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Huddersfield Town v AFC Wimbledon: Ashley Fletcher's debt of gratitude to former Terriers boss ADDRESSING the press ahead of Huddersfield Town’s League One opener, Ashley Fletcher appeared confident and fully at ease with his surroundings. Above all else, he looked comfortable in his own skin and every inch the senior professional he enjoys being these days. A few years back, things weren’t quite so straightforward. Fletcher’s career, by his admission, was stuck in neutral. His previous club in Yorkshire in Sheffield Wednesday did not see the best of him during a difficult loan spell in 2023-24 and it was across the Pennines in Blackpool where he found sanctuary. Ironically under a former Owls and Terriers manager in Steve Bruce, whose canny man-management started to get the best out of a player who was seemingly destined for big things when he came through the ranks at Manchester United. For much of the first half of his career, Fletcher didn’t crack it in the two top divisions and his numbers suffered along with his confidence. Happily, there’s another side to his story. In two renaissance seasons at Pool, he scored a combined total of 32 goals. He became a ‘player’ again. Bruce may have left the seaside last autumn. But his work with Fletcher was done. In his two seasons at Bloomfield Road, he was named supporters’ player of the season on each occasion. Fletcher said: "First and foremost, Steve was not just a fantastic coach, but a fantastic man. "He looked out for the human side of it and there were tough times. "He was someone who told me to go home one weekend and just have the weekend off and reset. And then he pulled me in and was like: 'how do we turn this thing around?’ "And from that day forward, I got back to playing well, first and foremost and then goals and assists came and it was the best form of my career. "So I have a lot to thank him for and other people as well. "I'm really, really happy with how the last few years have gone. "There were times where it was tough (before), because football's all you've known and it's your life. "There's been times where I felt I played really well in games as well and maybe not scored, but played well, contributed to the team and you're still getting a bit of stick. "But, listen, that's part and parcel of football, and I accepted that when I was younger. "So now it's just one of those things where as long as I feel like I played well and I'm impacting games and scoring goals and creating assists.. Creating assists is so important to me as well.” Seniority - Fletcher turns 31 in October and is married with a young family - has played its part in his re-emergence. There was always a player in there in fairness. One who can lead the line and also move out wide and link play. A forward who possesses pace, power and goals in his locker. In his early years, he was built up quite a bit and it probably didn’t help him back then. A quiet lad born in Keighley, but raised in Bolton. Things probably came too fast in truth. After leaving Old Trafford at the age of 20 in 2016, Fletcher signed a four-year deal with another Premier League club in West Ham and his star was seemingly on the rise. He featured 20 times for the Hammers in that 2016-17 campaign and while it did not go swimmingly, it did not stop Middlesbrough - armed with parachute payments following top-flight relegation - shelving out £6.5million to sign him the following summer. Fletcher was among a clutch of signings who were going to ‘smash the Championship’ in the infamous words of Boro chairman Steve Gibson. His partner up top was Britt Assombalonga, who cost a club record £15m. Both had fair price tags around their necks and it didn’t really happen for either on Teesside - in 2017-18 and beyond. As a result, Fletcher’s career graph started to go downwards. Bruce and others thankfully helped turn it back in the right direction. Fletcher, who has signed a two-year deal and is likely to spearhead Town’s attack this season - he registered 27 goal involvements in 50 appearances for Blackpool last term - continued: "I think when you're younger, you're just desperate to impress constantly. "I’ve now got married and had kids as well and that puts a lot of things in perspective. When you're a father, you've got other responsibilities. "I'm really enjoying this stage of my career and for me it's about how long can I maintain and sustain it and I want to do that here."