Help with gear issues

Hi all, I have an 09 fiesta, I got the car second hand at roughly 90k miles, it’s had all proper servicing etc and major works done, for context.

the other day whilst driving my gears became extremely stiff, sometimes after coming back from a servicing they are a bit but they always loosen. The gears (all of them) would just not go in. I have to really press the clutch and push hard on the gear stick itself and also ensure there are enough revs. 
 

for example when stopped at lights, I’ll need to touch the accelerator ever so slightly before it’ll slip into 1st. 
 

there’s NO crunching sound when the gears do go in so it’s not the physical gears that are the issue right? 
 

i was wondering if anyone else has had or known an issue like this and if they could provide any guidance. I feel as if it is to do with the gear linkage as the problem feels more upper end rather than in the transmission box itself but hey I’m not an expert or mechanic.