Ashley Fletcher discusses his move to Blackpool

Blackpool Gazette

Blackpool's latest addition discusses his move to Bloomfield Road and reveals how a ex-Seasiders loanee helped to convince him to make the move.

Transcript

00:00Obviously, I finished at Sheffield Wednesday last year and I kind of knew that there was

00:11a bit of interest from Blackpool and then yeah, things kind of accelerated through beginning

00:18of May. And then it got to, I was about to go on, yeah, sorry, I got, I got married.

00:26And then went on my honeymoon with my missus. And then, yeah, I was, the first day I come

00:31off my honeymoon, I was having my medical the day after. So, it was all kind of really

00:35fast in terms of that side of it, but I knew of the interest in trying to get the deal

00:40done. So, like I say, over the moon to get everything sorted.

00:45You mentioned George Byers, how big a part did he play in convincing you that this was

00:49the right place for you?

00:50Yeah, he played a little, a little part. Yeah, definitely. I spoke with him. I think he came

00:56back to Sheffield, I think he picked up an injury maybe two or three games before the

01:01end of the season. And I knew there was a little bit of interest. So, I quietly asked

01:06him what it was like and how the lads were and the manager obviously as well. So, he

01:12spoke really highly of the club. And yeah, in that time, I think obviously it was a bit

01:18up and down if Blackpool were getting the playoffs or not. But again, he spoke really

01:23highly of the boys and the team and the manager. And for me, it was everything I wanted to

01:29hear really.

01:30I suppose it was the sport volumes, not only the words you were saying, the kind of things

01:34you were saying, the fact that he'd only been there since January and that had such an impact

01:38on him.

01:39Exactly. And I think that's what you want to see as a football player. I think going

01:44into somewhere where probably George felt he was valued as well was obviously very important.

01:52Obviously, he got that love from the fans and from the club as well, which again, it's

02:00so easy to do for a footballer, but it can just transform someone's career back into

02:07obviously playing well and enjoying it again. So, yeah, when I spoke to him, like I say,

02:12he was so complimentary. And you can see that with, I think, the performances he put in as well.

02:18How persuasive are you? Are you going to be repeating some of the things he said to you?

02:23I spoke to him briefly the other day, to be fair. But yeah, again, people have different

02:30things. But again, I said, come and join me. It's hopefully going to be a very exciting

02:37season and I don't know what the situation was with him. But again, I just said, obviously,

02:43there's a real intent to obviously start the season well and carry on. League One's

02:48going to be really tough next year. I think that's quite clear. There's not going to be

02:53any, well, maybe two teams. But then I think from the rest, it will be really tough to

02:58pick out who's going to be fighting up there. So for me, I think obviously getting someone

03:06like George would be unbelievable to play the full season. And hopefully that would

03:13be great for me as well.

03:15Does this feel like a full circle moment for you? The fact that you came to League One

03:19as a youngster to prove yourself and now you're coming back to prove yourself all over again?

03:24Yeah, I think so. I think obviously when you plan out your football career, obviously I

03:33didn't see this. But in terms of getting back enjoying football, that's probably been

03:40the best thing for me. I wanted to come, like I say, where I was wanted and there's no better

03:45feeling than having someone who can support you and has confidence in you as a manager

03:51and stuff like that. So like I say, the manager and the recruitment staff were so clear in

03:58their vision of what they want to achieve this year and what their plans are for me.

04:03So that was just a massive coup. And yeah, I suppose you can say it's full circle, but

04:09I don't want to stay in this league for long. I want to get promoted. And like I say, the

04:16pressure will be on us. But of course, we have to deal with that. And hopefully the

04:22expectation level will be high so we can get promoted, hopefully.

04:27Can you put your finger on a reason why things haven't really gone your way in the last few

04:30years? Is there anything that stands out you think maybe that's what needs to be worked

04:34on or this is the factor that went against me?

04:38I think when I look, change of managers haven't helped me in terms of obviously I went to

04:45Wigan and I had three managers at Wigan in one season and then I went to Sheffield Wednesday

04:52and I had two managers again. So sometimes people have different opinions on myself in

04:58terms of style and stuff like that. So I get it. I understand it. Again, I think the pre-season

05:05one is a massive thing in terms of I went into the last two teams quite late in the

05:10end of pre-season. I was training alone. So not going into Watford. So from then you're

05:16kind of on the back foot really in terms of they're really not assessing you the same

05:21as maybe the lads that have been in from day one of pre-season.

05:25So for me, I think if I can get a full pre-season where I'm playing the games and obviously

05:32doing the fitness work and stuff like that, I can go into that first game the fittest

05:38I've been really in probably the last two years. And that's probably a massive thing

05:43for me in terms of starting that first game, whoever it may be.

05:47Is your message very much don't judge me in the last few years, judge me on what I do

05:50from this point going forward?

05:52Yeah, exactly that. I think it's more important to judge someone as they're leaving than it

05:58is to when they arrive kind of thing. And listen, I understand people will probably

06:03look and think, yeah, he's not hit anywhere near where he used to be and stuff like that.

06:10And that is fair. I'm really excited to kind of change people's perceptions of me.

06:17I think that's a massive joy for me and hopefully I can do that really, really quickly.

06:24But like I say, more than anything, I'm just really excited to get that love back for football

06:29and hit the ground running with Blackpool.

06:33What's your record like against Blackpool? Have you played them too many times?

06:37Do you know what? I was saying this to my dad the other day. I've only played them once

06:41in my whole career, which is crazy, really. And we, yeah, it was for Wigan we got beat.

06:49I think we got beat 1-0. I think it was, I think Jerry Yates scored towards the back

06:55end of the season. But yeah, I've only played at Bloomfield Road once.

07:02But again, something new for me as well. There's quite a few grounds as well

07:06that I've not played at this year in terms of in League One as well.

07:09So actually really excited to, well, especially to play at Bloomfield Road,

07:14but obviously to play at other grounds as well and hopefully be scoring at those grounds as well.

07:19Obviously you want to create new football memories, but when you're driving,

07:22you see the tower, there's going to be a few childhood memories as well.

07:25Yeah, definitely. Like I say, me as a family, we're from the North West.

07:31So days out, Saturday afternoons and stuff like that, going to the tower,

07:36Pleasure Beach, Sandcastle Waterpark, I think it was as well.

07:39I don't know if that's still there. And even Libham St Anne's, which is lovely,

07:44like really nice place to go for the day and stuff like that.

07:48So, no, really excited to be back up in the North West, in Lancashire as well.

07:57And for me, it's just about enjoying every minute of it now.

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