Steven Fletcher has revealed he ignored a string of phone calls from Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac following his unexpected release this summer. The former Premier League striker was let go by boss Phil Parkinson in May, just weeks after helping the Welsh club secure promotion from League One.

Fletcher had also been instrumental in Wrexham's League Two promotion the previous campaign after signing in September 2023. The ex-Sunderland and Wolves man admitted Parkinson's decision initially left him furious as he'd been expecting a new contract offer.

The 38-year-old ultimately chose to hang up his boots despite attracting interest from several clubs in England and his native Sc‎otland. Fletcher has now disclosed how he deliberately avoided multiple calls from Wrexham's Hollywood owners immediately after being axed, fearing he might lose his temper with them.

However, he's since enjoyed friendly conversations with both actors after coming to terms with his exit.

Speaking to former Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster on the Fozcast podcast, he said: "Looking back now, it was probably the right decision from the club with the amount of players that we had, but it took me a while to get over it. I was angry for a good few weeks.

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"I'm quite a chilled guy, but I blanked a few phone calls for a while. Obviously, people from the club tried to call me after they found out and I was like, 'I am not ready to talk to you.' Rob and Ryan both called me after, but I did blank a few calls to start with.

"I got on really well with both of them, but I didn't want them to get the brunt of [my anger]. I did calm down then and Rob texted me and said, 'Let me know when you want to speak.' I think they understood.

"I spoke to Rob, and then me and Ryan missed each other back and forward for a while. I was missing his calls and then he was missing mine. Then I'm thinking that he's thinking I'm blanking him."

He added: "We met up in person, me and Ryan, and he was like, 'Did you not want to speak to me?' I was like, 'No, of course not.' I had a good relationship with the owners. Rob was great with me and we went and played golf quite a few times."

Fletcher netted 16 times during his two seasons with Wrexham, including several crucial late winners from the bench. He posted an emotional message on social media when his exit was confirmed in May, revealing he was departing "with a heavy heart" and "not by choice".

The striker's impact at Wrexham was clearly appreciated by the club's Hollywood owners. Reacting to his departure on social media, Reynolds expressed how much he would miss his "leadership and wit".

Speaking directly to Fletcher, Reynolds wrote: "Words aren't agile enough to capture what you've brought to Wrexham, the spo‎rt, and the lives of myself and this whole town. You aren't a PART of greatness. You ARE greatness."

Mac opened up about his difficulty in saying goodbye to Fletcher on the Rob.Ryan.Red podcast. It came after the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star revealed that he had a golf game with Fletcher in the US just before he left.

He said: "Even just mentioning his [Fletcher's] name is tough because the harsh reality of football just reminds me of how quickly you can go from spending all day with him here in Los Angeles promoting the show and playing golf.

"[Then] putting him on a plane, sending him home and within 24 hours, Phil released him from the club, and that was difficult."

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