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David Phillips was born in Wegsberg, Germany in 1963 and became known as
a versatile midfield player with a powerful shot who was equally at
home at full back or on the wing. He first came to prominence as a
member of the third division Plymouth Argyle team that reached the
semi-final of the FA Cup in 1984, losing 1-0 to Watford. Before the
start of the 1984/85 season he was snapped up for £65, 000 by Manchester
City boss Billy McNeill, whose club were languishing in the Second
Division at the time, and made his debut in the opening game of the
season in a 2-2 draw at Wimbledon. Phillips bagged his first goal for
the Blues in a 3-0 defeat of Cardiff City in late September, but by
early January the club was sitting in tenth place in the league and had
been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions. An upturn in form,
however, saw them climb the table and during February Phillips hit a
purple patch of four goals in consecutive games to take them to top
spot.
Defeats against promotion rivals Oxford and Leeds, and a return of
only three points from a six game spell, saw a stuttering City fall
from first to fifth in the table before wins against Sheffield United
and, vitally, away at Portsmouth, followed by a draw and a loss, saw
them go into the final game of the season at home to Charlton Athletic
needing a victory to secure promotion. A packed Maine Road crowd of
precisely 47, 000 witnessed a thrilling 5-1 victory in which Phillips
scored twice to send them back to the top flight in third position on
goal difference from Portsmouth. His 12 goals that season ensured he
finished joint top scorer with Gordon Smith, and his ever-present record
of 42 league games was matched only by Paul Power and keeper Alex
Williams.
The 1985/86 campaign was always going to be one of stability
for the club, and with the help of David's reliability and consistency
fifteenth position in the table was a satisfactory conclusion to the
season, although defeats to Watford and Arsenal in the early rounds of
the FA and League Cups meant the fans didn't have a lot to cheer about.
Phillips made his final appearance for City in the last game of that
season, a 1-1 home draw with Luton Town, and had appeared in all but
three of the fixtures, with his solitary goal the winner in a 1-0 defeat
of Southampton back in January. In total he made 99 League and Cup
appearances in his two seasons with the Blues, scoring 16 goals, before
he was transferred for a fee of £150,000 to Coventry City, where he won
an FA Cup Winner's medal in 1987.
He was also a full international with
Wales, his debut a memorable 1-0 defeat of England in 1984, making 62
appearances and scoring 2 goals. By the time he retired from the game in
2001 he had had spells with Norwich, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield,
Lincoln and non-league Stevenage Borough. (David Redshaw)
1981–1984 Plymouth Argyle 73 (15)
1984–1986 Manchester City 81 (13)
1986–1989 Coventry City 100 (8)
1989–1993 Norwich City 152 (18)
1993–1997 Nottingham Forest 126 (5)
1997–1999 Huddersfield Town 52 (3)
1999–2000 Lincoln City 17 (0)
2000–2001 Stevenage Borough 19 (1)
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