STEVE FLETCHER

By Phil Tooley

Part One (First appeared in the Wycombe Wanderers home matchday programme)

Born in Hartlepool on 26^th July 1972, summer signing Steve Fletcher, the lower division's best known and most respected target man began his celebrated career with his Home Town team, but not having been linked with the club from a very young age, indeed it wasn't until Steve had left school that he got his chance at the Victoria Ground.

"I went for a trial match when I left school at 16," he said, adding, "I got through about three trial matches after they'd started off with what seemed to be about 6000 kids and it dribbled down to two of us and we joined the Youth Training Scheme at Hartlepool back in 1988 for a two year apprenticeship."

Year one went alright but during the second year, John Moncur left as manager and the ex Spurs full back, Cyril Knowles, famed on vinyl through the song "Nice One, Cyril," took over the reins. His knowledge of the young striker was though, somewhat limited.

"Unfortunately I was injured for most of the second year, we had a new manager at the time, Cyril Knowles, and he'd never seen me play. I got fit about six games before the end of the season, played a youth game and after about 20 minutes I got injured again, so I thought that was the end and that I'd got no chance of staying on."

"He'd only seen me play for 20 minutes. But he got me in the office and told me he was going to take a gamble on me, I was as surprised as anyone, I'd been expecting to go in and be told he was sorry, having not seen enough of me but instead he said he liked me, I was a big lad and he thought he'd be able to do something with me. Cyril gave me my chance in football, I owe everything I've ever achieved in my career to Cyril Knowles."

Having been sidelined for most of his second season as a trainee, Steve must have been astounded to hear that, as an 18 year old, he was going to start the first match of the season. At Chesterfield!

So on 25^th August 1990 in Division Four at Saltergate in front of 3821 fans, the man, now such a familiar figure in the game, saw his pro-career kick off. And he scored the winner!

Steve takes up the story, "I went from playing about five or six games in the youth team the previous year, maybe two reserves games and came back in pre-season and he put me with the first team. I'd never even trained with the first team, so it was a bit daunting for me, but I got my head round it and played a couple of games in pre-season, got a bit of confidence and he got me in during the week building up to the start of the season and told me he was going to play me."

"My backside dropped out of my shorts, I was a bag of nerves for a couple of days and ended up coming down here to Saltergate for my debut, I scored the third goal in a 3-2 victory, a tap in from two yards after it had hit the inside of the post and trickled out and I just smashed it in front of our supporters, I didn't know what to do! I had a great game, was named as the Man of the Match in the paper and it was a dream start for a young lad's career, it doesn't matter what level it was at, but it was great."

Despite his success, Fletch didn't start in the next few games, so was that frustrating? "To be fair, Cyril said to me he'd play me more often away from home than at home. The system we played was three up away from home, at the time we had Paul Baker, who was a big target man, and Joe Allon who went on to score 36 goals that season, he went on to Chelsea, so away from home he'd play the three of us and at home he'd play Paul Dalton instead of me, he went on to Plymouth and Huddersfield and better things as well. We'd alternate home and away, I played the odd game at home, so I wasn't frustrated, it was a dream just to be involved with the squad."

Not only did that season see Steve's career start, it started in some style with Hartlepool United winning promotion, third in the table behind Darlington and Stockport County. They also managed to face top flight opposition in the League Cup, their reward for beating Chesterfield in Round One!

"I started a few games and was sub for a lot, so I was involved in most games and I had a mostly injury free season, missed only a few weeks, we got to play some good cup games as well, Spurs away, memorable times, we got promotion, you can't dream of much more as a kid."

Excellent mid-table consolidation in 1991-92, 11^th spot, but it was in and out for the young front man, though he did taste more top flight opposition in the Cup, Crystal Palace were then a top side and Steve played against them, albeit in a 6-1 loss, Palace included Nigel Martyn, Gareth Southgate, Stan Collymore, Mark Bright and Marco Gabbiadini, whose brother Ricardo was in the Hartlepool team.

United also managed a cup draw at Ipswich Town, on their way to promotion to the Premeir League, though they lost 2-0 at home.

Fletch recalls the season, "We went up a division, had a bigger squad, had a bit more money to get some good players so it was difficult for me to get in the team then. Ricardo Gabbiadini and Lenny Johnrose came in and towards the end of that second season I was back in the team alongside Lenny, establishing myself in the first team."

However that season was overshadowed by an illness and subsequent passing away of Steve's mentor, Cyril Knowles. Diagnosed with a brain tumour, Cyril stepped down and was replaced by ex England International Alan Mullery and in the summer, he died.

"For everyone involved in the Club, and particularly for me, with it being him who gave me my chance in football, without him I'd have been on the scrapheap with lots of other players, it was devastating."

Despite ending the season as a regular, Mullery and Fletcher were not necessarily on the same wave length, "You can't have every manager who likes everything you do, I didn't really see eye to eye with Alan all of the time, he played me in and out, and told me that pre-season that Tony Pulis wanted to sign me for Bournemouth, it was clear Mullery didn't want me, he told me I could come back and fight for a place but that I wasn't immediately in his plans, so I went down to Bournemouth and from Hartlepool, you can imagine that it was like going abroad."

"We pulled into Bournemouth and my Father just said that he didn't think I'd be coming back. We spoke terms with Tony, it was a beautiful place to live, we drove to the Westcliffe, saw the beach and that made my mind up. It was a bit warmer than Hartlepool, I went down in July and spent the next 15 years down there."

The Cherries paid £30,000 for his services, bearing in mind he went on to play more games for the South Coast club than anyone else, ever, that was a bargain price to pay.

Steve's Bournemouth career in detail to follow in Part 2.

Phil Tooley