Fletcher leaves Wrexham 'not by choice' as team rebuilds for Championship

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Wrexham continued its squad reconstruction ahead of a season in the second-tier Championship by releasing one of its most renowned players — against his will.

Steven Fletcher, a former Premier League player who scored some crucial goals to help Wrexham earn a third straight promotion, took to social media to say he'd be leaving the ambitious Welsh club.

“It’s with a heavy heart, and not by choice, that I unfortunately have to announce my departure from what I can only describe as the most magical club I have ever played at!” Fletcher posted on Instagram.

The 38-year-old striker said he fell back in love with soccer by joining Wrexham, a club whose notoriety has rocketed since being bought by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and becoming the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary — “Welcome to Wrexham.” “In my 22 years of stepping onto a pitch, I have never experienced anything like this club,” the former Scotland international wrote.

“To my team mates — you are family!” he added. "I have never experienced a dressing room like it in my career, and I can’t believe I don’t get to walk in there every day next season."

Fletcher finished a long message by thanking Reynolds and McElhenney for the opportunity to play for Wrexham.

Wrexham will need to improve the quality of its squad after rising to the second tier, a level the club hasn't played since the 1980s and just one more promotion away from the Premier League.

Another striker who might be leaving is Paul Mullin, a star player in previous promotion campaigns but who was overlooked by Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson for much of the second half of the season.

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