Bourne Legacy: Steve Fletcher

Striker Steve Fletcher joined the Cherries from hometown club Hartlepool in 1992 and went on to become the club’s record appearance-maker.

Crowned supporters’ player of the year after the Cherries had pulled off the Great Escape in 1994/95, he left for Chesterfield in 2007 after not being offered a new contract.

But he was brought back by Eddie Howe 18 months later and played a starring role in the Greatest Escape, scoring the goal which kept the Cherries in the Football League in April 2009.

What are your memories of your first day at AFC Bournemouth?

I’d driven down from Hartlepool with my dad the day before and stayed overnight in the Royal Bath. The following morning, we pulled up at the stadium and the first person we saw was John ‘Captain’ Kirk.

He told me he was the trainer and invited me in and showed me around the stadium. John was so friendly and really made me feel welcome and at home. He sold the club and the town to me.

That all happened before Tony Pulis arrived to meet me. Tony took me to the training ground at Chapel Gate and told me I was a massive part of his plans. I signed that afternoon.

You did some miles in your first few days at the club – tell us what happened?

It was a hectic time for me. As soon as Hartlepool had told me Bournemouth were interested, my dad drove me down here.

There were no mobile phones or Sat Nav in those days and I remember stopping at a motorway service station to ring Tony Pulis asking for directions to the hotel.

I signed on the Thursday before driving back to Hartlepool and returning on the Friday morning for training.

We played Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly on the Saturday and I scored a tap-in from about six yards.

I drove home again straight after the game and came back on the Sunday night. I did more than 2,000 miles in four days!

Why did you play in defence at the start of the 1994/95 Great Escape season?

Because we had nobody else!

Although I played the first few games up front, me and Michael McElhatton formed a makeshift central defensive partnership after Alex Watson and Mark Morris had both got injured.

Sean O’Driscoll, John Williams and Mark were running the team and we didn’t get off to a good start.
I loved playing in defence. I always found it easier playing against big strikers because the smaller ones were too quick for me.

It wasn’t until Mel Machin came in that he put me back up front. My Bournemouth career took off after I had scored twice in a 3-2 win against Swansea at the start of January that season.

During your playing days, were you ever tempted to leave the club?

I remember having a conversation with Sean O’Driscoll just before Mel Machin came in. I’d had two very difficult seasons here and taken a lot of stick from the supporters. I was like Marmite, they either loved or hated me. It was probably the same all through my career!

I felt it wasn’t happening the way I hoped it would for whatever reason. I asked Sean if he would tell Mel I was looking to get away.

The first thing Mel did when he came in was pulled me to one side and said he didn’t want me to go He said he wanted me to be part of it and would look after me.

He put his arm around me and nurtured me. I was always the first one he would have a go at but also the first one he would come to on a Monday morning and tell me how much he loved me. He was the reason I stayed.

It was tough living away from home. I used to rely on my landlady letting me use the phone to ring my mum and dad. There was no shoulder to cry on and it really toughened me up.

There were a few times when I got wind clubs were interested. I’d seen players leave thinking the grass was greener but I didn’t see it like that. Unless you’re going to a higher division, why leave when you’re enjoying yourself.

Is it true you cried when the Cherries were relegated at Wrexham in April 2002?

Yes. I was doing co-commentary with Kris Temple on BBC Radio Solent. I missed virtually the whole season because I was injured.

When you’re doing commentary and not in the team, you become more of a supporter. Although I was with the lads all week, I felt like a supporter when I was watching games.

I think that makes you love the club more in some respects. When you’re playing, you don’t think about it and just get on with it. But when you’re watching every game, you get sucked in.

My love for the club became more apparent than ever that season.

I’m quite an emotional guy and have become more so with age. After the final whistle at Wrexham, I had to take off the headphones and shed a few tears. It was hard to take.

You made quite a dramatic comeback early in the 2002/03 season, tell us about that.

I’d had four days training after 14 months out injured and Sean O’Driscoll asked me if I would go on the bench for a game at Lincoln. Usually, you would need a month’s training to get fit. My head was saying no but my heart was telling me yes.

It was a career-threatening injury and the medical people had warned me not to come back too early. I was determined to be strong but I was desperate to be involved

Lincoln were a big team and were renowned for going long. I remember we practiced the long-ball game in training. Sean wanted to fight fire with fire.

We won 2-1 and I came off the bench. For me, that was a massive turning point. I was back after being out for so long.

Which was the best goal of your hat-trick against Brentford on New Year’s Day 2005?

The second one, a diving header.

Wade Elliott put in a lovely floated cross and I had to generate some power in the header.
For a change, it was good movement from me. I went to go to the near post and then pulled off to the far post and flung myself at the cross.

I’ve got a lovely picture of it and am almost horizontal, like being in Superman mode!
From a technical point of view, it was my best goal of the three.

Seeing the third one go in was the biggest delight ever because I’d waited what seemed like an eternity to get a hat-trick. It was on New Year’s Day and was the perfect start to the year.

When you left the club in 2007, did you ever envisage coming back?

Never in a million years. I thought my time was up.

I printed off all the messages from well-wishers and still have them to this day. There were more than 700. You don’t realise how you can touch people’s lives.

I shed so many tears with my family and you wonder what you’re going to do. Fortunately, I got a couple of clubs after that before coming back here.

What was the key moment of the 2008/09 Greatest Escape?

Winning at Dagenham & Redbridge was brilliant because it was so last minute. But for me, winning at Exeter was the turning point. They were doing really well and we were flying when we went there.

We were awful in the first half and were 1-0 down at half-time. The changing room at Exeter is tiny and I remember Eddie making his feelings known and rightly so because we hadn’t been good enough. Nobody was at it.

I thought we’d come as far as we were going to and were going to slip back. It seemed like we’d reached a point where we weren’t going to get across the line and all the dreams seemed to disappear in those 45 minutes.

But it was probably the best second half of the season and proves just how indifferent football can be.
Eddie made a few tweaks tactically and encouraged us to perform and Brett Pitman scored one of the best individual goals I’ve ever seen at this club, at any level.

In that 45-minute period, I’d gone from thinking we were done to thinking we had a massive chance. That’s the game that stands out for me. I went from not believing to believing.

This article first appeared in MATCHDAY, the club's programme, for the December fixture at home to Liverpool.