille in 2016.

He then joined EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.

Fletcher spent four seasons at Hillsborough scoring 38 goals.

He subsequently played two seasons with Stoke City, and one season with Dundee United before joining League Two side Wrexham in 2023.

On 19 March, as a 61st-minute substitute for Scott Brown, he scored twice in a 4–1 win at Dunfermline Athletic, also assisting one of Derek Riordan's brace.