Wrexham striker Steven Fletcher has announced he will leave the club at the end of the contract – but ‘not by choice’.
The 37-year-old scored eight goals from 40 League One appearances as the Red Dragons earned automatic promotion.
The majority of those appearances were made from the substitutes’ bench, with the Scot netting a number of crucial goals.
That included a match-winning strike in a 1-0 win over Huddersfield in March, with manager Phil Parkinson subsequently referring to Fletcher’s influence as ‘priceless’.
But the striker has now announced that he will be a free agent at the end of next month, with Wrexham deciding not to offer him a new contract following promotion to the Championship.
Taking to Instagram, Fletcher stated that Wrexham have been ‘the most magical club I have ever played at’, and added a personal thank you message to co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
He stated: “In my 22 years of stepping onto a pitch, I have never experienced anything like this club.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to come here and fall back in love with the game! To have had the experiences and the opportunities that this club has given me has been just incredible.
“It’s not just a team or a changing room. This group of boys, fans and staff have been my family for the past two years.
“You welcomed me with open arms and open hearts and made me feel like I had a purpose again.”
After personally addressing his team-mates, club staff and fans, he wrote: “And to Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds – thank you! For the opportunity, the support, the joy that being part of this club has brought me!”
Goalkeeper Mark Howard, 38, has also announced his departure after three years at the club.
Defender Eoghan O’Connell is also out of contract but a decision has yet to be made over his future, while three young players – Bradley Foster, Liam Hall and Josh Adam – have one-year options that the club are yet to trigger.
Speaking on the ‘Men In Blazers’ podcast last week, McElhenney noted the ‘brutal’ aspect of having to release players due to the club’s three consecutive promotions.
“That’s brutal, but I understand why, is how quickly Phil makes these decisions [to release players]. Very quickly,” he said.
“It’s actually quite humane, because it gives people the opportunity to find other clubs. But we come back from Vegas and, I think in a couple of weeks, Phil will have made those calls and spoken to those guys.
“That is just brutal. So I want them, from the time that they won, and all the way up to that moment, to really feel how grateful we are for the service they have put in. And hopefully Vegas can fill some of those gaps.”
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