Cherries: Fletch has no plans to hang up boots

20 August 2011 07:00
STEVE Fletcher Cherries' very own Peter Pan says retirement is the furthest thing from his mind as he prepares to reach another memorable milestone.[LNB] The striker, who turned 39 last month, will rack up his 600th league appearance for Cherries should he feature in today's League One clash at Carlisle.[LNB] Fletcher has played the majority of his career in the third and fourth tier of the Football League and is showing no signs of letting up in his 22nd season as a professional.[LNB] He told the Daily Echo: I started against Dagenham in the League Cup and played 67 minutes. I felt I could have played the full 90. I don't feel any different now to how I did five or six years ago.[LNB] I know I have got to look after myself and that is something I have done better over the past two years than I did when I was younger. That is why I have been able to play as many games as I have.[LNB] As you get older, you get wiser. The game has become so much more professional and it is all about fitness, strength and conditioning. You need to concentrate on that side more than ever nowadays.[LNB] I feel good and still feel I can make as much of an impact as I did five years ago. While I still believe I can help the team, I will keep pursuing my playing career.[LNB] I won't have anybody telling me it is time to stop because I will know that myself. I know it is going to happen but it is not something I am thinking about at the moment.[LNB] Fletcher, who is 170 games ahead of second-placed Neil Young in the club's list of leading league appearance-makers, has been combining playing with assisting boss Lee Bradbury since January.[LNB] I love it and the transition has not been as hard as I thought it might be, said Fletcher. I enjoy helping Bradders manage the team and being able to play at the same time. I have got the best of both worlds.[LNB] It took me a couple of months to adjust but I have found the balance now. I am just as enthusiastic about playing now as I was 23 years ago when I first started out as an apprentice at Hartlepool. And I am probably more enthusiastic about the job because it is still relatively new to me. I have found a happy medium.[LNB] Fletcher, one of the oldest outfield players in the country, has made more than 800 career appearances having also played for Hartlepool and Chesterfield and in the Conference with Crawley.[LNB] He added: I am very proud to have played 599 league games for Bournemouth and the 600th will be a special moment for me. It is something I could not have dreamed of when I was a kid.[LNB] People tell me the appearance record will not be broken and I just hope it stands for a very long time. I would love for my children and grandchildren to be able to tell their kids that the record still stands in years to come.[LNB]

Source: Bournemouth_Echo