Football community mourns as Stratford Town's Cody Fisher stabbed to death in Digbeth

TRIBUTES have poured in for a Stratford Town Football Club player who was stabbed to death at a nightclub in Digbeth on Boxing Day.

West Midlands Police said a murder investigation was launched after Cody Fisher, 23, was killed on the dancefloor at The Crane nightclub in Adderley Street.

Police were called to the venue just before 11.45pm on 26th December and despite the best efforts to save Cody, he died 30 minutes later.

His family has been told and will be supported by specialist officers.

The family said in a tribute: "They have broken our hearts; I have lost my best friend. My family and I are asking for privacy and respectfulness at this heart-breaking time."

Cody signed for Stratford Town in the 2018-19 season and was an integral part of the team which went on to lift the Southern League Challenge Cup for the very first time, as well as a history-making fifth-placed finish in the Southern Premier Central.

He then committed to the Bards for 2019-20 but would later make the move to fellow league rivals Stourbridge before the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the season being declared null and void.

The left-back had a stint at Bromsgrove Sporting for the 2021-22 season before returning to Knights Lane in the summer ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He had not made an appearance due to injury.

Stratford Town chairman Jed McCrory told the Herald that the news of Cody's death has left everyone involved with the club "feeling numb".

"I had the call at 6.30am on Tuesday (27th December) telling me what had happened to Cody. I was shocked and could not believe the news," he said.

"There is a numbness around the club. I cannot put it into words how everyone feels, we're just all in shock.

"Cody always had a smile on his face. He was humorous and did not have a single bad bone in him."

He added: "Cody was one of our 'originals' who played a key part in the history-making 2018-19 season.

"He was a little bit unlucky with injuries. Whenever he got back into the team he picked up another knock but even then he still had a smile on his face.

"Even when Cody had spells at Stourbridge and Bromsgrove Sporting, if they did not have games, he'd be down at the ground supporting the lads on.

"He was always around the club and came on several of our Christmas parties over the years. He will be sorely missed."

Steve Walker, who was part of the management team during the 2018-19 season, told the Herald that Cody's attitude to football was nothing short of superb and that he was "the life and soul of the party".

"I was really upset when I heard the news. Cody was the most loveliest lad you could meet," he said.

"Whether it be in the changing room or on the pitch, he always had a smile on his face and was a huge part of our squad during that history-making season.

"I remember that in his first game after Darren Byfield left, when myself, Paul Davis and Nathan Marsh were in temporary charge, Cody got sent off against Alvechurch in the FA Cup and he was absolutely devastated."

He added: "You could have rinsed him in training and he would not have taken it seriously, that was the kind of person he was.

"His attitude to football was superb and he always loved going out with the lads, he was the life and soul of the party.

"Playing football was what Cody wanted to do and for someone to take that away from him at 23, words cannot describe it. His family must be absolutely devastated."

Det Insp Michelle Thurgood, leading the investigation, said: “This was a young man enjoying himself with friends on a Boxing Day night out and our thoughts are with his friends and family today.

“We know there were hundreds of people in the nightclub at the time. While we’ve spoken to a number of them already, we still need to hear from anyone who was there and who witnessed or even filmed what happened.

“We believe that the victim was approached by a group of people, and was then stabbed, so we’re working hard to identify all of those involved.”

No arrests have been made, police confirmed.

Anyone with information has been urged to get in touch via live chat, quoting log 3792 of 26th December.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.