The goal machine (VIDEO)

He hasn’t got that Hollywood name. He doesn’t dress to make a fashion statement and he isn’t a well known international player, but Stephen Fletcher does know where the goal is.

Whenever Stephen Fletcher joins a new club, that club knows what they will get from him and that is plenty of scoring chances and he will cause a nuisance in the opposition’s penalty box. Fletcher is a defenders nightmare at times without being the superstar footballer that most striker are known to be.

Fletchers talent was only really first noticed when he signed for Wolves in 2010 after his previous club Burnley was relegated. In the two seasons he was with Wolves he scored 23 goals. For a team that struggled in both of those seasons at the bottom of the Premiership that wasn’t a bad scoring record.

His second season was especially successful as he scored 15 goals for Wolves in all competitions. His goals mainly come from turning in crosses or smart reaction finishes. Fletcher is a old fashioned forward but he is a player that clubs regard highly as he is always in the box waiting for the ball, this gives other players around him a target man to pick out.

Again after Wolves were relegated last season Stephen Fletcher and Wolves knew he was good enough to stay in the Premiership so they agreed to sell their Scotsman to Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. Although he has only played the three games for the club he has already scored 4 goals. His ratio is that impressive that when he scored his fourth goal it meant that Fletcher had had 4 shots and scored from each shot, that is some goals per shot ratio, 100% in fact.

Stephen Fletcher is known to keep scoring goals when he gets into a regular scoring streak, as he went six games in a row during his first season at Wolves where he scored in each of those games.

Although domestically Fletcher is a quality striker, internationally it hasn’t gone as well for him. This is largely due to having a fall out with current manager Craig Levein after he was left out of two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Spain. Since that incident Fletcher has refused to play and Levein refuses to pick him.

Although this is a shame for Fletcher personally, it is music to Martin O’Neill’s ears as he won’t be worried about losing his  best striker in international fixtures during the season as he won’t be playing he would be at home putting his feet up and resting.

Daniel Clark

@ClarkyD92

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